One impression is obvious for the CEOs of many companies: the motivation of many of their employees is deteriorating dangerously.

However, reading the latest data published by Gallup, what could be just a feeling is unfortunately well-founded: the global employee engagement rate fell to only 21% in 2025.

This is the strongest regression observed in twelve years, comparable to that which occurred during the Covid-19 crisis.

However, every executives are aware that the performance of a company depends largely on the involvement of its teams.

Our society is facing a real crisis of commitment, which is becoming a major challenge for business managers, who are called upon to find effective levers to reverse the trend.

Therefore, several questions need to be answered:

‍Where does this generalized demotivation come from? What is motivation at work really based on? What are the levers for motivating your employees?‍

Discover our answers to these questions, ideas for concrete actions to put in place to boost the motivation of your teams and what benefits to expect from them.

Why such a motivational crisis at work?

The causes of this disaffection for work are multiple. Some relate to individual perception (representations that evolve with the emergence of new professions), others are linked to a larger collective context, marked by economic uncertainty.

A determining factor in the demotivation of teams undoubtedly lies in the paradox that employees face:

• on the one hand, businesses require ever greater commitment and agility from them to adapt to the rapid transformations in their sector of activity;
• On the other hand, these employees have to deal with growing precariousness, a destabilizing flexibility in the job market and an impression (more or less well-founded) of a lack of social recognition.

This tension generates frustration, fatigue and, ultimately, a gradual detachment from work.

How to measure the motivation of employees?

While motivation seems to be at a loss in many companies, there is nothing better for a CEO than to measure precisely what the situation is in his company. A diagnosis based on numbers allows, in fact, to rely not only on feelings, but on concrete and unbiased data.

The question remains to choose the indicators (KPIs) to effectively measure employee engagement. Here are the ones that prove to be the most useful:

• The eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score), which shows how well employees would recommend their company to others.
• The turnover rate, which indicates whether the company is succeeding in keeping its talent.
• The absenteeism rate, which can indicate a lack of desire or unhappiness at work.

We can also rely on satisfaction surveys, the monitoring of participation in internal projects, or even the activity on collaboration tools.

Taken together, these indicators provide a global vision of engagement.

They benefit from being supplemented by the conclusions of individual interviews which make it possible to better understand the needs and feelings of each employee.

The main drivers of motivation in business

Employee motivation is based on a variety of factors.

Among them, of course, we find remuneration, career prospects, management style, corporate culture, but also the organization of work, the methods used, not to mention the quality of life at work and the balance between personal and professional life.

Remuneration: an important driver, but less decisive than in the past

For a long time, salary was the first A lever for motivating employees.

Today, he has lost weight, even if it remains an essential criterion, especially at the time of recruitment.

Thus, posting an attractive remuneration — approaching €30,000 gross per year — significantly increases the number of applications.

Why is the proposed salary amount still essential? Because it meets major needs, if we refer to Maslow's pyramid (an essential theorist on the subject):

• It answers first of all to physiological needs, guaranteeing the resources needed to live properly;
• It then ensures a certain financial security, in particular thanks to the stability of a fixed income;
• It contributes to sense of belonging through collective schemes such as participation or profit-sharing;
• finally, it can feed the esteem needs through individual bonuses or variable remuneration.

However, if we refer to the Herzberg model, this factor says” extrinsic” acts primarily as a precondition: it can stimulate in the short term, but is not enough to maintain lasting motivation.

Nowadays, and even more so since the health crisis, which has profoundly changed the relationship with work, the search for meaning, the recognition and valorization of work now occupy a central place in the expectations of employees.

Well-being at work: a lever that has become essential

The 2020 crisis also highlighted a return to basic needs: security And the well-being at work have thus become priorities. And the attention paid to these elements by businesses actively contributes to maintaining motivation and maintaining productivity.

This well-being concerns various aspects:

• the cosiness physical: employees expect as well as their employer ensures that they are provided with a comfortable and ergonomic working environment;
• blossoming psychological: each employee is looking for a company where reigns a climate of trust that reduces stress and that offers interesting missions.

In addition to these criteria, there is also the requirement of a better work-life balance.

Indeed, the quality of life at work (QWL) is now one of the essential motivating factors for employees. Among the most popular arrangements, workers particularly appreciate flexible working hours, remote working or even asynchronous organization.

These are all criteria that today strongly influence the preference of certain companies over others by candidates.

However, just like remuneration, good working conditions, although essential, are not always sufficient to guarantee the sustainable commitment of employees.

Achievement and recognition: sustainable drivers of motivation

If neither pay nor working conditions alone are enough to maintain motivation over the long term, CEOs may rightly ask themselves what can really fuel the commitment of their teams.

Research in psychology and management converges on one point: it is the need for development — both personal and professional — combined with recognition of the efforts made that encourages everyone to surpass themselves.

These are therefore the two levers, real pillars of commitment at work, to be actively activated by managers.

So there remains a central question: how to implement this need for achievement in concrete terms?

In the company, management can fully meet this need by implementing with its human resources department:

• a skills development and continuing education plan, allowing employees to increase their skills, whether it is mastering the latest technologies (CRM, IoT, solutions integrating AI, etc.) or the development of behavioral skills, such as leadership for your managers or stress management for your sales representatives specialized in online sales, for example.
• dynamic management of career development and internal mobility, which guarantees the development of the potential of each employee.

Predictive management of jobs and skills can play a key role here: it makes it possible to reconcile the strategic needs of the company and individual aspirations.

Five concrete examples of effective techniques to motivate your teams

Creating a work environment that meets the expectations of employees, whether through the quality of the premises, the balance between professional and personal life, attractive remuneration that is reassessed regularly or even a clear and evolving career plan, is a solid foundation for maintaining their motivation.

But it is not always possible to meet all of these expectations comprehensively.

Fortunately, there are other levers that are just as powerful to recognize the involvement of your employees and nourish their desire to make a long-term commitment.

These levers are based on three simple but decisive dimensions: attentive listening, expressions of recognition expressed with sincerity and the ability to unite everyone around a shared objective.

1. Active listening, a sustainable motivator

Taking the time to really listen to your employees is a managerial act that is often underestimated, even though it is a major motivating factor.

Too many managers focus only on results and goals, forgetting that behind every performance are people with needs, ambitions, and sometimes difficulties.

Active listening reveals what really stimulates each member of the team.

An employee who feels heard and understood also feels recognized and valued, which reinforces their sense of belonging and commitment.

This practice creates a climate of mutual trust where exchanges become more authentic and constructive.

By showing genuine interest in their concerns, a business leader sends a strong message: the value of his employees is not limited to the results obtained.

How can active listening be put into practice?

• Establish regular one-on-one meetings : these moments offer a space for mutual expression. They are perfect opportunities to provide constructive feedback on their actions, and to learn about the problems and wishes of each employee.
• Ask open-ended questions that promote dialogue and allow employees to share their aspirations or their frustrations. For example: “What motivates you the most about your work right now? ” or “What skills would you like to develop in the coming months? ”.
• Show that you understood and integrated their words, by reformulating these to assure your employees that their concerns will be taken into account.

A CEO who practices active listening actively participates in the motivation of his employees who, by feeling listened to, are naturally more eager to propose their ideas and to invest in their company's projects.

2. Valuing your employees

After listening, recognition is also one of the most powerful drivers of engagement.

This is why it is essential to regularly congratulate your employees during your individual discussions for their success or simply for the work they have done.

But for the impact to be truly strong, recognition should not only remain private.

Highlighting successes in a public way sends a clear signal: the skills of the colleague are appreciated not only by the manager, but also by the entire team.

Why is it so important? Because Public recognition increases the positive effect of congratulations tenfold.

This time of celebration allows, in fact, to:

• value the collaborator
• strengthen the sense of belonging
• create a collective dynamic. Indeed, by seeing that certain colleagues are highlighted, the other members of the team will thus be encouraged to give the best of themselves.

How to valorize effectively?

To show your appreciation in concrete terms, you can use various means:

• Give oral congratulations to employees
• highlight the success or career of an employee by publishing written thanks
• offer personalized rewards or attentions
• grant a performance-based bonus...

For verbal congratulations, here are some best practices:

• Give concrete facts. Identify a goal achieved or a particular skill implemented.
• Be specific. Give preference to detailed formulations, such as: “For the launch of this project, your new skills made it possible to make the best use of our data, which made it possible to establish an innovative and truly relevant strategy, with undeniable results.”
• Vary the contexts. Recognition can be expressed in a meeting, via a publication on the company's intranet network or in a collective email.

By valuing individual contributions and celebrating successes, leaders promote the emergence of a true culture of recognition. Such a practice stimulates both personal and collective motivation.

3. Giving meaning through pedagogy and communication

A major factor of demotivation at work often lies in carrying out tasks that seem, without perspective, to be useless.

However, when an employee does not understand how his role contributes to collective success, he can quickly disengage, carry out his missions automatically and lose all desire to get involved.

However, even a repetitive or apparently trivial activity can become motivating if it is explained and placed in a larger context.

Regularly recalling the organization's goals and opening up perspectives for the future creates a climate where everyone sees the value of their efforts.

In short, giving meaning to work is far from being a luxury: it is an essential way to motivate and involve a team.

How do you show the importance of a mission?
Whether you're leading sales, technical, or creative teams, here are a few concrete ideas:

• Explain the impact of each mission : show how everyone's work contributes to company results and medium and long-term goals.
• Highlight the challenges met : recognize the efforts and skills that have made it possible to overcome obstacles.
• Valuing cooperation : encourage teamwork so that everyone feels supported and more invested.

Concrete example:
“The reorganization of our logistics, in which you participate, is a key step in streamlining our distribution chain. Once completed, it will free up time and energy so the team can focus on more strategic projects, such as developing new markets.”

4. Encouraging autonomy and initiative

Offering your teams the opportunity to propose ideas and get out of their daily habits also helps to boost motivation.

This means giving the right to make mistakes and creating moments of exchange that promote such creativity.

As a leader, if you perceive a loss of dynamism within your team, feel free to explore several options:

• give your employees more freedom in project management;
• involve them in important decisions and give them real power;
• Offer extended responsibilities to those who want them.

5. Strengthen team spirit and build a common culture

Motivation can come from anyone, but it gets even stronger when it's shared. A close-knit team creates positive energy, stimulates enthusiasm, and naturally improves results.

To achieve this, managers must encourage team cohesion and develop a solid corporate culture.

Sharing values and a common vision helps everyone move forward together towards clearly defined goals.

Feeling part of a united collective is essential for good collaboration. To create this link, several initiatives can be put in place:

• Team building activities : they promote trust between colleagues and create shared memories.
• Regular seminars : they energize the group and promote the emergence of new ideas.
• Mutual aid activities : mentoring or support between colleagues makes it possible to share skills and to help everyone meet different challenges, such as joining a new team or mastering new tools.

Collective support can also consolidate this dynamic, clarify common goals and help overcome the difficulties encountered by the group.

THEImpact of professional coaching brings real added value in terms of individual and collective motivation.

We have just reviewed 5 techniques that we think are particularly effective in stimulating the motivation of your teams.

And you, do you have innovative solutions to galvanize your teams? Feel free to share your tips and best practices.

The pitfalls to avoid in order to maintain motivation

For a CEO, it is essential to encourage the commitment of his teams. But some methods, even well-intentioned ones, can have the opposite effect and demotivate.

Identifying these pitfalls and knowing how to avoid them are essential to create a stimulating work environment over time.

Using clumsiness to impose a project

A common mistake is to want to manage everything yourself, by imposing your idea without really listening to others.

By dint of making meetings that are too long or long documents to convince, we often end up tiring the team instead of motivating them.

On the other hand, A good manager knows how to make you want. He clearly explains the meaning of the project, why it is important, and above all, he shows that he believes in it.

When a manager is genuinely motivated, the team sees it — and that enthusiasm makes them want to get involved in turn.

A team quickly knows if its leader is passionate, and this energy can quickly spread.

Concretely, prefer shorter, but dynamic meetings, where everyone can really express themselves.

Varying the formats — participatory workshops, idea boxes, collaborative groups — makes it possible not only to avoid tensions, but also to foster a true spirit of collaboration.

Finally, it's not all about asking for ideas. What really matters is to show that we take them into account. It is by valuing contributions that the desire to get involved grows and lasts over time.

Let demotivation set in

Even the most committed teams can sometimes go through moments of reduced motivation. This is not necessarily a sign of a management problem, but it is a signal that deserves attention.

Without a quick reaction, demotivation can impact productivity, create tensions between colleagues and lead to departures.

Instead of enduring these periods, it is possible to use them as an opportunity to question yourself: A chance to review the way you manage your team and strengthen relationships between members. Here are some ideas for dealing with it.

Seek to understand where demotivation comes from

A lack of motivation can have several causes: an overload of work, unclear goals, a lack of recognition, or simply a feeling that what you are doing no longer really makes sense. The best way to find out more is to talk to the person concerned and listen to how they feel.

Restoring meaning and offering perspectives

It is important to remember why everyone's work counts, and what it brings to the team or company.

Here are some useful tips:

• Highlight the progress made to date
• Talk about interesting projects that are coming up or about prospects for development.

Example:
“I know that the last few months have been intense with the new tools we've put in place, but it's starting to pay off. Customer feedback is good, and online sales are picking up again. We will soon have new opportunities.”

Keeping a motivated team requires attention, listening, and time.

But by remaining attentive to feelings and reacting immediately, you can turn difficult moments into stepping stones that allow the team to emerge even stronger.

Neglecting the diversity of motivations

Motivation does not manifest itself in the same way between individuals and varies with the age, career or professional experience of employees.

Some are mainly looking for recognition, others want to evolve in their position, earn more or simply better balance their professional and personal lives. Understanding and responding to these differences is essential.

Moreover, a study conducted by Gallup in 2023 shows that employees whose expectations are taken into account are twice as committed as others.

What to do in concrete terms?
Start by setting team goals, but also individual goals adapted to each profile.

To do this, discuss with everyone individually: get to know their strengths, what they would like to improve and their desires for the future.

Then, turn these exchanges into clear and achievable goals, using the SMART method.

Don't lead by example

To lead is not only to manage. It also means showing, through your own behavior, what is expected of your team. Leading by example on a daily basis indicates the way forward for employees.

To inspire his team, a manager must therefore show his motivation as a CEO, maintain a positive attitude, be humble, listen, respect everyone and adapt to situations. These qualities create a climate of trust in which everyone can express themselves, progress and be fully involved.

What are the benefits of a motivated team on overall performance?

Keeping a motivated team is essential for good management. When employees feel involved, the benefits are numerous:

• They have more energy and are more committed to their work, which improves productivity — a real advantage over the competition.
• There are fewer absences and departures.
• Teamwork is smoother and more effective.
• The company is progressing, developing and becoming more attractive for new talent.

The role of coaching in maintaining motivation

Whatever the context or the difficulties encountered, professional coaching can really make a difference. It helps to avoid loss of motivation, burn-out or chain departures. It also allows you to:

• Strengthen the skills of managers and their teams.
• Relaunch motivation when it runs out of steam.
• Improve organization and management on a daily basis.

Les tailor-made coaching solutions for SMEs or start-ups, such as those offered by VISCONTI Partners, are a real asset for maintaining motivation and well-being at work, while strengthening the overall performance of the company.