Total Motivation and Its Effect on Employee Theft (CEC)

Employee theft results when three areas intersect—opportunity, stress, and rationalization. When employees are not fully engaged with the success of their company, their coworkers, and their careers, they are more likely to engage in anti-social behavior such as theft.

Lowering shrink due to employee theft is less about creating a zero-tolerance environment and hyper-awareness of the consequences of employee theft and more related to how motivated an employee is about their company and the work they are doing. This can be a challenge for retailers since many store-level positions are entry-level, low-wage jobs. However, with leadership and the right tools, a culture shift can occur among all employees.

The husband and wife team of Lindsay McGregor and Neel Doshi speak to a total motivation (ToMo) culture in their book Primed to Perform: How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation and their company Vega Factor. ToMo is the psychological driver of adaptive performance. More simply, it’s a way to measure the reasons people work, which can predict how well they work.

In their research, they have found key factors that drive a ToMo culture, including such things as how enjoyable employees find their work, their understanding of the larger mission of the company, and their recognition of career-growth opportunities. Other motives to come to work, such as economic pressures, inertia to stay at the same company, and social pressure, although real, can detract from overall employee engagement.

A high ToMo culture is a great indicator of employee performance, turnover rate, and yes, dishonesty. This is not a one-and-done activity but is reinforced through multiple channels. However, it must begin somewhere. CEC’s employee performance tool, CEC RetainTM, brings a new approach that assists businesses in building a ToMo culture. CEC Retain is an employee performance tool that helps businesses drive:

• Employee retention
• Employee engagement
• Personal performance

To learn more about CEC, visit correctiveeducation.com.