Employee Motivation at Workplace in the Period of Financial Crisis - Research Paper Example

Measures will be also suggested for managing the relevant risks and conflicts both in the short and the long term. The research employed in the study will be both primary and secondary – aiming to secure the credibility of the findings and of the assumptions made on the issues under discussion.Since the appearance of employee motivation – approximately in the third quarter of the 20th century (Latham 2007, p.10) – as a key element of the organizational strategy, many efforts have been made for identifying the framework of policies, which could guarantee the increase of employee motivation even within difficult market conditions.

The development of employee motivation at the workplace is usually achieved by providing specific rewards to employees; this is one of the main rules that HR managers use when having to deal with the specific problem. The importance of rewarding for supporting employee motivation at the workplace has been extensively highlighted in the literature. Reference can be made, for example, to the study of Thomas (2009) who emphasizes the value of the ‘four-intrinsic rewards, i.e. of the choice, competence, meaningfulness, and progress’ (Thomas, 2009, p.49) for increasing employee motivation at the workplace.

Another similar study is that of Gitman et al. (2008) where the emphasis is given on the value of praise and employee ownership for keeping employee motivation at high levels (Gitman et al. 2008, p.249). On the other hand, it cannot be doubted that the increase of employee motivation cannot be easily achieved; the use of certain theoretical models – the value of which has been tested and proved through the decades, increases the chances for the success of the relevant efforts. Reference can be made to the Management by Objectives (MBO) technique – as described in the study of Pride et al. (2009, p. 304), the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory (see the study of Lauby, 2005, p.1) and the Herzberg’s matrix on employee motivation (Lowy et al. 2004, p.189, Herzberg et al. 1993, p.110).

 Using the above theoretical models, the chances for increasing the employee motivation in the workplace are many; however, it should be made sure that the incentives provided to the employees are welcomed and also that they are feasible – in terms of the firm’s financial status (Frey et al. 2002, p.78). Emphasis should be also given on the ability of the firms’ leaders to choose the most appropriate policies for supporting employee motivation across their organization (Erez et al 2001, p.287).