Motivating Employees

Have you ever found yourself in a supervisor's position and you notice that the crew you are trying to manage is not working to their full potential, or hardly working at all? I can definitely relate to this scenario, and it seems increasingly difficult to keep employees motivated, whether it is intrinsically or extrinsically. Motivating people that work under you can seem difficult, but with a few "know-hows" and good people skills, figuring out what motivates the employees is not that hard. There are different ways to motivate a person, as mentioned earlier there are intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Let us go further into each of these subjects to see which ways would be best to use.

First, intrinsic motivator are things that actually interest a person, making that person act upon their own will for the sheer enjoyment of the task. I would associate this with reading a book, or going swimming; these tasks are being completed because they are fun and the person wants to do them for no other reason. These types of motivators can be difficult to use with people if they feel they are being forced to come to work and they do not want to be there. Sometimes, it is hard to find one thinking to themselves "I cannot wait to go to work today". People go to work to make money so that bills can be paid. This brings us to extrinsic motivation.

Next, extrinsic motivation is really the way to go when dealing with people that are being paid to be somewhere. If a work environment is tense and people do not want to be there the work production will be low, as well as the overall morale of the employees. Motivating employees extrinsically means that the person is doing something for the reward value, not because it is fun. Making the job fun and light can motivate employees by raising their morale. I have always heard that good morale leads to good production, and in personal experience with many work environments, I have seen this to be true.

When trying to motivate an employee first it is necessary to figure out if they really want to be there and what drives them because not everyone is motivated by the same thing, or for the same reasons. One person may work to pay for a car while the next one works for money to party with, and even yet another person may work because they want to be there, doing that job. Motivating factors are important to know and easy to learn. I think that figuring out the best way to motivate an employee may be the hardest and most important part of starting a new job.

References:

Morris, C. G., Maisto, A. A. (2010). Understanding Psychology. : Prentice Hall.