How do you motivate Thai staff?

[Thakkar]

In another 1,000 years from now, someone will still be asking the same question, and the answer

will be same, not much you can do to motivate Thai staff, they have their own logics, priorities,

timing and reasons to work the way they do and the western educated minds will never decipher

that code...

A thousand years ago, the Chinese were saying this sort of thing about Europeans. Today, China depends on the West for the bulk of its technologies.

To the OP,

Young people everywhere are a challenge to motivate. In Thailand it's doubly hard because in spite of a persistently low unemployment rate, wages don't seem to rise much. In a glitzy city like Bangkok with all it's enticements, 15 to 20k doesn't go far. For someone with skills, jobs at 15k are easily enough available and that takes away a lot of motivation; a job becomes a fungible commodity.

Studies have shown that money isn't everything. Equally important is a sense of control over one's destiny, more opportunity to make decisions and the room to make mistakes without fear of too much disapprobation. Praise and respect often work better than admonition and humiliation. Along with this, a firm hand may be necessary because, at 21, he is still a child.

Make a list of improvements you'd like to see. Take him out to a nice lunch and have a heart to heart. First listen, then tell him the improvements you'd like to see and express confidence that you think he is capable of those changes. Make no threats of firing him at this point. Watch to see if he improves. If not, fire him. Nobody's irreplaceable.

Good luck.

T

[meand]

The only thing that will work here is fear and threats. This is why the Thai bosses are so in control, the workers fear them. I would make sure he knows, fair or not, that if his productivity isn't at a certain level he'll be gone. When in rome...

[Neilcnx]

The question you should be asking is how to I improve my hiring skills.

[Pii Kate]

Why would you give this guy a raise in salary if he can't do a decent days work? That is an incentive to not change.

[MZurf]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

In another 1,000 years from now, someone will still be asking the same question, and the answer
will be same, not much you can do to motivate Thai staff, they have their own logics, priorities,
timing and reasons to work the way they do and the western educated minds will never decipher
that code...

The ability look forward 1,000 years is truely amazing, as is the existence of the illusive "code" mentioned.

Try a big stick!

Brief, lacking substance and pointless.

And your point is?

[mixxer]

21 year old thai kid , try yaba and pussy , if that doesn't motivate him your shit out of luck .

[thhMan]

Just do what you would do back home...

Give him a warning... then another.... (by now its past the point of no return)

Then start interviewing his replacement and when you have one... give him his months notice

Forget about him....... Think about the business...... You are a businessman.. yes?

[Time Traveller]

deleted

Edited August 25, 2014 by Time Traveller

[Time Traveller]

Ruds, you've done the right thing. Giving him that salary increase is sure going to motivate him to keep slacking off.

[BaldPlumber]

Another vote for a whistle and possibly a uniform.

[bino]

He is on a commission for extra business he brings in but that hasn't worked either. Just for the record he is half Thai / Half farang and 21 years old

You didn't say that he was only 21 when I first posted... other posters have rightly mentioned that someone of this age will be more interested in other things and not have developed any real work ethic. The ideal candidate for this kind of job would be a married guy who has responsibilities and a family to support.

A commission for work that he brings in is pointless if he isn't motivated in the first place. The bonus / commission should be for jobs completed or some other performance based method.

Best way to give him a scare is to start interviewing candidates to replace him. If that doesn't wake him up you are better without him.

Agree with Canman- this will wake him up.

Step one: Start interviewing. If that doesn't do it, proceed to step two.

Step two: Hire his replacement. If that doesn't do it, proceed to step three.

Step three: Make him train the new employee that can take his job. If that doesn't do it, proceed to step four.

Step four: Termination. Pay out the severance package required by law and use the new employee.

[SOMeTOM]

Just keep them starving for a few days, then put a banana that can be picked up on successful completion of a series of tasks you would like them to do, mission accomplished.

You might had a trail of some sort of rotten fish's paste to make their job easier.

I can't think of anything else that can work with them as you would expect.

[Guest]

Much of what has been posted here is of value, for "When logic meets culture, culture wins."

Yes, the Thai thinking and methodology is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. For sure!

However, in this case your error is universal and beyond repair. When an employer gives a raise out of the blue, they are saying "What you have done to this point is awesome, keep doing it." Not in Thailand ... everywhere.

If you had presented an action list and said "In 30 days you will be up for a 33% raise if this list is 100% fulfilled ... you would have tied performance to incentive.

Now you have said "Your performance is sterling, and I can not live without you."

Combining the thoughts of others in this thread, I would say to hire a 35 year old woman (Single Mom), train her up to his current level, and cut him loose. You have trained him to not work any harder, innovate or excel.

You see, motherhood brings responsibility, and salary increases are of real value. One could easily go to Siam Paragon, Emporium, etc ... and by simply pretending to want to buy a watch, do some banking, buy a plane ticket ... etc ... following your instincts ... find an eager, qualified and motivated replacement. Attend any property show where all the major players are in attendance, and there you will find fluent English speakers, many who can do math in real time, and understand complex rule driven business processes. And yes, they will not be too hard on the eyes either.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Guest

[maderaroja]

Let it be know that you are taking applications for his job and are looking for someone with higher output for the amount of salary.

[Tham1]

He sounds like an ass, I have one working for me currently he has a sense of his own importance and is a lazy little shit. I have him on an extended probation period and it is making no difference.

I will sack him next month and buy a plank of wood to replace him with - It wont cost 30k a month and will be more responsive.

[Craig351]

What I have found in my years of experience employing Thai staff

It dosen't matter what they say how well they interview, they don't have logic or reason and what you do or say to help them or motivate them will make no difference at all!

I do not say this in a degrading or negative way at Thai's, its just cultural.

What I have found is this you keep trying to find the right person and really it's like winning the lottery when you do.

They just need to be naturally enthusiastic, good work ethic, interested in what they are doing in the field that you need them to do.

They are around i have found them it just luck really.

In saying this that person who is like a westerner in their work can be just as hopeless at other things as other Thai's and non caring or lack the drive to do other things.

If they genuinely enjoy their job and have a strong interest in it but more importantly have the inner drive to do it you will get a great employee, but you will never motivate or get a Thai to do more by incentives or better working condition or whatever other method you use.

As they just need to see it now, feel it now, get the benefit now, if not then they just can't do it, as they can't see the benefit or reason to do anything more.

[Bernard Flint]

Never owned a company here, never EVER want to either.However i go to many restaurants,where the staff have BEEN WORKING FOR YEARS, AND ARE CHEERFUL, HAPPY, HIGH STANDARD,maybe ask them owners, how they can motivate their staff.

[Alwyn]

a plate of rice, offer him a plate of rice and watch him drool

[Banana Leaf]

Performance based bonuses.

Explain clearly what you expect, and what will be paid as a bonus for them being done to your satisfaction.

[fotog]

I think it was a mistake to reward him with a raise for his poor performance. In my experience it is a mistake to try to change someone unless they are agreeable to change, otherwise they will wind up resenting you for trying to bring out the best in them.

"You shouldn't try to teach a pig to sing, because it annoys the pig and leaves you frustrated!"

I understand that perhaps you may have substantial time and training invested in this employee, it is difficult to see that it is not working out, but sometimes it is better to come to the realization that it is not going to work and move on.

Been there, done that.

[BrooklynNY]

The thing about being Loog Kreung in Thailand is that, those loog kreung who grew up in Thailand in an environment of many Thais admiring them for looking like a farang but speak Thai, as if they were some kind of princes or princesses (Yukk!!). Look at those look kreung actors and actresses, they do not have to take acting training, just looking beautiful and handsome, they made their ways to stardom.

I believe that your loog kreung employee must have thought he could do better than earning 20,000THB (loog kreung = a male model or an actor), that why he does not have to push sales for you. He needs the job to buy material things to show off like many other ignorant Thais do.

If you were going to hire a female worker, you should keep it strictly business unless you want to make her a future wife. Not to get too friendly and too close to your female employee because almost any Thai woman tends to have this tendency that if any farang man gets too friendly with them, meaning that he likes her, she would get emotionally attached to and imagine all kind of things that farang would marry me. Also If you get too friendly to any Thai employees (regardless of male or female) and later on things go sour, they may get back at you by finding ways to revenge.

These loog kreungs in Thailand are not used to having a self discipline and they do not have to because they have been raised in a world full of Thai people praising them for being loog kreung and being pampered with all B/S talks. One of my family friends in Thailand has a loog kreung daughter and she is so caught up with being loog kreung that she acts so immature. The persons to blame are the parents and the pretentious Thai culture.

[myluckythai]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

He is on a commission for extra business he brings in but that hasn't worked either. Just for the record he is half Thai / Half farang and 21 years old

Then he probably (clearly) is an employee that is no good!

[smotherb]

He is on a commission for extra business he brings in but that hasn't worked either. Just for the record he is half Thai / Half farang and 21 years old

Oh well, that is the problem, no way can you motivate a farang

[jacko45k]

Try a big stick!

Brief, lacking substance and pointless.

No long, heavy and a point is optional.

[thairastawoman]

I have a gun andthey know I would use it !

[slipperylobster]

Holidays and whiskey

[gregk0543]

He needs a mentor. Maybe he has problems at home. Maybe he has no girlfriend? Try asking him what he wants to do or become and see if you can assist that.

If something works let us know.

If they dont have the spark then find someone who does.

[Thormaturge]

Try employing people part-time to begin with and watch to see whether they are lazy or industrious.

Hire the industrious ones and incentivise them with performance bonuses. Make the targets easy to understand.

Let the lazy ones go.

[kblaze]

have you had a one on one with him outside the office? take him to lunch/dinner/drinks whatever and just be straight up with him. "I like you, you have a good skill set, but I need you to step things up..." Then tell him why..."we need to hit such and such target...if we dont'....". Keep the mood as light as possible during the meal/drinks/whatever, but when you go to part ways, be sure to reinforce one more time "you have to pick it up...".

[cmsally]

The thing about being Loog Kreung in Thailand is that, those loog kreung who grew up in Thailand in an environment of many Thais admiring them for looking like a farang but speak Thai, as if they were some kind of princes or princesses (Yukk!!). Look at those look kreung actors and actresses, they do not have to take acting training, just looking beautiful and handsome, they made their ways to stardom.

I believe that your loog kreung employee must have thought he could do better than earning 20,000THB (loog kreung = a male model or an actor), that why he does not have to push sales for you. He needs the job to buy material things to show off like many other ignorant Thais do.

If you were going to hire a female worker, you should keep it strictly business unless you want to make her a future wife. Not to get too friendly and too close to your female employee because almost any Thai woman tends to have this tendency that if any farang man gets too friendly with them, meaning that he likes her, she would get emotionally attached to and imagine all kind of things that farang would marry me. Also If you get too friendly to any Thai employees (regardless of male or female) and later on things go sour, they may get back at you by finding ways to revenge.

These loog kreungs in Thailand are not used to having a self discipline and they do not have to because they have been raised in a world full of Thai people praising them for being loog kreung and being pampered with all B/S talks. One of my family friends in Thailand has a loog kreung daughter and she is so caught up with being loog kreung that she acts so immature. The persons to blame are the parents and the pretentious Thai culture.

You are actually pretty accurate with that. I soon caught on to the fact that my children were getting way too much praise, so I had to swing the other way giving quite a lot of criticism. I think I went a bit overboard as when both of them went to the UK they were astounded at how lazy the average farang was!