Correlation Between Employee Attitude And Workplace Motivation

Herzberg’s two factor theory of motivation at the workplace shows the difference between two factors of motivation. The two factors being satisfiers, which are the main causes for job satisfaction (motivation), from hygiene factors which are the main causes for job dissatisfaction (demotivation to stay in the job). Examples of motivating factors are achievement, recognition, responsibility and the work itself. Hygiene factors include: working conditions, salary, relationship with colleagues, supervision, etc. An organisation needs to influence satisfiers through performance management using range of tools such as: job descriptions, supervision, performance appraisals, continuous development/training, rewards and career development.

According to the Two-Factor theory (Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory), which is closely related to the Maslow’s theory of motivation, such factors as salary or safe and pleasant working conditions (hygiene factors)

According to Herzberg two factor theory there are “two issues that play an important role in the workplace experience: hygiene factors and motivational factors”( Fischer and Baack, 2013 ). Hygiene factors contains wages, hours, working conditions and relationships with supervisors. Motivational factors consist of achievements, recognition, actual work or job, responsibility, and the chance for advancement or growth, and relationships with peers. Herzberg states that a person is either satisfied and driven or unfulfilled and

According to Bateman & Snell (2009), Motivators to employee job performance are centered on extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. Extrinsic rewards are characteristics of the workplace that attract and retain people. They revolve around organization and management policies, working conditions, pay, benefits, and other so-called “hygiene” factors. Intrinsic rewards are motivators that provide employees personal satisfaction in the performance of their jobs such as opportunities for personal and career growth, recognition and the feeling of achievement in the successful completion of a task. (p. 486). Herzberg’s two-factor theory suggests

According to Herzberg, individuals are not satisfied with lower-order needs at work, for example, those associated with minimum salary levels or safe and pleasant working conditions. Theses individuals look for the gratification of higher-level psychological needs such as achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and the nature of the work itself. Motivation-hygiene theory, based on the presence of one set of job characteristics or incentives lead to worker satisfaction at work, while another and separate set of job characteristics lead to dissatisfaction at work. Moreover he found that job characteristics related to what an individual does is the nature of the work he performs, having the capacity to gratify such needs such as achievement, competency, status, personal worth, and self-realization, leading to satisfaction. However, the absence of such gratifying job characteristics does not lead to dissatisfaction. Instead, dissatisfaction results from unfavorable assessments of such job-related factors as company

Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory- a theory that explores factors associated with satisfaction or dissatisfaction in the workplace (Bell et al., 2014).

Herzberg, a pioneer in motivation theory, determined that there are two factors that motivate employees: high-order needs and low-order needs. Those high-order needs are met by intrinsic motivation, such as fulfilling our personal needs and growth: achievements, recognition, promotions, work itself, and responsibility. He refers to low-order needs as hygienic factors; those needs cannot motivate employees but can minimize dissatisfaction in the work-place. Hygienic factors include, pay, company guidelines, quality of supervision, working conditions, relationships with co-workers, and job security (Damij, 2015, p.2).

The two-factor theory by Frederick Herzberg was based how the employees themselves felt about their jobs. The two factors are the hygiene factor which had to do with the working environment and the motivator factor which is linked to an employee's performance. These factors are not best applicable to a sales force as they are usually goal orientated and look for set objectives.

In contrast, Frederick Herzberg came in the 1950s, and 1960s with the two-factor theory also called motivation-hygiene theory in which examined employee satisfaction to see how attitudes affected motivation. Herzberg believes that attitudes can have an impact on a person's performance and also the performance of those around them. The theory was designed from a study stated that people have two sets of needs, their needs as animals to avoid pain, their needs as humans to grow psychologically. Herzberg

According to Herzberg, the factors leading to job satisfaction are distinctly different from those that lead to job-dissatisfaction. Therefore, the managers who seek to eliminate factors that create job-dissatisfaction can bring about peace at the workplace but cannot motivate the employees. These factors are termed as hygiene factors comprising administration, supervision, working conditions, salary and wages etc. While absence of hygiene factors will lead to dissatisfaction, mere presence of these factors will not satisfy (i.e. motivate) the employees. In order to motivate the employees, managers must resort to ‘motivators’ (those factors that motivate the employees towards better performance) such as recognition, challenging assignment, responsibility, opportunities for growth and self-fulfillment etc.

Herzberg’s two-factor theory Psychologist Frederick Herzberg developed a ‘two-factor’ theory for motivation based on ‘motivators’ and ‘hygience factors’. Hygience factors are basic human needs at work. It do not motivate but failure to meet them causes dissatisfaction. The hygience factors

The study, as reported in the journal, was using Herzberg’s Hygiene Factors and Motivators to examine (a) what motivates employees in the retail industry and (b) their levels of jobs satisfaction. Tan & Waheed (2011) stated that the survey was done by way of convenient sampling to select sales personnel from women’s clothing stores at Bandar Sunway shopping mall located at Selangor, Malaysia. One hundred and eighty selected sales personnel of heterogeneity were surveyed by a questionnaire written in English. The questionnaire included a series of statements and questions pertaining to determinants of job satisfaction. The survey candidates were requested to indicate their degree of agreement to each. According to the researchers, linear regression analysis was performed to test the relationship between Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory and job satisfaction and further analysis was done evaluating the relationship between money and job satisfaction.

Today’s business environment is highly competitive and rapidly changing. Many organizations are competing to survive in this environment. Motivation and the employee job satisfaction are essential for the long-term success of the organization team. Evaluation of the employees’ job satisfaction is a major problem of the Organization, until it affects the achieving of goals.

In explaining Herzberg’s two factor theory, Snyderman (1957) in Beach (1988) emphersises that employees have different needs and wants meaning what motivates one is different from what motivates the other hence it can not be assumed that money motivates everyone.People who work just for the money could find their tasks less desirable and may not therefore do them so well leading to a decrease in productivity.Herzberg noted that the absence of hygiene factors ,which is basic salary,may lead to job dissatisfaction and their presents does not mean workers get motivated, hygiene factors therefore act as as a foundation for motivation.

One pioneer in motivation theory, Frederick Herzberg posited that the only way to motivate employees long-term is to give them challenging work where they can assume responsibility. According to Herzberg there are two dimensions to jib satisfaction: motivation and hygiene. Hygiene refers to variables that relate to an employee’s environment such as company policies, supervision, salary and working conditions. Herzberg perceived the hygiene factors not as motivators, but as areas of potential dissatisfaction. Herzberg claimed that if employers satisfactorily address hygiene issues, there is greater employee satisfaction.