Motivation
Motivation in the workplace is one of the most important aspects within an organization. In the past, employees were considered just another input into the production of goods and services. A motivated workforce is an important aspect of an organization's success and competitiveness therefore this issue is underlined on the minds of corporate leaders. However, in recent years an engaged workforce has become more challenging for three reasons. First, several changes such as globalization, information technology etc, have altered the employment relationship.
There are two specific types of motivation: financial and non-financial. I will focus on
ways the employers can motivate their employees using financial means as well as non-financial
recognition. In this day in time, there is not always a plentiful amount of money to spend on
motivation, so it is important to understand how managers can make their employees feel
important without breaking the bank. Both types need to be executed in a strategic way to
provide the best results.
In order to do this and to address the different types of factors, a manager might want to consider the following (“Motivation Theories”):
• Remove some job controls
• Increase worker accountability for their own work
• Give workers complete units of work to produce
• Give greater job freedom or additional authority to workers
• Make periodic reports directly to the workers (not through the supervisor)
• Introduce new and more difficult tasks
• Assign specialized tasks to workers so they can become experts
Motivation is a complex concept and can help or harm an organization depending on how it is used within an organization. If a manager takes the time to understand the needs of his/her employees, then the recognition can be extremely useful. There have been many philosophers who have tried to understand what motivates people, but every person is different and a theory cannot describe all people. It is understandable the mangers have a full time job and do not have much down time to be spending on rewards, but it also gives them the opportunity to understand their employees and connect with them on a personal level. Managers are not the only ones who can recognize others in the workplace. Employees can recognize each other as well. It has been proven to that one can not directly motivate someone else, but they can give them the tools they need to motivate themselves. Managers are the resources for employees and they should make sure that their work environment is pleasant 31 | Page and desirable. This will help the productivity and improvement of their employees. If the above suggestions are implemented properly, managers will have a fully motivated team.
In order to do this and to address the different types of factors, a manager might want to consider the following (“Motivation Theories”):
• Remove some job controls
• Increase worker accountability for their own work
• Give workers complete units of work to produce
• Give greater job freedom or additional authority to workers
• Make periodic reports directly to the workers (not through the supervisor)
• Introduce new and more difficult tasks
• Assign specialized tasks to workers so they can become experts
Motivation is a complex concept and can help or harm an organization depending on how it is used within an organization. If a manager takes the time to understand the needs of his/her employees, then the recognition can be extremely useful. There have been many philosophers who have tried to understand what motivates people, but every person is different and a theory cannot describe all people. It is understandable the mangers have a full time job and do not have much down time to be spending on rewards, but it also gives them the opportunity to understand their employees and connect with them on a personal level. Managers are not the only ones who can recognize others in the workplace. Employees can recognize each other as well. It has been proven to that one can not directly motivate someone else, but they can give them the tools they need to motivate themselves. Managers are the resources for employees and they should make sure that their work environment is pleasant 31 | Page and desirable. This will help the productivity and improvement of their employees. If the above suggestions are implemented properly, managers will have a fully motivated team.
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