According to the article “Tips To Inspire Demotivated Employees At Work” by contributor Joanne McDonagh on www.business2community.com, everyone suffers burnouts, but as an employer or manager, it’s your job to make sure employees feel reenergized in their work again with a new task or project. The signs of a demotivated employee include:

• Lack of energy
• Poor attention to detail
• Not taking on challenges
• Poor performance
• Taking too many “sick days.”

While the reasons for an employee to become demotivated can be many and may have developed over the course of years, there may be no simple or quick fix to the problem, but trying to find out the cause of it will help you start. According to McDonagh, there are four primary reasons employees can become demotivated, and she provides some solutions for each:

• Lack of communication. Poor communication is a common problem at many companies. Keeping open lines of communication between managers and employees so that everyone is kept in the loop is critical. Make sure employees know what is happening concerning any future goals or development for the business. Employees like to hear that they are striving for something and that the work they do matters. Presenting clear goals and explaining what needs to be done to meet them can help employees find passion for their work again.
• Lack of recognition. Everyone likes to be recognized for his or her work when having gone above and beyond the normal call of duty. Either circulate an email around the business about the employee’s achievements or take that person aside in a one-on-one meeting to praise his or her work. This recognition gives employees a great morale boost.
• Lack of a goal. Having nothing to strive for is a serious motivation problem. Instead, try inspiring some healthy competition. Offering rewards or incentives as part of the competition is a great way to re-motivate employees. Establish a clear set of goals for the community, and notify employees about, for instance, the top sellers and potential rewards to help generate a buzz. If you can get employees talking and excited about it, it will create a positive vibe and make them happier.
• Boredom. Give your employees tasks that interest them. Find out if there is something they would like to try, and if you can find the right project for them, you might be surprised by the results. They may want to learn a new skill or even try a project in a different department. Have a discussion with your employees about their interests — they might have a hidden skillset that could prove valuable.

Read the original article here.