We hear a lot of leaders complain that their employees are not engaged enough and spend more time and energy on their personal interests or social media during working hours than on the actual work. But instead of blaming people for being lazy or indifferent towards work, one should find what is the underlying cause for that because there is always one or maybe even few.

The most common reasons for that are usually these:

1. People are bored.

Monitor the work load your employees have, their working pace. Some people thrive on fast-paced tasks, other on more analytical tasks. Make sure to assign work according to each person’s individual area of excellence. Try to listen and understand what kind of work each person finds interesting and challenging. Some people like repetitive work and some like never ending challenges. Give people more responsibilities and empower them to make decisions, but make sure everyone knows clear guidelines of their decision space. Everyone is different and that diversity creates the best results. Sure, it takes time to figure out everyone’s preferences, but increased productivity is very valuable.

2. People are not properly motivated.

Motivation goes a long way. Most organisations these days invest in motivating their employees, but they quite often make few mistakes. There are few little secrets how to motivate successfully. First of all, you need to understand that action, not words will change your employee’s behaviour. Don’t expect people to go the extra mile for you if you are not willing to go an extra mile for them. Second, the carrot principle works, but most leaders don’t understand how to use it. By giving a person a “treat” whatever that might be — a bonus, a gift card, or free lunch for the job well done, you will lift the spirit only for a while. To really motivate people universal “treats” are just not enough. Get to know your people, find out what your employees like, what is important for them, what hobbies do they have, do they have families, how many children do they have, what do they want to learn, where do they want to improve personally and professionally. Make motivation personal and you will have their heads and hearts.

3. People don’t like their job or the industry they’re working in.

Hiring the right people is crucial. Take the time to find people who believe in your mission, have the same values, are passionate about the industry and they will motivate themselves and everyone around. By hiring people, that don’t fit you’re not only wasting your time and money, but you’re also wasting theirs. If they won’t be happy in your organisation, not only they will be unproductive, but they might also affect the culture and the spirit of the team. On the other hand, if you think people on your team are not passionate about your and your organisations vision, don’t just fire them. Look at the mirror for a minute — do you truly believe in your mission? do you communicate the vision clearly enough? What do you do every day to inspire your team to be part of something bigger than themselves? Once you welcome people into your organisation treat them as family — with love, care, respect and patients.

People are the biggest asset you have in your organisation. Find the best people you can, invest in them, inspire them, keep them busy, challenge them, reward them, grow them, lead by example and in return you will get productivity and loyalty.

Few more things to remember. People want to feel important! Individual, sincere praise works better than monetary bonus.

Avoid harsh criticism — feedback is important, otherwise how do we grow? Unfortunately, most people find it hard to take criticism. If you start conversation with negative feedback, doesn’t matter what you say next — you lost their attention. Try 4:1 rule. With every negative point, find 4 positive ones beforehand. It’s not always easy but try and you will be surprised with the results.

In any situation in life follow Warren Buffett’s perfect advice: “Praise by name, criticise by category.”