Importance of Employee Motivation - Assignment Example

Organizational behavior Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Introduction Employee motivation helps to improve the performance of the company. When there is low market demand, some employees can be laid off to remain with manageable employees. Motivation enables an organization to achieve the competitive advantage using the human skills (Kreitner & Kinicki 2014). In this regard therefore, this report will discuss the main concepts of organizational behavior in particular the employee motivation. Why is it important to focus on motivating employees who survive a layoff? Motivation is the process which people become willing to do work when their desires and needs are taken into consideration to achieve certain goals. Motivation is important in several ways to sustain employees who have been laid off by accompany. To start with employees who survive a layoff, there is a need for them to be recognized and to be rewarded fairly (Kreitner & Kinicki 2014). This increases employee commitment towards the activities of an organization by working hard and willing to work extra hours hence efficiency work will be achieved. On the other hand it is important to focus on motivating employees by creating opportunities for advancement. Whereby an employer will offer training to his employees so that they can advance their areas of interest (Kreitner & Kinicki 2014). Hence this will increase productivity to high level and the size of organization structure will increase, therefore creating room for employment. Another importance of motivating employees is to make them feel part and parcel of that organization. When employees are being recognized by the effort they make to achieve the organizational goals, they feel proud to be members of that organization (Kreitner & Kinicki 2014). Hence, they are free to communicate their views and suggestions to managements without any problem. In addition motivation can retain the number of workforce. When an employer takes employees needs seriously, they are assured of their future demands and the opportunity for promotions to higher responsibilities (Kreitner & Kinicki 2014). Therefore, this will improve the reputation of the company and it will attract more competent employees from the labor market. Also motivation can improve the morale of employees who have survived a layoff. This can be achieved when management avoids overloading employees by giving work which is enough to each employee, managements should also create free day rest so that each employee can have fun with his or her family members and also management should allow teamwork when they have a lot to be done hence this will create unity (Neal 2014). Finally, motivation is important as it improves employees and employer relationships. When we have a proper channel of communication from the top management to subordinates, we will have positive feedback and this will create harmony and we will have a good employee employer relationship (Neal 2014).Hence the number of disputes will reduce and absenteeism and labour turnover will go down. To what extent is Conaty’s advice consistent with equity and expectancy theory? The Conaty’s advice is consistent with the equity theory and the expectancy theory. The equity theory explains that the employees should be treated equally so that they do not develop conflicts amongst them. For instance, the employees who have the same qualifications should be paid equally. This is dependent on other factors which help to rank the employees the same job group like the experience and the position held (Neal 2014). The equity theory should be implemented taking into consideration the available workload once the layoff has been implemented. The survivors of layoff should be treated equally to ensure that there is no discrimination as this will motivate the employees who have survived the layoff. This will improve the morale of the employees leading to improved productivity to meet the needs of the customers. On the other hand, the expectancy theory is also consistent with the motivation and Conaty’s advice. The expectancy theory explains that the employees take the best action to save a situation when they are motivated. This is only possible if the employees are motivated so that they can feel part of the organization. The remaining survivors of the layoff should be motivated by being engaged in decision making so that they can feel part of the management which in turn helps to improve their morale (Huczynski & Buchanan 2010). The expectation of the employees is that they should be compensated well like the being paid for overtime work and be provided with social amenities to meet their humanity needs. Once the employees are motivated, they can behave ethically and make best decisions for the sake of the organization. This will improve the productivity of the surviving employees after the layoff thus the equity and expectancy theories are consistent with Conaty’s advice. Do you believe that recognition will motivate layoff survivors? Explain Yes, I believe. Simply when the layoff survivors are being recognized by their managements they will turn up in large number to work. Hence, performance will go high leading to mass production of products (Bloisi 2006). Therefore, recognition will reduce labor turnover because the employees’ suggestions and wants are considered and this makes them to feel satisfied. On the other hand layoff survivors can feel recognized if they are provided with direct feedback. This is because direct feedback gives room to what is supposed to be done next, when it should happen, and the people who should carry the responsibilities. Also, direct feedback helps an organization to take an immediate action at the right time (Bloisi 2006). This will motivate the layoff survivors since they are well acquitted with their duties and responsibilities. In addition, helps to improve teamwork in the organisation. Therefore, teamwork will lead to high efficiency of work since no worker will be overloaded because they will carry equal responsibilities and they will use less energy to do work (Bloisi 2006). This will motivate them to work hard and their morale will increase too. Other reason layoff survivors feel motivated is when management recognizes their better safety records. This makes employees feel that they really play a big role in that organization and they are of great importance. Also, it shows that their hard work and commitments can really reduce the number of accidents that they are likely to encounter (Brooks 2008). Hence management should show that they have noticed those changes by rewarding them fairly and giving them fringe benefits. Do you agree that managers should find ways to have fun in the work environment after a layoff? Yes, I agree. Because having fun in working environment is one way of building employee morale. This is seen when managers create free time to have fun with their employees, this assists them to have confidence and high self-esteem (Brooks 2008). Also managers should build a fun work environment as these will build employee morale since they will have time to refresh their minds and by doing so, they will manage stress caused by a work related environment and also from those who have been laid off. Moreover managers finding ways of having fun in work environment will improve communication system. After a layoff, many employees who survive from a layoff fear that they might be the next to be eliminated. So it is the duty of an employer to enhance good communication system that can remove the negative attitude that can kill employee morale to perform duties properly. Also good communication after a layoff helps employees to cope up with stresses that that may come after others have been laid off (Hayes 2010). In addition, managers should find ways to have fun in the work environment to improve employees’ critical thinking. This can be achieved when managers create fun with their employees by twisting their thinking, helping them on how to focus on great things and also trying to remove the distorted mind employees have which will affect performance and employee employer relationships (Hayes 2010). Furthermore, managers should find ways to create fun in the work environment as this will build good relationships among employees (Hayes 2010). This is being created when employees work as a team, they drink together, and they participate in decision making with their managers, allowing them to have a visit to different organizations as a way of having fun so that they can borrow the experiences and new ideas they have. Conclusion Employee motivation is an important aspect in the success of any organization. When the market is down, an organization can lay off some employees who do not add value to the company. Motivating employees helps to retain the competent human skills, improves productivity of the employees and the organization is able to manage the employee turnover. Having fun at workplace helps to improve the relationship among the employees and the management, improves interaction, improves the communication and finally helps to build teamwork in the organization. The equity and expectancy theories help to motivate the employees when they are effectively implemented. Recognition on other hand helps to improve the performance of the employees through teamwork and motivation of the employees. References Bloisi, W 2006, Management and Organizational Behavior. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill. Brooks, I 2008, Organizational Behavior: Individuals, Groups and Organisation. 4th edn, Harlow: FT Prentice Hall. Hayes, J 2010, The Theory and Practice of Change Management. 3rd edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Huczynski, A & Buchanan, D 2010, Organizational Behavior. 7th edn. New York; Harlow: Prentice Hall. Kreitner, R & Kinicki, A 2014, OB in Action Case study (HOW Should Managers handle Tough Employment Decisions?): McGraw-Hill Higher education. Neal, M. A 2014, Best practice guidelines on publishing ethics, journal of organizational behavior, Vol. 35, No. 6, pp. 29-307. Read More