Are you having difficulty waking up in the morning lately, when back then you were so excited for work? Or has your online job been so unsatisfying that you want to resign?
One of the most crucial factors affecting employee productivity is employee motivation. When you’re motivated to work, you’ll be able to give your one hundred percent to any task given to you, no matter how challenging it may be. In fact, employee motivation counts for almost forty percent (40%) of the success in team projects.
However, it’s also easy to lose motivation. Some common effects of being poorly motivated at work include drastically decreased productivity, lower quality of work, and increased absences.
Previously, we’ve discussed how to maintain your motivation while working remotely. Now, let’s talk about why employees lose motivation at work in the first place. Doing so will help you understand the cause of your lack of motivation better so you can find ways to solve it.
So, what are the reasons why employees lose motivation at work? Here are some of them.
You Don’t See the Point of Your Tasks.
Many people who lose motivation at work ask themselves questions like “What’s the main purpose of my tasks? How does it contribute to the company’s growth?” A common reason why employees lose motivation is because they don’t see the point and value of their work.
If you don’t know why you’re doing your everyday task or don’t believe in it, why do it, right? Of course, getting paid is a given. But money alone can’t fuel your will to wake up early and work eight to nine hours everyday.
Do your tasks fit your company’s vision/mission statement? And do you feel that it helps you hone your skills or even develop new ones?
If the answer to these questions is “no,” that could explain why you’re losing motivation lately.
Your Environment Isn’t Conducive to Work.
Being in a hostile or indifferent work environment can also drastically reduce your motivation. In an office setup, distractions are limited. In your house, however, there are many that can steal your motivation to work.
Besides the usual noise and family members distracting you, your bed always looks so tempting when you’re working, right? What’s wrong with taking a short nap or two to re-energize yourself… And before you know it, you’ve missed a critical meeting. Or two.
Additionally, there’s also social media. Since you’re not meeting your team physically, there’s no one around to remind you to focus on your work instead of catching up on your friends’ latest posts.
You Don’t Feel Like Your Work is Appreciated.
Aside from money, recognition is one of the best motivators. Who doesn’t like hearing their boss or co-workers say: “Great work, keep it up!” after finishing a difficult task? It’s even better if your achievements cause you to get a raise or receive a promotion.
However, with the shift to a remote setup, it’s getting harder to feel that your work is being acknowledged anymore. This is because you rarely talk to your boss and co-workers outside of virtual meetings nowadays.
And when you don’t feel like your efforts aren’t being acknowledged, you lose motivation to improve and, later on, do your work. Your work quality might suffer since there’s not much incentive for you to get better.
Your Workload Feels Exploitative.
There’s a big difference between a challenging workload and an exploitative one. The former is hard yet achievable, given your schedule and skill set. The latter, however, completely disregards your physical and mental health by setting unreasonable deadlines and assigning multiple responsibilities to you.
If you’re dealing with the latter, it’s easy to quickly grow tired of your job and experience burnout. Similarly, when your workload is too simple, you’ll also become bored with your job and lose any motivation to work hard.
You Lack Autonomy at Work.
It’s hard to be motivated to work for an employer who keeps you on a figurative tight leash. One common reason why employees lose motivation at work is the lack of control they might feel over how to do their jobs.
This disincentivizes employees to think outside the box and generate innovative solutions to company problems. It also makes them less inclined to voice their opinions during meetings since they believe their bosses don’t listen to them anyways.
You Don’t Mesh Well With Your Co-Workers.
Workplace conflicts can negatively impact your motivation to work. After all, nobody likes to work with people who are annoying, unresponsive, toxic, or all of the above.
That said, you don’t need to work with toxic people to make you lose your work motivation. Maybe your personality or values just doesn’t fit with your team. Or, because you’re all working remotely, you haven’t gotten the time to know each other better.
For your team to work effectively, you need to be able to depend on one another. However, if your team lacks camaraderie, it will only be a matter of time before workplace morale collapses.
You’re Currently Experiencing Personal Problems.
It’s not easy to work while simultaneously dealing with personal problems such as family issues, anxiety, or depression. These can make you lose focus on your tasks, severely hampering your productivity and motivation.
This is more evident in a remote setup, as the line between work and home can blur beyond recognition. If you find the strain of dealing with your personal problems overwhelming, there’s no shame in taking a break from work so you can sort it out first.
Conclude This Article? I Kinda Don’t Feel Like It…
Aside from helping you be more productive, another reason why being motivated is essential at work is because it’s better for your mental and emotional health. When you’re motivated to work, you won’t feel as stressed about it, and you’ll still have enough energy to bond with your loved ones afterward.
And to become more motivated to work, you must first know why employees lose motivation. The ones mentioned above are the most common ones you should be wary of while working. By dealing with these quickly, you can regain your motivation and become even more productive at work.
If you’re already feeling motivated to work but still lack an online job, you should head to Remote Staff. Our jobs list has a wide range of available positions for you to choose from, so you’ll never run out of options. Good luck!
