Has overall motivation and drive been dropping among your top employees? Has the team spirit been too low lately? If the answer to these questions is yes, then read on to find out how to turn things around.

In this article, we're going to look into how demotivation at work can spread like a virus, impede employee satisfaction and productivity, and even lower your operating income by a third (!). Sometimes employees feel demotivated for personal reasons unrelated to work. But when it's a matter of constant and overall demotivation and low team morale, you should reflect, analyze the situation and step in!

Here are a few reasons why the once super-motivated top talents you hired might have become demotivated at work.

1. No appreciation

Appreciation is one of the most fundamental human emotions. It is therefore needless to say that you should show sincere appreciation towards your employees and give credit where it's due. Make sure to show gratitude for their work and performance, celebrate their success with a team activity or something similar, and praise them for their hard work. Even when times are busy and everyone is zoned in on their laptops, ensure that you take a moment to celebrate successes in the team and let your employees know that their contributions are valued.

2. No Company Progress

Is your company stalling or even losing business? While this is a critical situation where everyone on the team needs to be at their best, the reality is that such a situation will likely cause feelings of exasperation, anxiety, and stress. It can be very demotivating to work long hours and yet not see the returns. That's why you need to make sure that even though times are tough, employee morale and motivation is holding up.

3. No Professional Growth

If employees feel like their career is at a dead-end, their work is repetitive, and that they don't have opportunities for growth, then it's time to act fast. You can prevent this by sitting down with each employee to discuss the long-term trajectory and their career goals. As a mitigating measure, you could offer workshops and training programs respective to the skills and knowledge they are seeking to acquire. This will motivate them to take a new outlook on their career at the company and, in turn, might boost productivity and motivation.

4. Bad Management

If the management is lacking vision, employee motivation will suffer as a direct result. If your team does not have a clear vision to chase and no stated goals or objectives, your employees will start wondering if they are still heading in the right direction. Great and strong leadership with open lines of communication is vital to turning this around. Reiterating the company's vision with confidence and focus will help steer the ship back in the right direction.

5. Low Pay

Low salaries can also be a reason why employees feel demotivated. While pay brackets aren't the number one factor for employee motivation, it is still an indicator of value and appreciation for an employee and their work. If salaries become an issue, then look at the market's average and see if you can extend promotions and offer pay raises. If you can't afford to increase the salary, you can also offer employees other types of compensation, such as shares or more flexibility in hours.