The last reports for Q1 2024 note that the employee motivation and engagement have fallen to just 30%, the lowest levels in the past 11 years. The biggest drop in motivation is among the younger generation and those who work only remotely or only from the office.

Why is this happening? How founders and C-level management can help employees stay motivated? Let's try to understand it.

First things first: why is interest among employees falling?

An important thing to consider is the generation gap. Today, Generation Z has one different mindsets towards career building than their predecessors. They care more about things like finding meaning in their work than just making money or moving up the career ladder in the usual ways. This can confuse managers who expect new employees to want the same things they did when they started. However, this expectation often conflicts with reality.

As the co-founder and COO of my company, I often notice this when interviewing people between the ages of 20 and 25. For these young people, a feeling of personal fulfillment it takes precedence over traditional markers of success. Macroeconomic factors, such as currency devaluation, are likely to influence this change in attitude. Making money doesn't seem that important to young people, given that decreasing value.

So then, what can be done to counter this and keep people engaged in their workplace? Here are some ideas I recommend business leaders consider.

1. Empowering employees, promoting accountability

To begin with a personal example, I suggest giving employees more control over their work environment and schedule. In my company, we have adopted a hybrid work model where workers can choose their preferred work format. This means that employees can choose whether to work from home or come to the office and the hours during which they work. This flexibility helps people work when they feel most productive and promotes a culture of trust and self-responsibility.

This approach is often called ROWE Access (work environment for results only). Instead of closely observing employees and controlling them, we focus on the results they achieve. We trust our team to manage their workload and get things done. This way of doing things helps in a work-life balance and makes people feel more responsible, productive and happy in their work.

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2. Create a dynamic environment to cultivate growth among workers

Another note is to create a dynamic environment where employees feel challenged and encouraged to grow. This means creating a diverse set of tasks that avoids drowning your workers in the same routine every day. Of course, some operational tasks are necessary for a company to run smoothly. But it's just as important to provide opportunities for your employees to expand their skills and tackle new challenges.

Managers play a key role in this approach, as they are responsible for forming and curating this set of tasks. They should ensure that each team member has a mix of tasks they are good at and tasks that help them learn and grow. In this way, managers can make work more interesting for their team and keep them motivated and engaged.

3. Use shared team activities to build a sense of community

Another tactic you may want to consider is fostering camaraderie and shared interests among team members. You can achieve this by organizing various activities and events that bring employees together. Office quests, sports challenges, meetings and holiday celebrations are great ways to cultivate a sense of community and belonging.

Shared experiences provide opportunities for social interaction and also promote teamwork, creativity and mutual support. This results in a positive work environment and stronger relationships within the team.

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4. Embrace cultural diversity, value individual work-life balance

Finally, being a company leader means paying attention to different cultural mindsets and values ​​within your team, especially when operating on the international stage. Understanding and respecting cultural differences, especially in relation to the concept of work-life balanceare crucial when trying to create a supportive work environment.

My company has team members spread around the world, covering the US, Europe and Asia. With such a multicultural team, we understand that attitudes to work-life balance can vary widely across regions. Leaders must adopt a flexible and empathetic approach that respects the individual values ​​and boundaries of employees.