Understanding Employee Drives and Motivations
- The First Step Towards Motivation at Work
by Claire Belilos
However large or small a company or
business is, it is employees at all levels that can make or break
it. This holds true not only for the people we hire on a regular
basis, but also for temporary and contracted workers. It is as
important to research and study the needs, drives, and expectations
of people we hire or employ, and aim at responding to and satisfying
those, as it is with regard to customers.In actual fact, considering
the role each "employee" plays in a company's success, analyzing and
planning an adequate response to employees' motivations deserves
first place in the order of business.
Before going any further, let us shift our approach from grouping
people under the generic category of "employee" to individual human
beings and term them as "hired workers" or "workers", acknowledging
them as human beings with individual needs, drives, characteristics,
and personalities.
Though each person has specific needs, drives, aspirations, and
capabilities, at varying degrees of intensity, people's basic needs
are the same, as illustrated by Abraham Maslow in the following
model:
MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
Maslow explains the Hierarchy of Needs as applied to workers roughly
as follows:
Physiological Needs
basic physical needs: the ability to acquire food, shelter,
clothing and other basics to survive
Safety Needs
a safe and non-threatening work environment, job security, safe
equipment and installations
Social Needs
contact and friendship with fellow-workers, social activities and
opportunities
Ego
recognition, acknowledgment, rewards
Self-Actualization
realizing one's dreams and potential, reaching the heights of one's
gifts and talents.
It is only when these needs are met that workers are morally,
emotionally, and even physically ready to satisfy the needs of the
employer and the customers.
Worker motivation must also be viewed from two perspectives:
1. Inner drives
2. Outer (external) motivators.
A person's inner drives push and propel him/her towards an employer,
a particular job, career, line of study, or other activity (such as
travel or recreation). It is these drives that Maslow delineates in
his hierarchy of needs, and which we must understand and
internalize, use as guidlines in our efforts to help employees feel
motivated.
The outer (external) motivators are the mirror image the employer or
outside world offers in response to the inner drives. In order to
attract the "cream of the crop" of available workers, same as in
his/her dealings with customers, the employer not only tries to
satisfy these basic needs, but to exceed them - taking into
consideration additional extra-ordinary needs individual workers
have.
Most workers need to:
1. earn wages that will enable them to pay for basic necessities and
additional luxuries such
as the purchase of a home, or travel
2. save for and enjoy old age security benefits
3. have medical and other insurance coverage
4. acquire friends at work
5. win recognition
6. be acknowledged and rewarded for special efforts and
contributions
7. be able to advance in life and career-wise
8. have opportunities for self-development
9. improve their skills, knowledge, and know-how
10. demonstrate and use special gifts and abilities
11. realize their ideal(s).
The employer responds to those needs by offering and providing:
1. employment
2. adequate pay
3. assistance to workers for their special needs (such as child care
arrangements, transportation, flexible work schedules)
4. job security (to the degree possible)
5. clear company policies
6. clear and organized work procedures
7. a stable, just and fair work environment
8. a safe work environment
9. medical coverage and other benefits
10. an atmosphere of team-work and cooperation
11. social activities
12. reward and recognition programs
13. incentive programs
14. open lines of communication (formal and informal)
15. systematic feedback
16. training and development programs
17. opportunities for promotion
18. company/ business information
19. information on customer feedback
20. sharing of company goals and objectives
21. information on the market situation and industry
22. future expectations
23. plans for the future
24. guidance and mentoring.
It is important that the employer discover other extra-ordinary
needs applicants have before hiring them and know beforehand whether
he/she can satisfy those needs or not. An employee may have:
family responsibilities and be unable to work shifts, overtime, or
weekends
heavy financial responsibilities which he/she can meet only by
working at two jobs, which will lead to exhaustion, "sick leave",
and deficient work performance
a desperate financial need for additional overtime and weekend
renumeration
premature expectations of swift promotions.
Some other needs the employer can expect, for which company policies
should be planned accordingly:
if the company is in a remote location, all employees will have a
need for more social activities
many single people look for dates and spouses at work
some women may not be ready to work late shifts unless the employer
provides transportation back home
some workers may have a problem with drug or alcohol abuse.
In addition to needs and drives, adult workers have expectations
from their employer - they expect:
a knowledgeable, experienced, expert employer
clear and fair policies, procedures, and employment practices
business integrity
clear job descriptions
two-way communications
effective management and supervision
positive discipline
good company repute
good customer relations
company survival
opportunities for personal growth
company growth
a share in the company's success.
Business owners and managers are under constant scrutiny by the
people they hire. Adult workers care beyond the salary - they care
to know to whom they entrust their fate, reputation, and security.
They consider their work as a major factor that shapes their lives
and the lives of those dear to them. Hence the scrutiny. Once they
feel confident that the employer and their place of work is what
they wished for and expected, they are ready to contribute above and
beyond "the call of duty".
Most of these needs, expectations and aspirations are unexpressed -
it is up to the employer to develop a good system of company
communications, employee relations, training and development that
will lead to an environment of openness, cooperation, team-work, and
motivation that will benefit all the parties involved.
All Rights Reserved
Copyright 1999 Claire Belilos
|
