Keeping Staff Motivated - Essay Example

Motivating Staff Motivating Staff Introduction Staff motivation is one of the many managerial problems that organizations face in their daily operations. In their respective workplaces, employees need to be motivated in order to work productively and efficiently. Motivation refers to the employee’s psychological force or state that encourages him or her to engage in an action or behave in a certain way (Garg and Rastogi, 2006). Staff motivation affects the organization’s performance because it is influenced by their perceptions, attitudes and beliefs towards their work. Motivation becomes a challenge, since different employees require different forms of incentives to be motivated. The organization’s management has to understand its staff’s behavior to motivate the employees successfully. Therefore, numerous organizations experience problems when it comes to motivating the staff, as the process can be complicated. An organization with motivated staff will be successful in achieving its objectives. Lack of motivation leads to inefficiency, absenteeism and a stressful work environment, therefore, resulting to an unproductive staff (Stecher and Rosse, 2007). This paper will discuss the problem that organizations face in staff motivation and the different methods that can be employed to ensure that an organization’s employees are motivated to work efficiently and productively. Importance of staff motivation When an organization’s personnel is unmotivated, there are more incidences of absenteeism, wastage of time, inefficiency and low quality work. This can lead to huge losses for the organization. On the other hand, motivated employees are excited about the nature of their work and they will work hard without supervision. They are also able to find new ways of completing tasks or solving problems. Therefore, motivation is important in enhancing creativity among the employees. Staff motivation is crucial at the work place, since the employees are enthusiastic about their work, thus putting in some extra effort in their work. This ensure that quality work is produced, thus enhancing efficiency and increasing the organization’s overall performance. Take the example of the Japanese Automobile Industry where fewer workers are required due to high productivity. Analysts have found out that Japanese workers are highly motivated, therefore, requiring very few employees in the automobile industry. Highly motivated employees are more satisfied with their jobs than demotivated ones. Managers have realized that job satisfaction goes hand in hand with high levels of commitment and low employee turnovers. This saves the organization time, which would have been spent on recruitment processes, since the employees are readily retained in the organization. The Human Resource Management Department should ensure that all employees are provided with appropriate motivators. The organizations require effective leadership and management that will maneuver the employees through the motivation process (Lauer, 2003). Motivating different employees Employees are human beings, therefore, possess different motivators depending on their needs, which can be explained by Maslow theory. The organization can employ financial or non-financial incentives to motivate its staff. The Maslow’s hierarchy of needs indicates that different individuals have varying needs because they are at different levels on the pyramid. In the past, many organizations believed that high salaries were the prime motivator, but managers have realized that some employees are beyond financial rewards. Some employees may require recognition for their efforts or feel the need to belong to a certain group. Some employees wish to feel a sense of worth when working for a particular organization, thus appreciating congratulatory messages. According to Maslow’s theory, employees who wish to fulfil physiological and safety needs may be highly motivated by financial incentives. Other employees are classified on the higher level on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and they may require incentives that go beyond financial incentives for example, empowerment, promotions, a learning environment, holidays and commemorative plaques, in order to feel motivated (Duncan, 2006). However, in many cases, an individual may find that all forms of incentives can be used to motivate some employees. Take the example of organizations in Europe and North America where the financial and non-financial rewards are equally important to the employees. In these regions, the employees are highly motivated, as they seek to gain financial and non-financial rewards (Vancouver, 2008). Proposed Interventions for increasing staff motivation in an organization Leadership Motivation begins with the organization’s leadership. Leadership skills are crucial in enhancing staff motivation in organisation, as qualified leaders and managers are able to devise new and appropriate methods of motivating their staff. An organization’s leaders should develop a clear vision, work towards fulfilling it, enhance communication with the staff, demonstrate effort in their work and set organizational goals (Duncan, 2006). The leaders should develop a clear organisational structure, which provides conducive work environment and allows the employees to develop and relate well with others. The managers should define the employees’ job expectations clearly by involving them in every step of setting organizational goals. Trust should also be fostered among the leaders and the employees, which helps in creating a good relationship between them. Lastly, the management should focus on empowering the employees. This involves delegating power to the staff, therefore, creating a sense of responsibility among the employees. This is important as it helps in fostering trust and motivates the employees in furthering their achievements, as they feel a greater sense of responsibility. Empowerment helps in staff motivation because it helps to increase job satisfaction, therefore, prompting the employees to work efficiently. The employees also learn how to balance organizational and personal goals, hence motivating them to tackle problems and assume leadership roles (Lauer, 2003). Financial rewards Financial rewards are important when encouraging workers to put in more effort in their work. Many people value monetary rewards because they assist them in achieving financial independence. Financial motivational theories suggest that the staff can be motivated through financial rewards such as bonuses, fringe benefits and higher salaries. They indicate that financial rewards can be used to motivate employees effectively, especially those that are in the lower levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Stecher and Rosse, 2007). These are the physiological and safety needs, which are ranked at the lowest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The employees who wish to fulfil these needs are usually looking for money to pay for food, housing, security and other basic needs. Therefore, money is the main motivator for these employees. They can easily be motivated by extra payments and incidental benefits such as health care and pension funds, which are also referred to as fringe benefits. Some organizations provide fringe benefits such as free yoga classes and training courses, which increase job satisfaction and motivate the employees to work harder. Maslow’s theory suggests that employees who need to satisfy lower level needs will work hard when monetary rewards are promised. However, other studies show that employees with higher status levels may also require huge financial rewards, which represent their high social status. Take the example of a Chief Executive Officer who is financially stable but has been offered a small salary in a certain firm. He or she may quit the job, as the salary does not reflect his or her social status. This means that some people in the higher positions may also be motivated by monetary rewards (English, 2005). Taylor, the father of management, developed another financial motivation theory, which suggests that monetary rewards can be used to motivate employees effectively. This can be done by equating an individual’s performance or the workload to the amount of benefits rewarded. Financial rewards have been used in performance-based systems, where monetary rewards are increased with improved performance. This is the case in Asia, Europe and North America, where employees are motivated to increase performance due to the monetary rewards. Providing excellent payment for employees can increase job satisfaction and even motivate them to work harder. However, monetary rewards cannot be used exclusively to motivate the staff. Other psychological needs have to be fulfilled to facilitate motivation among the employees (Lauer, 2003). Non-financial rewards Non-financial rewards are also used to motivate employees. These rewards usually appeal to the psychological needs of the staff. In reference to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the employees that require to satisfy high-level needs are usually motivated by improved work-related relationship, empowerment, appreciation and a sense of belonging among others. According to Eton Mayo’s human relationship theory, empowerment is a great method of motivating the employees, since it gives them a sense of belonging and fosters trust through the ability to make decisions in the organization. Teamwork is another important way of motivating the employees (English, 2005). When employees are placed in teams, they are able to build stronger relationships, earn from one another and share responsibilities, therefore, creating a sense of belonging among them. working effectively and influencing each other to work hard. Teamwork is used in several organizations such as Starbucks, where a cooperative and interactive environment is fostered, therefore, increasing job satisfaction, which translates to motivation. Career opportunities and personal development are also non-financial rewards that motivate employees. Many employees will be motivated to work hard when they realize that the organizations rewards hard work through promotions or trainings. Some employees are encouraged to work hard by intrinsic motivational factors such as skills and knowledge development (Duncan, 2006). In conclusion, motivating employees has been a challenge in many organisations, since different employees may require different motivational methods. Many organizations have realized that a combination of financial and non-financial rewards is the best way to motivate the staff. These include salary increment, employing leadership skills to motivate employees, promotions, trainings, holidays, fringe benefits, empowerment and building good relationships with others. References Duncan, W. J. (2006). Organizational Behavior 1: Essential Theories of Motivation and Leadership. Academy of Management Review, 31(4), 1102-1108. English, G. (2005). Understanding and Motivating Employees At WH Smith. Strategic HR Review, 5(1), 28-31. Garg, P., & Rastogi, R. (2006). New Model of Job Design: Motivating Employees Performance. Journal of Management Development, 25(6), 572-587. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02621710610670137 Lauer, M. J. (2003). Tools of the trade: Motivating employees. Performance Improvement, 42(5), 38-40. Stecher, M. D., & Rosse, J. G. (2007). Understanding Reactions to Workplace Injustice through Process Theories of Motivation: a Teaching Module and Simulation. Journal of Management Education, 31(6), 777-796. Vancouver, J. (2008). Integrating Self-regulation Theories of Work Motivation into a Dynamic Process Theory. Human Resource Management Review, 18(1), 1-18. Read More