What Really Motivates Employees?

“Since an employee’s relationship with his or her direct manager is the single most important factor influencing engagement, the responsibility falls to management to improve motivational levels.”

Read full article by Victor Lipman here

Frederick Herzberg, clinical psychologist and pioneer of ‘job enrichment’, is regarded as one of the great original thinkers in management and motivational theory. His research and findings on employee motivation rocked management circles during the 1950’s and 1960’s. (Chapman 2001)

Herzberg’s Employee Motivators

~opportunities to learn, grow and develop

~doing meaningful work

~achievement

~recognition for good work

~opportunities for advancement in the organization

~earning a good or adequate salary

Herzberg’s Employee De-Motivators

~poor manager-employee relationships

~inadequate salary

~poor supervision

~organizational policy

~lack of job security

Since Herzberg’s foundational work, an extensive body of research has been produced in search of those elements of motivation that can be influenced by managers, supervisors and employees. The intention was that identifying these would point to concrete ways to improve the workplace. For instance, the Gallup Organization (Harter et al., 2003) surveyed employees for well over thirty years and added the following factors for employee motivation:

~being cared about as a person

~having clear work expectations

~having the ability and proper material or equipment to do the job well

~having an environment where your opinions matter

“Engaged employees are not just committed. They are not just passionate or proud. They have a line of-sight on their own future and on the organization‘s mission and goals. They are “enthused” and “in gear” using their talents and discretionary effort to make a difference in their employer’s quest for sustainable business success.” Blessing White, 2008

Book Employee Engagement Speaker Mark DeVolder and give your company the competitive edge it needs!