Ali Jafferi‘s recent blog post entitled Yelling: Disaster or Motivator? made me wonder, what is the best way to keep employees motivated? The post explained that yelling only works in organizational cultures where high vocal-force is tolerated. Agreeing with his conclusion prompted me to further research the connection between motivated workers. The key is fostering happy employees through the following foundations:

1. Positive organizational culture:

The environment that surrounds employees has the power to either motivate or discourage any worker. Hence it is extremely vital that an organization’s culture remain positive. Working in an encouraging environment (as opposed to an intimidating or fearful one) equates to an organization filled with happy and motivated employees.

2. Choosing the right employees for the job:

A “well-qualified” employee for an organization is not simply a skillful employee, but one that is aligned with the values of the organization’s culture. Employees are key components to sustaining an organization’s culture, because they ultimately create the atmosphere they are surrounded by. Thus, it is important to select employees that will positively enhance this environment.

A Harvard Business Review article stated that the level of happiness has a profound impact on workers’ creativity, productivity, and commitment. Consequently, happier employees means more motivated employees.

More on motivating through positive organizational culture: How to Motivate Employees: 4 Vital Management Skills

More on motivating employees through the proper selection: Ed Brown: CEO, Patrón Spirits Company