Written by: Barbara Powell Love, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Years ago, I worked in a small corporation with about 200 employees. I was employed there for three years. I learned a lot about motivation in the workplace during those three years. I observed people in the different departments and determined initially that they were just unfriendly and rude people.
“Believe in yourself, take on your challenges, dig deep within yourself to conquer fears. Never let anyone bring you down. You got to keep going.” – Chantal Sutherland
I worked on the third floor of Client Services as one of the Project Administrators. The Third floor also housed the Accounting Department as well as the Administrative Department. The second floor consisted of the Telemarketing and Response Services groups, and the first floor consisted of Programming and Operations, and Mailing Services.
In the three years that I worked there, I saw people come and go regularly and wondered why there was such a turnover. However, some people had been with the company since its startup. I wondered why they stayed even though they seemed to be unhappy working there. I could not imagine what motivated them to come day after day to a place that they obviously hated. As a newbie, I soon learned that motivation is a personal thing. What motivates some may not motivate others.
What I observed during the first few months was there were rude and unfriendly people in all the departments, but I began to focus on the Programing and Operations and the Mailing Services Groups since I had to visit those department several times during the day. There was always an abundance of attitude from many of the people that I labeled as unhappy, frustrated workers and it was none of my business why.
Very few to none understood the true magnitude of having a positive attitude in the workplace. Although they got the job done, the negative attitude of the departments was overwhelming. I could feel hostility when I walked into the area. The supervisors yelled at employees instead of talking to them in a civilized tone of voice. In turn, the workers had a less-than-desirable attitude in communicating with people like me from the other departments. There was a tendency to make a big deal out of even the smallest request and it seemed that we were working from different sides of the proverbial fence. The level of dissatisfaction on the job, however, did not keep them from returning to work each day. The lack of adequate pay, benefits, and job security did not override the responsibility to provide some financial support for their families I later learned from some in Mailing Services. Many of them had been hired as temporary employees for years, yet they remained loyal, although unhappy workers. Their motivation was the lack of education and other skills that held them prisoner, taking verbal abuse from management with no thought of escape.
I decided to not internalize their negative attitudes which I realized had nothing to do with me. I could see the pressures they must have been under working on tight timelines and the harsh treatment from their supervisors. I began to realize that it wasn’t me or the others from my department that they were angry with; it was who I represented. I worked in administration on the third floor in an air-conditioned office with my own workspace. We could go to our hour-long lunch at our discretion within reason, and we had two 15-minute breaks. We also had benefits that consisted of medical insurance and paid vacations. They worked in a steamy hot area in the summer and chilly in the winter. They had to stand on their feet all day with a ten-minute break in the morning and one in the afternoon. They had a thirty-minute lunch break and back to work they went. They were docked for some minutes if they were not at their stations by the time the bell rang. The pay rate was low and most of the newer workers only received minimum wage. We, on the other hand, were considered ‘the privileged’. We had our issues on the third floor but in comparison, we did seem privileged… We all had our blues, but their blues were not like ours.
They worked very hard to meet those deadlines just as we did. They worked hard despite the lack of benefits or low pay. They were motivated to show up despite being yelled at by supervisors because they had families to feed. What I learned was that in many ways, we felt the same about our general managers on the third floor, whom we perceived as ‘the privileged ones’. Management at the top tended to ‘talk down’ to anyone in a subordinate position even if they didn’t yell. The disrespect started at the top and trickled down. I had interacted with some of my co-workers and management in social situations and found them to be nice people…away from the job. I had to remember that when dealing with them in their work capacity.
I decided to change the way I thought about my own position. I soon learned that I was limited in receiving positive feedback from most of the upper management. I started with a smile even when no one smiled back at me. After a while, I started bringing home baked treats to the different departments even when I didn’t have a job for them to perform. I learned the names of the people including the security guard, the janitor, the receptionist, and most of those that I worked with regularly. I began to ‘see’ them, and they began to ‘see’ me. I began to send out blasts of encouraging emails. Sometimes, if time permitted, I even stopped to chat for a minute. If there was no time to chat, I simply waved. I found that attitudes began to soften somewhat when I came in for a job request in Programming or Mailing Services. They were willing to complete tasks for me more readily than in the past.
Never was money involved nor promises of rewards made. It was simple kindness and a positive attitude that motivated them. I made it my goal to leave everyone in a better mood than before I came in. Of course, that was not always the case, but it was certainly better.
What I wanted everyone to realize was that we were a team. It didn’t matter that we worked in different departments. We were all working for the same goals and that was to satisfy our clients. I began to see small changes throughout the departments, although it’s difficult to change a culture that has permeated throughout the company over the years.
In my own department, I still felt that I had to constantly prove myself. I faced discouragement many times when my hard work went unnoticed although the smallest mishap was immediately addressed. I interpreted that as ‘if I got too much praise, that would mean I expected a raise.’ Personally, I just wanted to hear that I had done a good job. Of course, the raise would have been even better, but just knowing that my efforts were appreciated would have gone over well. What I learned was that any hard work that we all performed together to meet deadlines and satisfy clients was the main goal. We may have gotten little to no recognition, but when all was said and done, we were proud of ourselves. The Account manager, however, ‘did a great job’! And he got a raise.
We all want to be recognized for our efforts and rewarded for our hard work. The equity theory predicts that people seek equitable rewards. We want to be rewarded in proportion to our efforts. Therefore, if we work hard, we expect higher compensation and at least to be shown appreciation for what we’ve done as well as respect in the workplace. However, if we believe that we are underpaid and underappreciated, we may be motivated to restore our equity by working less hard or leaving altogether.
I found that motivation in that workplace must first come from within. How I viewed the workplace and how I decided my day would go was not dependent on motivation from sources apart from me, although that would have been great. I had to decide daily what I needed to accomplish despite outside forces. My decision actions led to motivation which in turn led to more action. My action-motivation-action cycle enabled me to accomplish more. I loved seeing the pile of completed projects in my desk inbox diminish as the day wore on. When I completed my tasks and did them well, I knew that I was fulfilling my personal goal of completion. Furthermore, I learned that it helped to broaden my skills for preparation to move into my next bigger and better position. I had to give myself accolades, show appreciation for my own work, and nurture what I had accomplished to move forward. I could not survive that workplace by looking outside of myself to be motivated. Despite negative surroundings, keeping myself motivated was a lot easier when I knew that what I did at the time prepared me for better things ahead. In addition, it felt good to know that I had motivated others simply by starting with a smile.
Barbara Powell Love, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Barbara Powell Love is currently the Office Manager for a small medical practice. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree concentrating in Business Development. Barbara is also the owner of Beebe Love's Beauty @www.beebelove.com, a blogging website to promote beauty, motivate, inform, provide mental stimulation, educate, inspire and encourage other women over 50 to embrace their inner beauty and pursue their dreams. Her blog focuses on personal development, leadership, and lifestyle. She encourages women to become Seasoned Beauties instead of becoming Senior Citizens.
