In a century characterized by market competitiveness and vitality, employee motivation is critical to the success of any organization. Regardless of the structure and organization size, organizations strive to retain the best personnel while acknowledging the crucial role played by the employees in enhancing organizational performance and effectiveness. Therefore, it is critical for companies to build healthy relationships with the employees which will lead to enhanced performance. While some employees get work motivation through money, others value recognition and rewards for motivation. Employee motivation is directly related to employee productivity, and thus, organizations should develop programs and policies that acknowledge motivation as a strategy for job satisfaction. Besides, companies should familiarize with the employees needs to understand the value of motivation in the workplace. This paper will explain that employee motivation increases productivity and overall effectiveness of the organization. Enhanced employee motivation results in job satisfaction and execution of roles diligently.
Precisely defined, motivation refers to the process accountable for individual’s intensity, direction, and persistence of effort towards goal achievement. Over a period, employee motivation has been perceived by most organizations as an impossibility due to globalization and advances in technology which has adversely affected the employment relationship(Miner, 2015). Besides, employees describe various needs some psychological and social needs that affect job performance. Employers should strive to understand the employees’ needs to predict and control employee behavior. Along with this understanding, it is crucial for employers to understand what motivates employees without making an assumption.
At the outset, managers should consider job enlargement as a motivation factor for employee productivity. I used to work in an organization where each employee was granted an opportunity to undertake more work instead of executing just a portion of the work assigned. For instance, I was supposed to facilitate the packaging of products as well as ensuring that the products were manufactured as per the required standards. In such a working environment, employees get relieved of boredom that results from executing repetitive roles. Instead, job enlargement allows employees to accomplish the entire tasks thereby increasing their responsibility.
Another strategy for employee motivation is job rotation where employees run various operations and rotate through each work in a given period. This approach enables the organization to gather information about the quality of different job-employee matches (Munro, Schumaker, and Carr, 2013). Employees depict dissatisfaction with routine jobs which necessitate the need for job rotation to enhance their productivity. Usual work schedules result in low output, poor attitudes, high rates of absenteeism, pressure for better conditions and high turnover. While working in the packaging and manufacturing departments, I realized that employees who were specifically assigned packaging roles only, they lazied around which in most instances resulted to low output in task accomplishment perhaps due to the routinely functions. As such, employers should adopt job rotation as it provides employees with opportunities for psychological growth and maturity in a job.
Employee motivation also includes merit pay where employees are granted monetary and other fringe benefits such as housing, commuter, medical and furniture allowances. With reference to motivation theories, motivation through pecuniary gains has a significant influence on effort and persistence. As such, merit pay is capable of fulfilling the human needs as described by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. On the other hand, Herzberg’s’ two-factor theory argue that merit pay is a maintenance factor that has indirect influence on motivation(Gagne, 2014). The theories entirely posit that a salary plan must demonstrate that exemplary performance leads to higher levels of pay, minimize any negative consequences of excellent performance and relate other rewards to good performance. Employees yearn for reasonable remuneration for it has the supremacy to magnetize, maintain, and motivate individuals towards higher performance.
Along with merit pay, research suggests that rewards result in job satisfaction because it has a direct influence on employee performance. Rewards in most organizations are perceived as management tools that hopefully contribute to organizational performance by influencing individual or group behavior. For instance, at my current place of work, pays, promotions, bonuses and employee trips are used to motivate and encourage high-level performances of employees. As such, managers should consider salary structures inclusive of the value of the job, payment according to performance, personal allowances, and fringe benefits among others for effective motivation.
Organizations are often challenged with providing flexible working hours for their employees due to the diverse workforce each with its needs. Flexible working hours ensure accomplishment of tasks while at the same time permitting employees and employers to establish work schedules that acknowledge various individual and family needs (Cao et al., 2013). Flexible working times enhance employee motivation by increasing job satisfaction and reducing the rates of absenteeism. Accommodating employee’s needs is a healthy and positive approach towards motivation. Employees are also motivated by fulfilling team goals, and they delight in team success. Such employee feels –pleased working with other successful employees, and they in return enhance team spirit in others and promoting workplace culture. On the other hand, they are happy to with working for a motivated workplace that improves teamwork.
How to use the knowledge in my organization
Having learned about the importance of and the various factors that enhance employee motivation, this experience is critical for the efficient running of my organization. At the outset, employees gain motivation from work itself (Gerhart, and Fang, 2015). Employees seek autonomy and independence in decision making and their execution of their roles. As a manager, I would grant employees freedom by providing them with authority to self-manage and make decisions. Guided by a clear framework and effective communication, it would delegate decision making after defining limits, boundaries, and critical points at which you want to receive feedback.
Along with employee autonomy, I would expand the job to include new, higher level responsibilities for my workforce. In doing so, I will assign each employee with a responsibility to help them grow their skills and knowledge. Stretching assignments develop staff capabilities and expand their ability to contribute to work. Besides, I would provide employees with chances to air their views in higher level meetings, and also providing them access to essential and desirable meetings and projects. in this respect, I will give the employees opportunities to impact department or company goals, properties and measurements. I will also assign employees to manage head up projects or teams which will provide them a chance to grow their managerial skills.
Knowledge of motivation will also enable me to elicit and address employee concerns and complaints. Adhering to employees complaints is critical to producing a motivating workplace. In cases where the claim is unsolvable, it is vital to resolve the complaint and provide feedback to the employee to enable them to feel appreciated. As a manager, I will keep my door open for employees to air their legitimate concerns and questions which will not only make them feel appreciated but will also help in building a healthy relationship and enhance employee productivity. Besides, I will always address and provide feedback to employees about the status of their concerns.
In order to ensure employee motivation in my organization, I will recognize employee performance by giving them, rewards and monetary gifts. While employees appreciate money, they also value praises, out of the ordinary job content opportunities and attention from supervisors. I will write thank you notes that praise and thank employees for specific jobs and contribution to reinforce and communicate to the employee the behaviors I want them to maintain. Along with compliments, I will praise and recognize employee contributions and in some instances visit employees to their offices. Also, I would appreciate good performance by giving employees small tokens of my gratitude such as cards, favorite candy bar, and other offers based on the organizational culture.
I will also use the knowledge gathered to provide employees with opportunities for developing their skills and abilities by granting them, flexible working hours. in doing so; I will allow employees to attend crucial meetings and opportunities to grow their personal development goals. Most employees look forward to workplaces that will provide them with opportunities to develop their skills, and as such, as an employer, I am obliged to provide employees with opportunities to advance their skills and opportunities by offering them training.
I will also foster flexible working hours by reassigning responsibilities that are disregarded with distaste like routine duties. For instance, new staff, interns, and contract employees may find work challenging and rewarding, and thus reassigning their roles will improve output and overall accomplishment of tasks. Granted that workers prefer to work hours that suit their lifestyle, providing flexible work options such as job sharing, telecommuting and flex time can improve employee motivation and retain employees as per their preferred schedules.
In conclusion, motivation is a critical factor in the success of any organization. Motivation in the company is directly related to performance whereby motivated workforce results to high performance. Employee motivation enhances productivity, reduces absenteeism, enhances employee performance and also improves organizational reputation. Employees receive motivation from monetary, rewards, and recognition that align with their psychological and social needs. Therefore, organizations should adopt job enlargement, job rotation, flexible working hours and merit pay to keep their workforce motivated. Companies should reconsider their policies and administration, supervision, working environment, interpersonal relations, salary, and job performance life of their employee and ensure that they are designed to motivate employees and in so doing, organizations will be assured of enhanced performance.