Andrew^* comes to my office to discuss an issue of concern. After I remind him of the working principles of the Ombud – confidentiality, informality, impartiality and independence – I invite him to explain what is worrying him. Andrew chooses to start with: “I have only six more years to work so I’m putting up with it but …”.

The topic that I would like to explore here is not the issue that Andrew shared with the Ombud that day but the weariness and apparent lack of motivation he feels six years before retirement. Indeed, such statements from my visitors are not infrequent, and my spontaneous reaction to them is that six years, or even one year, can be very long in a job where you’ve lost meaning and motivation...

From the story that he shares with me, I see that Andrew’s motivation was not lost overnight. It is rarely the case. It started with difficulties with an over-controlling new supervisor, difficulties that they did not manage to overcome together. Then his request for internal mobility did not work out as quickly as he hoped. Andrew’s technical competences had been acknowledged but, as time passed, interesting projects were entrusted to younger colleagues who needed to strengthen their career trajectory, while Andrew was kept in charge of more operational, routine tasks. A long-awaited promotion never came and that felt unfair. By the time we talked, Andrew was feeling undervalued, no longer integrated in a team and disconnected from the Laboratory’s overall mission.

There are many motivation factors at work; the key ones are:

Accountability, autonomy and empowerment at work. These are fundamental drivers of employee motivation, satisfaction and overall workplace well-being. The extent to which the Organization trusts Andrew and the freedom he is given to determine the most appropriate way to achieve clear objectives drive his motivation. The over-controlling manager and their joint inability to discuss the problem dealt the first blow to Andrew’s motivation.

Pleasant working conditions and strong connections with colleagues at work are strong drivers of motivation. A culture of equal treatment and effective conflict management are needed in the workplace to help maintain the motivation of all.

Our personal lives may at times be very demanding. This was the case when Andrew had small children and, later on, significant difficulties with one of his teenage sons. In parallel, his workload had increased, and Andrew felt overwhelmed and not supported by his manager. His motivation dropped as he no longer could maintain a proper work–life balance. There went another chunk of motivation…

One of the strongest drivers of motivation is continuous skills development. The capacity to learn and develop is essential, throughout your career. When Andrew’s requests for training opportunities were considered as low priority, motivation dropped a little bit more.

Fair recognition in the workplace is important and is more than just acknowledgement. Recognition includes assigning tasks that match Andrew’s aptitudes and desire to learn and appreciating his investment in projects, as well as tangible rewards such as salary increments, bonuses or promotion. Pay may no longer be the main source of motivation at work. But remuneration must remain fair, in line with the skills and investment of the worker, the position held and the length of service.

Last, but not least, motivation is strongly driven by caring and participative managers. Managers who are available and give priority to developing their workforce and creating a cohesive and psychologically safe environment are going a long way towards keeping the members of their team motivated and invested.

Keeping a high level of motivation throughout your career is also very much your responsibility. The Organization has developed a number of development modules to help you reflect on your career and on the options that you have at any point in time, such as the “Career focus”, which is designed to be an energising experience.

If you feel that motivation is not as strong as it was, whatever the reasons, don’t settle for weariness, boredom or frustration. It may be time for a discussion with your supervisor, your Human Resources Adviser or with the Ombud. Remember, you are the main actor in your career, but you are not alone!

There are many drivers of motivation, most of them intrinsic, and some of them are the responsibility of managers and the Organization. But it is essential, for the well-being of the workforce and the success of the Organization, to nurture and cultivate motivation throughout a career, right until the end.

^*   The name and situation are fictitious.

Laure Esteveny

I would like to hear your reactions and suggestions – join the CERN Ombud Mattermost team at https://mattermost.web.cern.ch/cern-ombud/.

Full details of the CERN Ombud’s role are available at: https://ombud.web.cern.ch/