The Issue of Employee Motivation - Research Paper Example

Employee Motivation Introduction Motivation is an inner force that pushes the employees to go a step further when completing their tasks. Employee motivation is dependent upon many factors such as compensation program, working conditions and manager’s feedback. Every person has a different set of motivation for working. Most of us do it for money while others do it for experience and enjoyment. However, studies have shown that higher the level of employee motivation, higher will be the productivity. Therefore it makes every sense to encourage the employees to excellence. New ways to reward the outstanding performers enable the highest level of motivation in the organization. In economic turbulent times like today, employee motivation can help organization achieve efficiency which it cannot otherwise achieve. This paper will mostly talk about the ways in which the employees can be motivated in difficult times of the economy or the organization. Workplace of Today Most of the organizations operating in today’s environment face many problems related to employees. The problems such as employees being late to work, performance below the potential, poor quality work and not fulfilling the tasks as required are getting too common in the workplace (Wubbolding, 2002). The factors behind these problems seem to be personal worries, tight personal budgets, family issues, discouragement and alienation by the peers. These factors have led to a new level of demotivation and demoralization in the workforce of organizations. In this difficult time, the managers get frustrated too and question themselves whether it is possible to motivate the employees or not. The tools such as fringe benefits, performance based compensation, rewards, paid holidays, job security and even empowerment are considered to be implemented in the workplace in order to gain the most out of employees (Wubbolding, 2002). Employees, on the other hand, feel they are receiving less for more work. Downsizing culture in organization and the trend to cut costs has bred job insecurity. Those who remain in the organization after the downsizing are often required to increase their productivity. Ideas that the Managers must give up The following ideas are actually counterproductive and constitute barriers to enhanced quality of work. These four fallacies, as described by Wubboldinn, should be completely banished by the managers if they intend to motivate their workers. Employees can be Forced to do Whatever the Manager Wants Some managers believe that the employees are robots and they will perform any tasks and as many of them as the manager wants. These managers think that the can control every characteristic of the employees with punishments and rewards. These managers are indeed misguided as this notion is not valid in today’s working environment. The employees do not want threats in the way they perform their tasks and they do not like to be ordered about the course of action for each task (Wubbolding 2002). According to the writer Wubboding, even the reward system is a suspect of effective motivators. Rise in Compensation is Sufficient to Keep the Employees Motivated Although money is the only reason most of the employees go to work but human motivation has a complex set of factors. A factor which motivates one employee may not motivate the other. Employees want a larger set of benefits other than the basic salary such as allowances, holidays and fringe benefits. Only increase in compensation does not motivate the employee to give a better performance. Instead the working condition, promotions, respect and other hygiene factors motivate an employee to perform better. It is not necessary to Reward the Workers for the Tasks they are Responsible for In the past, the public used to accept more control from a ruling authority, whether be it in an organization or at home. However, since the 1950’s control over the people make them more rebellious and resistive at work. Appreciation and respect are the needs of a human being which must be fulfilled on the successful completion of tasks in an organization (Wubbolding 2002). An employee must be shown appreciation so that he can perform in a better way next time. The Employees are Honest and will always perform The managers misinterpret the human nature and think that the employees will perform to the best of their ability even in absence of monitoring. However, this is not true as humans are prone to mistakes and are fallible. Humans, if left unattended and unchecked, can baffle their managers with making blunders, deceiving and working for cross purposes. No matter how many ethical trainings the employees get, they are bound to be delusive when they get a chance. The Job of an Effective Manager The managers first of all have to place themselves in the shoes of the workers. They have to feel the same way as the workers do in order to successfully motivate them. There should be a reason for the employees to feel successful; they should be doing things that they are proud of and those that satisfy them internally (Wubbolding 2002). Robert Wubbolding wrote in his book that the manager should think of his past days when he felt the “rush of joy in his work”, the factors behind that joy should be understood. When the employees think that they have got the talent and the skills to succeed, they can move forward with a new level of enthusiasm. Wubbolding in his book advises the manager to raise the skills of the employees in order to regain the lost enthusiasm. Group conferences and personal meetings must be conducted by effective and successful managers which are not merely cheerleading conferences (Wubbolding 2002). These conferences must be full of constructive criticism, free of lectures and the manager should go far beyond the concept of rewards and punishment in order to attain the desired level of employee motivation (Wubbolding 2002). Motivating others is a skill and not everyone possesses it. However, the manager can brush his motivating skills even if these skills are minutely present. The managerial practices employed today in the organizations are burdened with philosophies and assumptions that are not productive in reality to effectively managing employees. Satisfying Needs The simplest approach of motivating the employees is to satisfy the needs of an employee which has four parts: There are needs that the employees desire to satisfy, which in turn Leads to fulfilment of their needs with the help of actions, which in turn Leads to satisfaction from job and rewards from the employer, which in turn Strengthen the actions of the employees and cause them to be repeated (Milligan & Erven, 2001). It is very necessary for an employer to identify the needs of the employees so that he can get help. Then the employer needs to choose the right rewards for his employees in order to motivate them for doing a good job. Employees’ actions can be reinforced through distributing the right rewards that the employees also value. This causes the employees to repeatedly perform better in order to get the reward again (Milligan & Erven, 2001). Link between Reward and Needs This is an illustration about the two employees in distinct positions working with different managers. Both the employees Kendra and Kirk work hard and need to be appreciated and motivated. Kendra’s employer fails to understand her basic needs and also fails to appreciate her. Kendra works with dedication and completes her tasks on time but her employer never appreciates or thanks her. Instead the employer does not hesitate to criticize Kendra on small issues. This course of action of her boss is forcing her to lose her motivation and to discontinue her outstanding performance. The reason for this is that no need is being satisfied according to the simple needs theory of motivation (Milligan & Erven, 2001). On the other hand, Kirk’s employer gives him specific tasks and responsibilities as he recognizes the need. The employer regularly shows appreciation when Kirk performs well. Kirk’s employer also gives increase in salary whenever he finds appropriate and this satisfies Kirk’s needs. Kirk is motivated to do his tasks well in order to continue having his needs satisfied (Milligan & Erven, 2001). This illustrative example shows that the needs of an employee make him willing and able to perform the assigned tasks. Whenever there is a missing link between the rewards and the needs, there is unwillingness to do the tasks. This model of motivation shows us that the needs of an employee play an essential role in motivation. This model is not as simple as it seems to be and is complex in nature. The success of motivation is based on mare than the reliance of the employer on satisfaction of needs (Milligan & Erven, 2001). Cooperation between the employer and employee in some form of partnership is required for reinforcement of the required behaviour at work. Rewarding Outstanding Performance Money is not the only cause of employee satisfaction though it is a contributing factor to employee happiness. Some of the employers and managers think that in challenging economic times, the bottom line should only be focused rather than the employee incentives. This is a big mistake as happy employees are more productive than those who are dissatisfied. Top players can be retained if the employers can find ways to reward the outstanding performers. This is itself of a saving. Rewarding outstanding performers does not require a large bank account as there are other ways as well in which the employer can create stimulus (Murray & Rusignuolo, 2010). Praise and Recognition Praise and recognition is the simplest and the most cost effective way to reward an employee who has shown an outstanding performance. Employees’ work should be recognized by the employer when they are performing above average. The most effective way of praising is to tell the employee how his or her work merited acknowledgement (Murray & Rusignuolo, 2010). Instead of just giving a general statement, the manager should give specific details of how the employee’s performance helped the organization. The main thing to consider is that praise should be delivered in public but punishment should be given in private. A public praise makes the employee feel good about working in the organization and also motivates others to follow his or her lead. They learn the exact behaviour the employer considers for praising when they hear the peer being celebrated (Murray & Rusignuolo, 2010). Instead of just a vocal praise, a formal recognition programme makes employees more motivated when praised. Awards such as employee of the month and customer service star do not have any monetary component but still such programs are successful. Even a simple certificate or a small gift such as movie passes would motivate the employees in the way that cannot be imagined. These tools for motivating the employees are almost free of cost but are very effective in economic turbulent times like today (Murray & Rusignuolo, 2010). Allow Top Performers to Set Their Schedule The best performers are the biggest assets for an organization and also the most reliable employees. These employees should be allowed to change their personal schedules in order to meet the organization’s needs. All the employees dream of setting a schedule according to their preferences. Therefore this tool of employee motivation will allow the employee to be highly satisfied and other employees will strive hard for the same reward. From the perspective of the manager of the employee, this change in schedule costs little or nothing to be implemented (Murray & Rusignuolo, 2010). A Bonus Day Off It is a definite cost when an employer has to pay an employee for a day off, but everyone wants to have some time off. This is especially the case when the employees are paid for being away from work. This tool is also a great motivator as the employee who is being rewarded a day off becomes highly satisfied with the employer and other employees become greatly motivated get the same reward. Even if the employees have paid time off, most of them would still appreciate another day off. Training and Advancement Opportunities The most valuable employees should be given trainings and opportunities for career advancement as a reward. The employees should be kept engaged in trainings on different aspects of the operations of business if formal promotions are not available at the moment. In this period, the employee will acquire new skills and become more experienced which will pay off in the longer run for the business. These employees will feel more valuable for the company and more connected to the operations. This will result in enhanced loyalty with the organization. These trained employees can in turn train the new employees. This will make the employees really motivate. The trained employees will feel that their efforts are being recognized while the new employees will learn the culture of the organization together with good habits and skills (Murray & Rusignuolo, 2010). Feedback from Top Performers The top performers who have invested real effort in the organization should get a chance to share their views about the business with either the owner of the business of the top management. This could be over a cup of tea or even lunch in which the leaders seek feedback from the top performer about the work environment and any suggestions. Meetings such as these can tie the employees in a stronger bond with the company though this costs almost nothing but it will boost the motivation level of other employees also (Murray & Rusignuolo, 2010). Best Worker gets the Best Parking Space If the most of the employees drive to work and the parking lot is under control of the organization, then there is no better motivation then to give the best parking space for the best performers. This will make the top performer feel that his work is being recognized and the management knows the value of the employee. A Motivated Workplace There are various opinions about the factors that motivate the employees at workplace. Each person has a distinct reason for working. Regardless of the reason, the work place becomes highly motivated when the organization addresses issues that are meant for the employees. Even though the employees are motivated through distinct means, the managers can make workplace more satisfying (Stanley 2008). It is important for the managers to find out what makes each employee motivated, may be some are motivated by music and others by a cup of tea. Punishment VS Positive Reinforcement A positive feedback encourages the repetition of behaviour that is desired by the employer. However, punishment encourages an undesired behaviour by the employee. Employees are also discouraged when there is a lack of positive reinforcement and this in turn causes loss of motivation. When used regularly and fairly, the tool of positive reinforcement becomes a powerful tool. We can use the case of Kirk here as an example as her employer made good use of positive reinforcement to motivate him, whereas Kendra’s motivation was lost due to his employer’s lack of positive reinforcement (Milligan & Erven, 2001). Top Twenty Ways to Motivate the Employees (Wilson Web, 2008) 1. Provide the employees with all the resources and information they need to perform a good job. 2. Give regular feedback on each action that the employee takes. 3. Involve employees in discussions that affect their jobs and give importance to their input. 4. Establish a communication channel in the organization which is easy to use and is two way. 5. Find out what motivates the employees straight from their mouths. 6. Learn through monitoring what are the activities that employees indulge in their free time and in return create opportunities for them to perform those activities on a regular basis. 7. Congratulate the employees in public to make others motivated. 8. Manager should realize the power of being present when needed and being accessible by the employees. 9. Write emails to employees about their work. 10. Recognize the employee personally for a good work. 11. Group successes should be celebrated through recognition in morale building meetings. 12. Assign good work to do which has some foreseeable end. 13. To complete the work make appropriate tools available. 14. Employees’ needs should be identified and focused. 15. For promotion, use performance as the base. 16. A sense of community should be fostered. 17. Motivation should be there in employees internally. 18. Give job security to the employees to have a sense of long term commitment. 19. Pay employees for what they are worth. 20. Offer a share of profits to the employees. (Wilson Web, 2008) Motivation Helps Employees Fail or Succeed All the supervisors and managers try to motivate the workers to some extent, as motivated employees succeed at their tasks. A failure takes place when the managers think that motivation and values are developed from within the people and not from external stimulus. This is a common misconception among the managers. Another misconception that is spread like a plague is that penalties and punishments will cure the problems. This fallacious theory has also taken over the world of employment where the authorities believe that employees can be controlled effectively from above (Wubbolding, 2002). In fact the employees can be motivated to become more productive and efficient and to enhance their performance but the use of force does not bring a long term change (Wubbolding, 2002). Making Employee Motivation a Partnership Creation of Synergies as a Result of Employer Employee Partnership Synergy is a concept which says that the whole can be greater than the individual sums of its parts. This means that the benefits to the organization and the workers will be greater if the employees and employer work as a partnership. When the employer and the employee face the challenge of motivation alone, there is a lack of synergy (Milligan & Erven, 2001). The employer brings his entrepreneurial skills and insights about employee needs and rewards whereas the employee brings his skill set, experience and training to the job. Partnership in motivation can be achieved when the employer and employee both are committed to synergy rather than waiting for the other to step up and motivate. Employee’s Contribution to the Partnership In order to benefit from the synergies, the employer and the employee should understand and play their parts well. The most important contribution of the employee to the partnership is self-motivation. It is also the responsibility of the employee to search for the right job matching his skills, needs, interest, experience and knowledge (Milligan & Erven, 2001). A misfit employee will eventually face dissatisfaction even if the employer tries hard to make the partnership work. The partnership is bound to be unsuccessful when the employee is a mismatch for the job and the working environment. The employee should be willing to learn no matter how good the fit is between employee and the job. Communicating his needs and concerns to the employer is the main responsibility of the employee in this partnership. However, listening to the ideas of the employer and performing according to the needs of the employer are also important. Employer’s Contribution to the Partnership The employer has a huge role to play in the employee employer partnership to achieve synergies in the business. According to Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation, there are two factors that affect the employee motivation. Those factors are motivators and hygiene factors. The employer is responsible for both these factors. Fredrick Herzberg’s theory makes clear the role of the employer and what can he bring to the partnership (Milligan & Erven, 2001). Hygiene factors are unsafe working conditions, poor work environment, inadequate facilities, long working days, few holidays, unfair pay, no conflict resolution in the organization, unreasonable rules and policies and disagreeable supervisors (Milligan & Erven, 2001). These problems must be resolved according to Herzberg before the motivators can work. Resolution of these problems will increase the level of satisfaction in employees but still they will not be motivated. Motivators are those factors that lead to motivation and influence job satisfaction. Factors such as career development through training and counselling, personal growth, new experiences, recognition, appreciation from seniors, and acheivable goals are known as the motivators (Milligan & Erven, 2001). The factors turn the employee into a motivated one even if he is neutral. Key is Communication The partnership described above can only be achieved when there is free communication between the employees and the employer. A communication gap may only do harm to the employer-employee relationship than any good. Therefore it is the job of the employer to maintain the level of communication with the employees that is required. A hygiene factor for one employee may not necessarily be a hygiene factor for dissatisfaction for another and a motivator for one employee might not be a motivator for another. Opportunity to learn new skills may be worrisome for some but a motivator for another. Likewise a workaholic may not be dissatisfied by a 60-hours work week while another may have an objection working so many hours each week (Milligan & Erven, 2001). Steps to Motivate Employees in a Tough Economy In the times of economic depression, when almost every industry is shaking, the only way the employees can be made productive is through motivation. Some of the organizations start thinking that they have no control over the productivity and performance of the employees in such times. A great decision at this time is to stop thinking about the market and the economy and start influencing your people in order to get a higher performance (Takash, 2009). The following four steps according to Joe Takash can help tremendously if implemented carefully. 1. Practice Emotional Control The catch is in the way the employer connects with the employees in the difficult times. The employees do not care if there are difficulties in running the business. They just care about how much you care about them. Therefore an employer or a manager should never stop caring about their employees even in turbulent times in order to win over their emotions. The key is to demonstrate coolness when the times are pretty heated (Takash, 2009). 2. Provide Frequent Updates Most of the executives make the mistake of not sharing the status or the strategic goal of the company with their workers. This creates a lot of stress especially when there is a crisis in the economy. This stress of getting fired highly demotivates the employees. A great way to keep the working teams informed is to give them updates about the status of the company and its strategy. Top down communication is not only effective in difficult times but this approach should also be followed in routine (Takash, 2009). 3. Become an Exceptional Listener It requires understanding to get people to perform in tough times. Others should be encouraged to talk about themselves by asking open ended questions. The employees should be allowed to give a feedback and suggestions of how to improve the business. The leaders should become good listeners in order to motivate their staff. This can be done by listening at a deeper level (Takash, 2009). 4. Lead with Optimism Even when the business is receiving many blows time to time, the leader should show optimism. The leader should have a positive attitude in conversations and communication. Leaders need to reflect truth in their communication but they must not demotivate them by showing the gloomy picture of the business or environment (Takash, 2009). Can a Boss be Bossy? These days, if a person is a boss in an organization, he or she cannot simply order people to do tasks and expect them to do exactly what he wants. The staff may follow directions when being monitored by the boss, but as soon as they are left on their own, the get back to doing what is important to them (Witt, 2009). In today’s environment, the leaders have to win the cooperation of the subordinates. Of course there are two ways of doing so, motivation and influence. Motivation is about achieving the tasks by indirectly inspiring the staff whereas influence has to do with orders. While motivating, a leader does not necessarily has to offer something to the employees to get the desired results (Witt, 2009). In order to motivate the staff, a leader should tell them exactly what he wants from them. If the instructions are vague, then of course desired actions will not be generated. The time and effort that is being demanded by the employer should be limited and specified. A true manager shares the sacrifice; if he is asking the employees to stay late and work, then he should also stay till the employees are there (Witt, 2009). How can Employees Rescue the Business in Tough Times? Employers need to remember that in this age of job cuts and pays, employees are the biggest contributors to the business, both in terms of success and failure. Optimizing the human resource capital of a business in tough economic conditions can help the business reap fruitful results afterwards. Smart executives know that rather than any technology or marketing tools, people are the largest source of competitive advantage for the firm. Even though the salary raises and promotions have almost disappeared from the corporate culture but still the managers can motivate the people for success (Smith, 2009). Through encouraging teamwork, a manager can motivate the employees and in turn the employees can save the business from failure. One of the needs of employees that is mentioned by Sandy Smith is the need to learn and bond with others. This need can only be fulfilled through teamwork. As a team, many employees can feel motivated and they can contribute much more to the organization than their individual sums (Smith, 2009). If highly motivated, the employees can take part in innovation at the firm. Through their contributions, the company can design better products and services, be more productive and can cut more costs. The firm can also generate more revenues when the employees are motivated as they will make sales more enthusiastically. Innovative products and services are not only required in the market but they are really appreciated by the consumers. Therefore the firm giving innovative services and selling innovative products can succeed even in the economic downturn (Smith, 2009). When highly motivated, the employees maximize their productivity, they participate in goal setting, organizational goals are achieved, change is embraced more willingly and self-esteem of the employees also grows (Stanley, 2008). Conclusion There are numerous advantages to motivate the employees and every organization can easily motivate its staff. Huge budget or salary rise is not needed to motivate the employees. A single motivated employee can spread the energy in other employees too, making them motivated as well. Highly motivated employee can perform a remarkable job and can b a huge asset for the business. The employees should concentrate on making the workplace more motivated rather than motivating individuals. This level of motivation can create synergies which are better for both the employees and the employer. Employer alone cannot motivate the workers as they also have a part to play in successful motivation. Works Cited Milligan, Bernard L. Erven & Robert A. Making Employee Motivation a Partnership. Report, Ohio State University & Cornell University, 2001. Rusignuolo, Elizabeth Murray & Robyn. "Rewarding Outstanding Performance: Don't Break the Bank." Farnchising World, January 2010: 80. Smith, Sandy. "Motivating Employees in Tough Times." EHS Today, August 2009: 43-44. Stanley, T. L. "A Motivated Workplace is a Marvelous Sight." Supervision 69, 2008. Takash, Joe. "Motivation Needed Now More than Ever: 4 Steps that Work." Supervision, January 2009: 14-16. Wilson Web. "Top 20 Ways to Motivate Employees." Supervision, September 2008: 26. Witt, Chris. "motivating and inspiring your people in difficult times." Supervision, September 2009: 11-12. Wubbolding, Robert. "Employee Motivation." SPC INK. SPC Press, 2002. Read More