Having employees who are unmotivated or simply do not care is a real problem when it comes to running a maintenance department. There are multiple reasons why your team may be having issues with finding the motivation it takes to do a good job.
Here are a few areas you can work on if it applies to your team.
Sometimes motivation problems comes from something as simple and complex as the age of your employees. If you have older workers, some are wary of new technology, worried about losing their position in the workplace, dealing with younger employees who may make them feel as if they are obsolete, and simply having a problem with change. Younger workers do not come without their share of issues either – some may have a more relaxed or “not caring” type of attitude. All of this is normal, but it is important to recognize the issues so that you can take care of it before it becomes detrimental to your company.
Let's face it, often times, the maintenance department is one that is under appreciated, overlooked, and not always thought of as it should be. One of the most important departments in the entire company. If the maintenance employees do not feel appreciated, they may not perform as well as they could and that is something that is easily addressed by showing your praise and appreciation.
Due to budget constraints or lack of an adequate workforce, sometimes the maintenance department employees are overworked and feel that what they are doing is a never-ending cycle. Yes, they know what their work duties are, but when someone is having to do the workload of two or more people, it shows in their motivational level.
Read More: How to Properly Train Your Employees
CMMS may not solve all of your team's motivational issues but by having a way of communicating better, a set schedule that is less “on the fly” and being able to keep up with training manuals, parts, and preventative maintenance – it may take some of the load off of them allowing them to become more motivated.