More and more workplaces want to measure everything. KPIs, scorecards and performance goals are supposed to motivate employees and help increase their productivity. But is that really a good way to motivate employees and make them happy?

Helle Hein gave a presentation on this topic at the first International Happiness at Work conference on the 18th of May in Copenhagen.

Helle Hein has a ph.d. in management and has done research on motivation for the past 20 years. Her work shows that many people are not motivated by metrics and bonuses but by something more meaningful – a professional calling or a cause that matters deeply to them. Leading these people based only on performance measures and financial rewards leads to frustration and a huge loss of talent and motivation.

We briefly interviewed Helle about her presentation:

 

In her presentation Helle shows how your organization can get the most out of its most talented employees, what really motivates people (no, it’s not bonuses) and how to make sure that people feel that their work really matters to them.

 

Here you find the slides of Helle’s presentation.