Free Essays on Employee Motivation

Many managers in this day and age are asking the question, â€Å"How can I motivate my employees?† In this paper, I will explore significant factors that affect motivation level of employees and suggest actions that and organization can take in order to ensure a higher motivational level for its employees. What managers need to realize, is that there is a difference between employee retention and employee motivation. The focus on retaining employees is to keep them on the job. But more importantly, the focus of employee motivation is to increase performance. As stated by Kulpa, Adorno & Zeder, P.A. (2001) : In order to increase performance, management needs to set goals and then link the accomplishment of those goals with rewards of value. Money is a reward of value for many employees. Yet, there are as many employees who also have personal goals that have something to do with job performance and career development. Good supervision and motivation seek out personal goals and align them with the goals of the firm. Pay and benefits can possibly contribute to a higher motivation level, but there still debate about the link between pay and performance. Therefore, I will discuss other factors that can be motivators and not to mention can also save the company’s payroll. Recognition can be considered a great reward to many employees. Many consultants, in fact, do agree that recognition may be more motivating than salary in many cases (Kulp, Adorno & Zeder, P.A., 2001). Salary increases or bonuses typically happen only once a year, while recognition could take place every day. Employees become more motivated when they are rewarded everyday, instead of only once a year. An employee can be shown recognition in many ways, whether it is just a simple thank you or it could also be gained through achieving a certificate or earning a free lunch. Job context in general is also a big motivational factor. What employee... Free Essays on Employee Motivation Free Essays on Employee Motivation Many managers in this day and age are asking the question, â€Å"How can I motivate my employees?† In this paper, I will explore significant factors that affect motivation level of employees and suggest actions that and organization can take in order to ensure a higher motivational level for its employees. What managers need to realize, is that there is a difference between employee retention and employee motivation. The focus on retaining employees is to keep them on the job. But more importantly, the focus of employee motivation is to increase performance. As stated by Kulpa, Adorno & Zeder, P.A. (2001) : In order to increase performance, management needs to set goals and then link the accomplishment of those goals with rewards of value. Money is a reward of value for many employees. Yet, there are as many employees who also have personal goals that have something to do with job performance and career development. Good supervision and motivation seek out personal goals and align them with the goals of the firm. Pay and benefits can possibly contribute to a higher motivation level, but there still debate about the link between pay and performance. Therefore, I will discuss other factors that can be motivators and not to mention can also save the company’s payroll. Recognition can be considered a great reward to many employees. Many consultants, in fact, do agree that recognition may be more motivating than salary in many cases (Kulp, Adorno & Zeder, P.A., 2001). Salary increases or bonuses typically happen only once a year, while recognition could take place every day. Employees become more motivated when they are rewarded everyday, instead of only once a year. An employee can be shown recognition in many ways, whether it is just a simple thank you or it could also be gained through achieving a certificate or earning a free lunch. Job context in general is also a big motivational factor. What employee... Free Essays on Employee Motivation WHAT IS MOTIVATION? Motivation is difficult to explain and even harder to â€Å"turn on† in people. Webster defines motivation as â€Å"an act or process of motivating; the condition of being motivated; a force, stimulus, or influence: incentive or drive† (â€Å"Motivation†). It is most often the job of the manager to use motivation to drive its employees to accomplish acts which they normally would not have done. The study of motivation helps managers understand what prompts people to initiate action, what influences their choice of action, and why they persist in their action over time (Daft and Marcic 444). Since motivation influences productivity, supervisors need to understand what motivates employees to reach peak performance. It is not an easy task to increase employee motivation because employees respond in different ways to their jobs and their organization’s practices (Supervision 1998). Motivation is the set of processes that moves a person toward a goal. Therefore, motivator behaviors are voluntary choices controlled by the individual employee (Supervision 1998). It is extremely important to managers and supervisors to motivate employees. Motivators are a collection of learned attitudes and beliefs. They provide an individual with information regarding which motivators are most important to him/her at the present time. There are many attitudes and beliefs. These motivators were identified originally by Edward Spranger and supported in additional research by Gordon W. Alport and Philip E. Vernon (Wolfe 167). Motivators can be flexible and will often change throughout careers and life. As an individual situation changes, the priorities of their motivators tend to change as well. MOTIVATION AND EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION The job of a manager in the workplace is to get things done through employees. To do this the manager should be able to motivate employees. This is easier said then done! To understand mot...