Keeping Up Motivation

Maybe I got lust got on that score. My field was variable speed drives It's application that for many different costumers .. steel mills, paper mills, petrochem etc.... and all over the world.
 
mtnelect said:
1) Requiring them to go back on jobs without pay to repair mistakes.
2) Not paying them overtime
3) Not paying them the full "Clock-In Hours" for the time period
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Isn't all that illegal?
1. We have crews that do the conduit and crews that do the wiring itself.
That was always my biggest gripe you screwed it up you fix it.
But they still got paid.
 
I would say better tools, better training. For me knowing what a job well done looks like and having the means to provide it helped motivate me to do a better job. My previous jobs they had listed steps on how to do an assembly, but I didn't understand how any of it worked I just knew put orange wire into terminal #3. Which was great and all but just had me zone out.

Also feedback from customers helped seeing someone happy that I did a good job, especially if it was something I used to struggle with before understanding how to do it, helped me want to do better.
But for me what motivates me currently is I know there is lots of room for growth. I don't know how well that applies to your guys but for me I know the more I learn the more complex and interesting jobs I get handed. Plus, my potential pay rise is pretty good.
I also I like my old, and current boss, from jobs. I knew they had my back, so I wanted to have theirs by doing my job well.

Clear expectations is also something that is very helpful. If I am told build 10 of these, I will build 10 at a decent pace, if I am told I need to work up to 10 of these in 3 days I will aim to hit that.
 
Who are you trying to motivate?
Mystic Pools said:
Have a company dinner once a month. Buy them lunch on a Friday. Have a bowling night. Take them to a ball game, football, baseball, soccer, whatever. Fishing trip. Wash company trucks on a Friday and buy them pizza. (I did that)
Something other than work so they can relax and be themselves.
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It seems to me that the older employees like these type of social rewards better than the young guys do. The older employees already have a place to live, a family established, perhaps divorced, less social interaction in general, fewer friends outside of work just by the attrition of people moving away for various reasons. Their needs have stabilized as they have found ways to address them, and things have settled down. These options are very good for that segment of your employees.

The young guys are trying to survive, get a house, get a yard, get a fence, get a family, keep the wolf from the door, look ahead to find a job they can stay with as their bodies run down, get training to move into better jobs/positions, get retirement savings. Wives and babies are not cheap, and the doctors they need are not cheap. Housing and groceries are much more expensive than they used to be. They still have parents and friends from high school to take care of their social needs, but they really have to sacrifice to make time for them. They don't want to come to the Christmas party at work because they have things at home to be taken care of, although they usually come anyway because offending your boss is not wise.

They not only don't want that stuff, they think the boss is doing it because it is cheaper than paying them. They want money. To say they are money hungry is not correct - they really need the money for basic survival. It's not a philosophical question for them about whether you want to be treated well or paid well - they have to put food on the table. When they start getting enough money to relax about the wolf at the door, and their social circle gets smaller, then the social benefits become more effective.

Every job I have left to this point was because they were not paying enough and were never going to pay enough. I am fortunate as to where I am now. Many employers are stuck on a 90s pay scale in the 2020s, and then they wonder why all the smart young guys move on to the big companies and the union. It's not personal, the young guys are doing what they have to do to survive.
 
NEC Inspector said:
Who are you trying to motivate?

It seems to me that the older employees like these type of social rewards better than the young guys do. The older employees already have a place to live, a family established, perhaps divorced, less social interaction in general, fewer friends outside of work just by the attrition of people moving away for various reasons. Their needs have stabilized as they have found ways to address them, and things have settled down. These options are very good for that segment of your employees.
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My last job was at a low paying cabinet shop, great work, great people, but "couldn't" pay. Had they been able to steadily increase my wages I would have stayed, but I was "maxed out". The previous owner was all about his annual party, thought it was a special thing and he went big. The old timers there loved it, the younger generation did not. When he finally retired he passed the business down to his daughter (who married one of the employees) and when it came to the party the new boss called everybody together and said something like:

"Okay everybody, the party will cost about $3500. We can have the party or I can give each of you $200."

Unanimous vote was to get the $200.
 
Joe.B said:
My last job was at a low paying cabinet shop, great work, great people, but "couldn't" pay. Had they been able to steadily increase my wages I would have stayed, but I was "maxed out". The previous owner was all about his annual party, thought it was a special thing and he went big. The old timers there loved it, the younger generation did not. When he finally retired he passed the business down to his daughter (who married one of the employees) and when it came to the party the new boss called everybody together and said something like:

"Okay everybody, the party will cost about $3500. We can have the party or I can give each of you $200."

Unanimous vote was to get the $200.
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We have a Christmas party every year. An hour of stupid party games and then a catered in meal. Tacos one year. Roast beef last year. Does nothing for me. But it's a free meal and I get paid to attend.
 
I like the idea of my company's yearly party, I don't like that I'd have to give up a Saturday night to attend. But it also does nothing to keep me at a job. Especially since a coworker would host monthly happy hours which did more to keep me at the job. I mean it still did nothing, but monthly co-worker get togethers did more than once a year party
 
Julio Chadrone said:
I like the idea of my company's yearly party, I don't like that I'd have to give up a Saturday night to attend. But it also does nothing to keep me at a job. Especially since a coworker would host monthly happy hours which did more to keep me at the job. I mean it still did nothing, but monthly co-worker get togethers did more than once a year party
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I don't party so company parties just don't do anything for me. Don't want to party with fellow employees either.

At a previous place of employment the company sponsored a pistol team that a number of us participated in. I enjoyed that. Some years we had enough participants that we had two teams. They also sponsored other activities for those so inclined like golf, volleyball, softball, basketball, trap shooting, etc.

When I leave for the day I mostly want to leave work behind me.
 
petersonra said:
I don't party so company parties just don't do anything for me. Don't want to party with fellow employees either.

At a previous place of employment the company sponsored a pistol team that a number of us participated in. I enjoyed that. Some years we had enough participants that we had two teams. They also sponsored other activities for those so inclined like golf, volleyball, softball, basketball, trap shooting, etc.

When I leave for the day I mostly want to leave work behind me.
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I feel that I think that would help in morale. Did any of those do that for you? I tried getting my company to sponsor a Peletonia (bike race) team last summer, but they shot that down. I feel like if I already had a family, those things might be a bonus, but since I'm currently at the stage where I am trying to find a partner, company events seem like a waste of time since I am not trying to date co-workers, working while liking someone in the office is like working while extremely drunk, it's very distracting and makes focusing almost impossible
 
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