Motivating Employees in the Workplace

Motivating Employees in the Workplace

Motivation helps guide people towards a specific goal and pushes people to push their efforts until they reach that goal and relates that wide range of psychological processes. It has been determined that employees who are motivated produce higher and greater quantities, work harder, and stay with organizations longer. People desire different things and have different satisfaction levels so it is important for an organization to consider many things when trying to motivate their employees. First of all there is the need based theory of motivation. Needs are the physical and psychological requirements that must be met to ensure survival and well-being. Abraham Maslow derived a hierarchy of needs that suggests that people are motivated by these needs. Then there are process theories and these theories are based on how people become motivated. Finally, of course there are the rewards. All motivation leads towards some sort of reward and they consist of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards.

Needs are the phsycological and or physical requirements that need to be met in order to ensure well-being and survival. A need that is capable of motivating behavior is called prepotent. Abraham Maslow came up with a hierarchy of needs that describes the fundamental theories of personal needs. He suggests that each need has to be satisfied a substantial amount in order to progress to each level. As needs are satisfied, it no longer becomes a motivator. The employee then moves on to the next level of needs one at a time. There are five basic needs that comprise Maslow’s hierarchy. These needs are identified as physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Many organizations use Maslow’s theory to help motivate and retain employees as well as, reduce turnover.

The first and most basic need in Maslow’s hierarchy is psychological needs. This need includes items such as food, water, air, or shelter. A motivational item in this category is monetary compensation. Employees are motivated to work for wages and salaries, bonuses, and retirement plans. Most times, this is the main factor and employee considers before accepting the job. Money helps fulfill many of the psychological needs. With money, employees are able to pay for their food, clothing and shelter. There are many ways organizations can help to meet some of the other psychological needs of their employees. One way to meet psychological needs is to provide a comfortable working environment. Clean air, proper equipment, lighting, temperature control, can all help employees perform better and keep them motivated. Regular break times and options to purchase snacks or drinks are also included as psychological need motivator. Some organizations provide free water or coffee or other perks to help meet some of these needs. Employee wellness is also part of these needs. To help meet these needs an organization may offer counseling services or on-site work out facilities.

The next need on the hierarchy is the safety need. This is the need to be safe from physical and psychological harm. There are many factors that are part of safety needs. One factor is employee’s health. Employees tend to be more motivated when they have a sense of security when it comes to their health. This is the reason that many organizations offer health plans. Employees are also looking for long-term security. Many organizations offer retirement plans and as part of the motivator, they may even match a portion of and employee’s investment. To help with emotional and mental health, organizations may offer counseling or online assistance.

The third level on the hierarchy of needs is the belonging needs. Individuals have a need to have relationships with other. Thus is the desire to love and be loved. Employees may receive social support from manager, supervisors, staff, and co-workers. Teams that are cohesive benefit everyone in an organization so, they may allow employees to work in teams. This helps to fulfill the belonging need of the employee and benefits the organization by being more efficient with the potential for new ideas.

The next level of needs is esteem needs. Self-confidence can help strengthen an employee’s motivation and productivity. Responsibility, recognition, and respect can all help boost one’s self-confidence. G. Graham from the Barton School of Business found that 63 percent of American worker’s consider recognition as an important incentive. Organizations can do many things to help with the esteem needs. Some things may be as simple as printing an employee’s name and information on a business card. Another ways to help with these needs, is to make sure the employee is challenged. When employees feel challenged and are able to meet the requirements, it helps boost their self-confidence and encourages them to do better and seek higher rank or promotions.