Key Factors Within A Workplace Environment That Motivate Employees

Employee motivation is, or at least must be, one of the key issues for directors, managers and personnel managers. The leader must be able to find the sensitive strings of his subordinates, which can be motivated by influencing them to achieve high performance. The correct use of motivation encourages staff to make more efficient use of their knowledge, skills, and talents. In today's turbulent, often chaotic environment, commercial success depends on the employee's talent and effort. Despite the many existing theories and practices, some of the motivation of leaders today remains a mystical term. This is partly due to the fact that people are motivated by different things and techniques.

The success of any business depends on the productivity and satisfaction of its employees. Employees need to be motivated to work. Motivation can be defined as the inner force that drives individuals to accomplish personal and organizational goals. Motivation can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. For an individual to be motivated in a work situation there must be a need, which the individual would have to perceive a possibility of satisfying through some reward. Intrinsic motivation stems from motivations that are inherent and arise from performing the task of the job itself, which the individual gets a feeling of either positive or negative motivation as a result of

Motivation in the workplace is one of the major concerns that managers face when trying to encourage their employees to work harder and do what is expected of them on a day-to-day basis. According to Organizational Behavior by John R. Schermerhorn, James G. Hunt and Richard N. Osborn the definition of motivation is "the individual forces that account for the direction, level, and persistence of a person's effort expended at work." They go on to say that "motivation is a key concern in firms across the globe." Through the years there have been several theories as to what motivates employees to do their best at work. In order to better understand these theories we will apply them to a fictitious organization that has the following

Motivation is an important aspect of all organizations today if they are to be competitive it helps

Motivation is therefore the force that transforms and uplifts people to be productive and perform in their jobs. Maximising an employee's motivation is necessary and vital to successfully accomplish the organisation's objectives and targets. However this is a considerable challenge to any organisation's managers, due to the complexity of motivation and the fact that there is no ready made

High employee motivation helps businesses to achieve high levels of productivity and eventually more profits. A highly motivated workforce is energetic, creative and committed to organization’s goals. Therefore it is important for the management to achieve highest levels of motivation of their employees by using extrinsic and intrinsic motivational strategies to form a profitably organization.

Employees are motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. In order for the reward system to be effective, it must encompass both sources of motivation. Studies have found that among employees surveyed, money was not the most important motivator, and in some instances managers have found money to have a de-motivating or negative effect on employees.  This research paper addresses the definition of rewards in the work environment context, the importance of rewarding employees for their job performance, motivators to employee performance such as extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, Herzberg’s two-factor theory in relation to rewarding employees, Hackman and Oldman model of job enrichment that

part by the need to earn a living and partly by human needs for job

Motivation is one of the most discussed topics in the present era’s organisations, especially since renowned psychologists like Maslow and Herzberg are dedicating their efforts to understanding it. Companies are investing a significant amount of resources in improving productivity in order to maximise profits. One of these important resources is of human nature. In order to get the very best out of employees, some motivational approaches need to be used. But what is motivation and how do I successfully motivate? I will try to relate one of my personal experiences with a friend to some of the most influential motivational theories. After introducing my story and making a definition of motivation I will address the ideas of Taylor,

Motivation helps in achievement of organisational goals as efficiency and productivity in the work of an employee improves.

In the motivating of employees, there are certainly many theories, definitions, and ideas. Motivation is a continuous battle in the work place, and close attention must be paid to it in order to ensure productivity and performance. It is hard to look at one of these theories and say that one is the most accurate or represents the landscape the best, but I will apply my own ideas and experiences to the topic to better understand how motivation works from my perspective. In the second part of the paper, I will look at my own experience as an employee at Google and at an insurance company, to help understand the various theories in practice. I suffered from lack of motivation as an employee in my first two jobs for two different reasons that can be explored in further depth based on the readings.

When it comes to monetary incentives; Ashton (2014) reports that most companies are trying to retain workers with the promise of money but by doing that they are not ensuring the loyalty of the employees. This can mean that these employees will leave your company as soon as they get a better opportunity. Good salary is a good incentive for your employees to give their best work but is surely not enough (p.7). Employees need to be excited to come to work every day in order to be motivated.

Typically one thinks of regular raises as a great motivator of employees. In fact it is understood that the absence of raises can lower morale and affect job performance. Often due to economic downturns, however, companies may go for years without the ability to provide raises, making it imperative that the company find other ways to motivate employees. While raises may motivate employees, the amount of money one makes is not the only driver of motivation. However, raises can be an effective means if the employees are able to recognize that the raise represents a reward for good performance. Even when raises and bonuses are available, more often than not, they are not enough to motivate employees for long periods of time, such as the whole year. After a few short months, the impact of a raise can fade which will reduce the motivation associated with the raise (Blank, n.p.). Employees continually need to feel that their efforts and job performance are noticed and appreciated (Nornberg, 2014). Similar to children, who need instant gratification, some employees can be less motivated by rewards that are too far in the future. Employers may be able to more effectively motivate their employees for good performance and positive behavior if they engage in giving frequent rewards, such as paid time off or gifts (Blank).

The term “motivation” is derived from a theoretical construct. Many times, psychologists have used this term to refer to something responsible for our action. The concept of motivation can be classified into categories: intrinsic and extrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is the one related to external factors that influence an individual’s drive towards action. On the other hand, intrinsic motivation is an impulse which comes deep from within a person and greatly influences their course of action. The applicability of both types of motivation at the workplace varies, depending on the organizational structures and policies (Tremblay, Blanchard, Taylor, Pelletier, & Villeneuve, 2009). Robbins and Judge (2007) add that at the workplace, motivation, especially extrinsic motivation, is regarded as a skill that is acquired through learning. It is inherent in an individual and does not get influenced by the environment. This paper will analyze the application and theories of motivation at the workplace.

The topic in the workplace that I have chosen to discuss is that of motivation in the workplace. Problems of motivation can cause performance issues, which cost businesses thousands of dollars each year (Nordmeyer). Low motivation delays employees from completing their work and causes many mistakes made within the workplace (Nordmeyer). The definition of motivation is the processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction, as well as persistence of effort, towards attaining a goal (Robbins, p. 175). Motivation is a big issue for many employers when it comes to keeping their staff motivated and happy at work. When an employee is unhappy, they tend to be unmotivated. Many individuals are motivated by different things within the workplace and one deterrent can be when an employer is hostile towards their employees or has a lack of respect for employees. Another factor which may lead to unmotivated employees is when a company shows a lack of appreciation to an employee as well as gives off the attitude that the employee needs to bend over backwards for the company but the company does offer incentive to do so or understand the needs of the employee.