EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION

 

Employee motivation is defined as the enthusiasm, energy level, commitment and the amount of creativity that an employee brings to the organization on a daily basis. ... Employee motivation is all about how engaged an employee feels in tandem to the organization's goals and how empowered he/she feels.





Motivation Types

It is driven by several factors which influences the behavior and attitude of an individual. Based on the different factors and the kind of impact it has on a person, there are different types of motivation. The different types of motivation in people are

1. Intrinsic: This type comes from within a person to do a task or achieve a particular goal. It is a feeling of being self-driven and achieving objectives for oneself. Intrinsic motivation is driven by motives like social acceptance, eating food, desires to achieve goals, biological needs etc.

2. Extrinsic: This type drives an individual due to external forces or parameters. Some other person or organization motivates the individual to work hard to achieve certain goals or tasks. Extrinsic motivation is driven by motives like financial bonus, rewards, appreciation, promotion, punishment, demotion etc.

3. Positive: This type drives an individual by offering positive accolades and rewards for performing a task. In this type of motivation, the individual is rewarded by monetary benefits, promotions etc. which drives an individual to work hard.

4. Negative: is where fear and threat are used as a parameter to get the work done. In this type of motivation, individuals are threatened with things like demotion, reducing benefits, withdrawing merits etc.

For every individual, all the types are interlinked based on which he or she takes an action. The resultant behavior of any person is basis the motivation types he or she has been influenced by.




Top Factors Influencing Motivation

Keeping employees motivated is the biggest challenge for companies for ensuring that they give a high productive output at work and help in achieving company goals. A positive motivation amongst employees helps drive the business positively & enhances creativity. On the other hand, a demotivated employee will not contribute efficiently and slowdown progress at workplace. The key elements & top factors which influence employees in business or people in general are as follows:

1. Salary: Monetary compensation & benefits like gross salary, perks, performance bonuses etc. are the biggest motivation factors. The better the salary and monetary benefits, the higher is the motivation level & passion of a person towards a job.

2. Recognition: Rewards, recognition, accolades etc are important for ensuring high enthusiasm levels for an employee. If the hard work of an individual is appreciated, it keeps them motivated to perform better.

3. Work Ethics: Ethical working environment, honesty etc are important factors for any individual. Good work ethics in a company helps keep employees motivated at work place.

4. Transparency with Leadership: The leadership in an organization helps in employee motivation if there are transparent discussion and flatter hierarchies. The senior management has to ensure that all subordinates are happy, focused & motivated.

5. Culture at Work: A good, vibrant, positive culture at workplace is always an important factor. People from different backgrounds, religions, countries etc working together helps create a social bond at workplace.

6. Learning and Development: Another factor influencing is the training and development opportunities that a person gets. L&D helps individuals develop more skills and have better opportunities in their professional career.

7. Work Life Balance: Having a good quality of work life (QWL) helps in the motivation of people. A good work life balance ensures that a person can give quality time to both office work as well as family.

8. Career Growth Opportunities: Career development opportunities have a positive influence on the motivation of any person. If a person knows their future & career path is secure, they tend to work with more passion.

9. Health Benefits: Health benefits, insurance & other incentives act as a source of motivation for people. If the medical bills, hospitalization charges etc are taken care of by the company, it helps build a strong trust.

10. Communication: A positive & transparent communication between managers and subordinates gives a sense of belonging and adds to the employee’s motivation. Discussion related to work as well as personal life help make a friendly bond at workplace.

There are not finite factors influencing positive attitude of an employee. These keep on changing depending upon the type of environment, job responsibility, experience in life etc. Hygiene Factors of motivation are also given by the Hygiene Theory.




Advantages of Motivation

There are several advantages of an employee being motivated at work. Some of the main benefits of motivation for employees and companies are as follows:

1. Feeling of belongingness and self-respect.

2. A motivated employee is excited to learn and contribute more.

3. Higher productive output due to positive motivation.

4. Reduced absenteeism and lower attrition.

5. Employees high on motivation help reduce costs & improve profits.

6. Reduce stress & anxiety at workplace.


Examples of Motivation

Motivation is relevant in every field of life for any individual. There can be many examples based on type, situation, field of work etc. Some examples are as follows.

1. Consider a person who has joined a university. After a lot of hard work, he or she gets admission in their preferred course. Hence the intrinsic motivation for the individual would be perform well in academics, get a good score, learn new skills and get a job opportunity with a good company. Since this is an internal feeling, the driving motives are achieving a personal goal.

2. An example of extrinsic motivation can be seen from a footballer, cricketer or any other sportsperson. Any sportsperson wants to excel in their sport not only for themselves but to also become a crowd favorite and get their attention. Hence, he or she gets highly motivated by this external factor which drives them to perform better in their sport.


Conclusion :

Expectancy Theory is the root of all variances of motivation for employees in the workplace. Everyone needs to be motivated to perform better whatever their current situation may be and this is directly related to what they expect to receive in return for their efforts. 


Reference

MA Tietjen, RM Myers - Management decision, 1998 - emerald.com

W Roos, R Van Eeden - SA journal of industrial psychology, 2008 - scielo.org.za

Kaldenberg DO, Regrut BA. Do satisfied patients depend on satisfied employees? Or do satisfied employees depend on satisfied patients? The Satisfaction Report newsletter. Volume 3. South Bend, Ind: Press, Ganey Associates Inc; 1999.

Adeoye, A.O., & Fields, Z. (2014). Compensation management and employee job satisfaction: A case of Nigeria.Journal of Social Sciences,41(3), 345-352.

Babalola, G.A., & Nwalo, K.I.N. (2013). Influence of job motivation on the productivity of librarians in colleges of education in Nigeria. Information and Knowledge Management, 3(5), 70-75.









Comments

  1. Oshadha BandaraAugust 29, 2021 at 12:55 AM

    Yes.. Employee motivation is key to an organisation's success. It's the level of commitment, drive and energy that a company's workers bring to the role everyday. Without it, companies experience reduced productivity, lower levels of output and it's likely that the company will fall short of reaching important goals too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Madushani - 20050250August 29, 2021 at 2:52 AM

    Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, “I’m possible!” Motivation is the most essential part of the work life of an employee. It inspires individuals for putting in their efforts towards the attainment of the organizational goals.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Praveen Joel FrancisAugust 29, 2021 at 9:00 AM

    This is an extremely important topic to explore in HRM. Employee motivation and job satisfaction are important variables in a company's ability to sustain personnel. Kasun J, you've given great examples and created an interesting article. Best of luck with your writing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jude Shannon LucianAugust 29, 2021 at 9:15 AM

    Great Article Kasun! Motivation is an extremely important part for the HRM process as it helps to increase the organizational productivity, efficiency & reduce the labor turnover. Overall an interesting article Kasun

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mohamed AmjadAugust 29, 2021 at 9:21 AM

    Employee motivation is defined as the enthusiasm, energy level, commitment and the amount of creativity that an employee brings to the organization. To keep the employee motivated at work it is pretty much important to have effective strategies and maintain a good employer - employee relationship.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nadun AbeywickramaAugust 29, 2021 at 9:22 AM

    • Recent research from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job site, has found that 55% of employees are unhappy at work
    • Happy employees experience 31% higher productivity
    • 62% of employees in managerial positions report high job satisfaction levels
    Hence we can conclude that organizational performance is highly depends on motivation.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Rukmali FernandoAugust 29, 2021 at 9:23 AM

    Employee motivation is important as it allows Organisations to meet the goals. Motivated staff can lead to increased productivity and allow the organization to achieve higher levels of output while demotivated. employees waste of time and resources.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Arun_Prakash_MBA_BlogAugust 29, 2021 at 10:31 AM

    Employee motivation is a key aspect in every company. Motivated engaged employees can do wonders to the company. Of course the company has to put in place the motivating factors. Motivated employees are retainable, productivity levels are high, high job satisfaction and an asset to the company. All there efforts are reflected in the company overall performance. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete

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