Employee
Motivation
Figure 1: Benefits of employee motivation
Definition of employee
motivation
Employee motivation can
be defined as the enthusiasm, energy, creativity, and commitment that an
employee brings to the workplace daily (Shkoler & Kimura, 2020)..
Thus, motivation is a psychological force which can generate thoughts and
behaviors directed towards a goal within the human mind. The factors that
affect the motivation of an individual can be originated through external or
internal factors affecting the psychology of the employee which then determine
the intensity, direction, and persistence of the actions aimed to achieve the
goals (Ahmad, 2021).
The importance of
employee motivation
·
Increased innovation
The motivation of employees plays
a major role in a company’s innovative abilities. Innovation helps a company to
become more sustainable and motivating employees to increase their creativity
levels is highly important in achieving this (Koudelková & Milichovský,
2015). Motivated workforce will be driven by their own
violation to come up with new ideas and optimize business innovation. The
energy and enthusiasm of motivated employees will enable them to see potential
areas of improvement that contribute to innovative ideas (Soleas, 2020).
·
High employee engagement
Employee engagement implies the
level of dedication an employee shows towards doing their job correctly. Once
an employee feels motivated, they will naturally work harder to improve their
own performance (Boye Kuranchie-Mensah & Amponsah-Tawiah, 2016).
Joining a group of highly motivated employees increases the level of engagement
of newcomers contributing to enhance their commitment. Thus, engaged employees
can be as asset to an organization, further highlighting the importance of
keeping them motivated (Engidaw, 2021).
·
Highly efficient employees
Employee efficiency implies the
ability of an employee to get their work done correctly in less time. Such
employees can accomplish more goals in the same time per when compared to
others. Motivated employees are comparatively more efficient as they are
excited to do a good job (Saad, 2018). Minimum wastage of time and
resources is also an important outcome of increased employee efficiency.
Efficient employees show more productivity and help to increase the revenue and
profits of the organization (Radha Yadav, 2018).
·
Decreases employee turnover rate
Employee turnover rate implies the
rate at which an employee leaves the workplace and is replaced by another.
Naturally, having a high employee turnover rate is disadvantageous for a
company with respect to the time and resources it takes to train the new
employees (Al-Suraihi et al., 2021). Motivated employees
see the positive change their work does for the organization and are compelled
to stay because of the motivation to further contribute to the company’s
success. Therefore, motivation is important to retain highly productive and
experienced employees in the workplace (Vnoučková & Klupáková, 2013).
Employee motivation also help in (Deressa & Zeru, 2019):
·
Changing negative attitudes to positive
attitudes
·
Achieving organizational goals
·
Building a supportive work environment
·
Introducing changes to the workplace
·
Lower employee absenteeism
·
Improving relationship between managers and
workers
·
Improving work quality
·
Improving customer service
References
Ahmad, Prof. S. (2021).
Motivation and Performance: A Psychological Process. International Journal
of Business and Management Research, 9(2), 104–112.
https://doi.org/10.37391/IJBMR.090201
Al-Suraihi, W. A., Samikon,
S. A., Al-Suraihi, A.-H. A., & Ibrahim, I. (2021). Employee Turnover:
Causes, Importance and Retention Strategies. European Journal of Business
and Management Research, 6(3), 1–10.
https://doi.org/10.24018/ejbmr.2021.6.3.893
Boye Kuranchie-Mensah, E.,
& Amponsah-Tawiah, K. (2016). Employee motivation and work performance: A
comparative study of mining companies in Ghana. Journal of Industrial
Engineering and Management, 9(2), 255.
https://doi.org/10.3926/jiem.1530
Deressa, A. T., & Zeru,
G. (2019). Work motivation and its effects on organizational performance: the
case of nurses in Hawassa public and private hospitals: Mixed method study
approach. BMC Research Notes, 12(1), 213. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-019-4255-7
Engidaw, A. E. (2021). The
effect of motivation on employee engagement in public sectors: in the case of
North Wollo zone. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 10(1),
43. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-021-00185-1
Koudelková, P., &
Milichovský, F. (2015). Successful innovation by motivation. Verslas:
Teorija Ir Praktika, 16(3), 223–230.
https://doi.org/10.3846/btp.2015.472
Radha Yadav. (2018).
Employee Engagement uplifts the Revenue: An Evidence study. In Anil Kumar
Sinha, Amiya Kumar Mohapatra, Sudhir Rana, & Avinash Kumar Shrivastava
(Eds.), Advances in Management Research & Innovation (1st ed., pp.
92–105). Bloomsbury Publishing Pvt. Ltd.
Saad, D. D. M. Z. bin S.
(2018). Impact of Employee Motivation on Work Performance. International
Journal of Scientific and Research Publications (IJSRP), 8(3).
https://doi.org/10.29322/IJSRP.8.3.2018.p7544
Shkoler, O., & Kimura,
T. (2020). How Does Work Motivation Impact Employees’ Investment at Work and
Their Job Engagement? A Moderated-Moderation Perspective Through an
International Lens. Frontiers in Psychology, 11.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00038
Soleas, E. K. (2020). Leader
strategies for motivating innovation in individuals: a systematic review. Journal
of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 9(1), 9.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-020-00120-w
Vnoučková, L., &
Klupáková, H. (2013). Impact of motivation principles on employee turnover. Ekonomická
Revue - Central European Review of Economic Issues, 16(2), 79–92.
https://doi.org/10.7327/cerei.2013.06.03
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteInteresting points made in the article, Human capital is the most important asset to an organization which cannot be replaced with anything else. The ground floor of a firmed organization builds through most satisfied and loyal employees where the employees increase productivity and efficiency while innovating new ideas to the organization (GABCANOVA, 2011).
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis is true. According to Cambe (2018), both organizational commitment and job satisfaction level of the workers are essential factors related to the overall success of the organizations. Employers can increase the job satisfaction level of the employees which would result in increased commitment of the workers.
DeleteHi, just to share a point about Employee motivation.
ReplyDeleteEmployee motivation can be driven in a number of ways, to wit; through achievement,
authority, camaraderie, independence, esteem, safety/security, or fairness (Entrepreneur
Handbook, 2014). Fowler (2017) divides sources of employee motivation into two broad
categories and classifies them as either optimal or suboptimal. The suboptimal methods, which
Fowler relates to junk-food, are generally methods of external motivation and only provide shortbursts of employee motivation, such as tangible rewards (gifts, promotions, and prizes) or
intangible rewards (promises of power, status, or enhanced image) (Fowler, 2017). Another
example of suboptimal motivation includes imposed motivation, such as instilling fear in
employees and pressuring them into performing (Fowler, 2017). In contrast to these suboptimal
methods, Fowler (2017) gave presentation on optimal methods of motivation which she relates to
healthy foods. Examples of optimal motivation include aligning corporate goals with employees’
significant values, connecting corporate goals to noble purposes, encouraging employees that
they are contributing to something greater than themselves, and inherent motivation where the
employee is inspired to truly believe in the work that they are doing or take personal interest in
it.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAccording to Lokhurst (2017), less effective sources of motivation are described as suboptimal, and those that are more effective are considered optimal. Moving toward the optimal side of the spectrum generates energy, vitality, and well-being (Fowler, 2017).
DeleteFowler’s spectrum of motivation goes beyond the typical definitions or extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, although there are common threads with suboptimal and optimal sources. Suboptimal motivation comes from disinterested, external, and imposed sources, while optimal motivation is aligned, integrated, and inherent.
An essential stimulus that controls human behavior is motivation. Since no two people have the same attitude or behavior, organizations must develop policies that will satisfy the group as a whole rather than simply an individual. Organizations should be able to recognize and assess the internal motivation that employees get from their jobs and then supplement it with external motivation as required. To do this, organizations can study motivation theories (Varma, 2017).
ReplyDeleteI agree. As found through the study by Fischer, Malycha, and Schafmann (2019) found that positive effect of intrinsic motivation on the creative/innovative performance of knowledge workers was remained significant regardless of other variables. It was also found that extrinsic motivators in the form of relational as well as transactional rewards can have a significant positive main effect on creative/innovative outcomes. Moreover, with respect to creative/innovative outputs, extrinsic motivators and intrinsic motivation are not necessarily antagonistic and are best considered simultaneously (Fischer, Malycha, and Schafmann, 2019) .
DeleteAdding further to the definition of motivation, Hitka et al. (2019) defines motivation as a psychological process that fuels and sustains an individual’s actions in connection with their job, tasks, or projects. Motivation has played a major role in employees’ productivity and as one of the main ingredients of the management process, managers and leaders should possess an adequate understanding of the factors and forces that enhance motivation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis. As stated by Ahmad (2021), motivation is a function of three significant factors: effort, organizational goals and needs which is being commonly applied by all the workplaces as they now feel it valuable in their work environments (Ahmad, 2021). Cartwright (1999) identified nine psychological motivational elements namely, equity, equality, consensus, identification, rationality, instrumentality, development, group dynamics, and internalisation (Cartwright, 1999).
DeleteWorker motivation is an individual and a transactional process. Different cadres may have differing determinants of motivation. In addition, the organizational context in which the worker is situated will mediate the impact of reforms. In the context of employees’ motivation, there is a complex combination of factors which has individual, organizational, and societal components. Consequently, effective programs will depend, not only on country level analysis, but also on regional, local and facility level efforts (D Rajeswari , 2011)
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis. Organizational context is highly important in fueling employee motivation. According to Rusu and Avasilcai (2015), the organizational context represented by the internal environment which influences directly employees’ behaviors and attitudes, comprises the organizational culture, employees relations, the individuals involved, the organizational structure, the technology of the organization and key activities, the work practices, the management style, informational systems, human resources practices, the strategy of the organization etc. (Rusu and Avasilcai, 2015).
DeleteHi Uditha! Well explained the impacts of motivation, all the factors stated above are really important for both organization and employees, i like the factor Employee engagement. Because enagement as step higher than the motivation, engaged employees show commitment, loyalty, exert discretionary effort, use their talents to the fullest and are enthusiastic advocates of their organisation’s values and goals. Engagement affects employee performance (Kahn, 1990). ‘Engaged employees work harder, are more loyal and are more likely to go the ‘extra mile’ for the corporation’
ReplyDelete(Lockwood, 2007, p. 3)
I agree, Hakeem. According to Richardson (2017), engaged employees are typically intrinsically motivated. They love what they do, strive to master new skills and are enthusiastic about applying their talents. Moreover, an engaged workforce can boost any company’s bottom line (Richardson, 2017).
DeleteAgree with your points. According to Bartol and Martin (1998) the strengthening the behavior and driving the tendency to continue is triggered by employee motivation which is considered a powerful tool, where motivation is driving a unsatisfied employee to achieve a certain goal by instilling satisfaction to drive the employee. Agreed, I would like to highlight a different aspect of employee motivation. The motivation of employees to participate in working-related training and career development programs is a subcategory of the creation of the more detailed "work motivation." Clearly, organizations have the benefits of providing training to employees. Nonetheless, in the short term, the benefits of increased motivation to engage in training and career development may not be as readily apparent (Kanfer, Chen and Pritchard, 2012).
ReplyDeleteHello Uditha, Motivation comes from getting challenging assignments, learning opportunities, and praise from colleagues and corporate leaders. For people to be motivated and stay motivated, there needs to be a balance where needs are being met, yet needs that still are being acquired. To achieve this balance, financial and symbolic rewards that emphasize both individual achievement and teamwork must be utilized. To be motivated and stay motivated, employees need to have support for satisfying their needs, and this includes more than just monetary incentives (Randall et al, 2006).
ReplyDeleteYes Rumaiz, One of the greatest challenges organizations face today is how to manage turnover of work force that may be caused by migration of a lot of industrial workers. This may be because of their lack of Motivation and commitment for the organization; this point of view emphasizes the importance of the study of Motivation and its relationship to Job Satisfaction (Prof. S. K. Singh & Vivek Tiwari, 2011).
Deletewell explained. In order to maintain organizational success, businesses of all sizes and in all markets work hard to keep the best workers (Dobre, 2013). To solve these difficulties,
ReplyDeleteCompanies should foster a solid, uplifting relationship with their staff members and guide them in completing tasks (Dobre, 2013). It is critical for a manager to comprehend the true drivers of employee behavior rather than relying solely on assumptions (Dobre, 2013).