To be a good manager, you need to be able to identify changes in your employees’ work ethics — especially if they seem to exhibit a lack in motivation.

In our interview with Tim Muma, host of LocalJobNetwork.com’s radio program “Moving Up the Ladder,” we discussed signs that display a lack of motivation in employees and what managers can do when they witness these changes.

Here are the major signs:

1. A decrease in productivity.
2. Not producing as much quality work.
3. Increased rates of absentee from the employee.
4. Increased turnover throughout company.
Here’s what managers should do:

1. Make a personal connection with your workers.
2. Let them know their skills are needed.
3. Make them feel like they have ownership in the company.
4. Tell them their work contributes to a bigger picture in some way.
5. Treat each one of them differently from one another.
6. Give constructive criticism — begin with their strengths, discuss weaknesses, then close with strengths again.
7. Support their creative endeavors.
8. Make sure they understand their chances in upward mobility.
If this dip in motivation is a recurring problem, consider asking the employees directly why there seems to have been changes in their work ethics lately. These problems need to be dealt with immediately before they grow into bigger, more complicated issues.