Motivating through Respect

Respect is paramount to work motivation at all levels in South America. People want to be part of a company that treats them with personal attention and brings them admiration outside work. If your workers feel respected, they will work as if they were part owners of the company—they will identify with its success and protect it from failure.

Respecting executives

To earn dedication from upper-level managers, make them feel like strategic partners. Show respect by keeping them informed of key decisions; they should not find them out from business journals. They want to be trusted as part of the inner circle, as close as possible to the people at the top. The best way to kill motivation in executives is to leave them stagnating in the same position while others are moving around them. Be clear about performance expectations but also about promotion opportunities. And, of course, provide dignified salaries, prestigious titles, and visible status symbols. Show respect for your executives in a way that makes them respected by others.

Rewarding line workers

Instead of competing for line workers by increasing salaries, consider other benefits that improve their quality of life and secure their loyalty. Providing on-site child care costs less per employee than a salary increase to cover individual child care. Subsidized housing near the plant can reduce travel time and stress for workers. Ensure that you have enough managers on the shop floor to know every worker by name and to keep up with their basic family news.

Indirect communication

One consequence of the priority given to respect is that employees may be reluctant to criticize or disagree directly with their bosses. Everyone has seen a friend fired suddenly as a scapegoat. It is better to watch quietly as the boss makes a mistake than risk their anger by showing them the error. Instead, messages may pass up the chain indirectly—someone may tell you about something they have heard, rather than expressing their own opinion, or they will mention something to a third party who is close to you. Indirect upward communication can be easily overlooked if you are accustomed to “straight talk.” Pay attention to indirect messages. Their very importance may be the reason they are not delivered directly. Create a safe environment for passing on feedback and new ideas.

Are you showing respect to your employees?

• Do you involve your senior managers in the decision-making of the company?

• Do you encourage upward communication and allow your employees to speak directly to their managers?

• Are you taking steps to make your employees feel safe in their jobs?

• Do you recognize people from all levels of the organizations individually and greet them personally?

Monitoring staff motivation

Lear, a supplier of car seats for Volkswagen in São Jose de Campos, Brazil, has a magnetic chart posted prominently at the employee entrance. As they start the workday, everyone posts a magnetic face next to their photo—happy, neutral, or sad. People pay attention to the faces and give special attention to colleagues with a sad face. Managers are required to inquire about the concerns of employees who post a sad face. And managers receive the same caring treatment from their co-workers. Although most of the issues are personal and beyond the company’s control, having a manager express personal interest shows great respect and makes the company a personal place to work. The workplace becomes a place to share one’s joys and find sympathy for one’s sorrows.