What Employees Want
What Employees Want
What Employees Want
Most people spend the majority of their time at work. Consequently, how the employees feel and behave, inside and outside work, is at times driven by the dynamics of the work environment. When managers understand and apply motivational techniques they can increase employee productivity, employee creativity, and employee loyalty and satisfaction.
It is necessary for managers to understand and practice basic motivational techniques in order to effectively manage their staff. The best known motivational theory is likely Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (see figure of pyramid below)
Motivation Theory Fundamentals
Psychologist Abraham Maslow first introduced his concept of a hierarchy of needs in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" and in his subsequent book, Motivation and Personality. His model suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other needs. Using common sense in a logical and methodical model, Maslow depicted the driving forces behind human motivation.
At the lowest levels of the pyramid are the most basic needs, while the more complex needs are located at the top of the pyramid. Needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic physical requirements including the need for food, water, and sleep. Once these lower-level needs have been met, people can move on to the next level of needs, which are for safety and security. As people progress up the pyramid, needs become increasingly psychological and social.
Soon, the need for love, friendship and intimacy become important. Further up the pyramid, the need for personal self-esteem and feelings of accomplishment take priority.
Maslow emphasized the importance of self-actualization, which is a process of growing and developing as a person to achieve individual potential.
Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow categorized human needs into 5 areas:
Survival: Need for food, water, and shelter. This includes medical services, electricity, transportation and phones, all of which can be jeopardized by natural disasters.
Safety/Security: Need for protection (military, police, fire-department and insurance), employment, health, property.
Social/Belonging: Need of family, friends, co-workers and associations.
Self-Esteem: Need for appreciation, recognition, respect of others, and respect by others.
Self-Actualization: Need for self fulfillment and happiness, which is mostly met through career, marriage and parenthood.
Maslow did more than just categorization. He stated that these needs do not have equal force all the time. For example, when a hurricane threatens our need for survival and safety/security, that becomes our number one priority
However, for most people in America most of the time, the survival and safety/security needs are met with the help of local police, fire department, local governments, hospitals, employers, the military, and other public utility companies. These needs become merely basic expectations that people pay little attention to. What people care about and are motivated by are the three highest level needs in the pyramid.
Employers satisfy Maslow's fundamental survival and safety/security needs primarily through a paycheck and benefits plan: Earnings and Benefits are used to buy groceries, get shelter and insure against other life's necessities.
In the workplace, the highest-level need of self-actualization and much of the employee self-esteem are met through the work itself: Job Quality: employee recognition, employee contributions, reward systems, and company culture. Managers can contribute to an employee's need for self-actualization by creating workplace and learning opportunities for the employee career advancement.
Managers can also address the social/belonging, and self-esteem needs with workplace support (supervision, teamwork, and recognition). The following section lists 12 simple but proven techniques that managers can use to motivate employees. Each technique can be easily categorized into an area within the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs model.
Management Tips to increase Employee Motivation
Pay employees fairly and well and they will forget about money. Once this basic need is met, it becomes a lower priority in the employee's mind. The employee will be satisfied with the fair wages and will focus his/her attention on contributing to the team and being recognized for his/her efforts (job quality). When employees are not compensated fairly they continue to struggle financially to make ends meet. This becomes an obstacle for the employee's motivation. The employee may have to find additional part-time work, may have to requesting over-time work or eventually seek employment elsewhere. It costs money when organizations need to take the time to find, interview, hire, and train new employees. There are also hidden costs when an employee leaves the organization. The vacant position responsibilities may need to be picked up by the available staff , overall staff productivity may be affected, and the staff stress level increases. This in turn adds the risk to lose other valuable employees.
Treat every employee with respect. Show the employees that the organization cares about each employee as a person and not just as a worker. Employees are more productive when they feel good about themselves. When employees do not feel respected or appreciated for their work contribution, their work has no meaning and the employees become discouraged and eventually leave the company.
Communicate clear goals, responsibilities, and expectations. Write each goal down on a page. Each goal should be clearly stated in 250 words or less. Prioritize goals and only assign reasonable but achievable goals within a timeline. Ensure that the staff clearly understands goal completion timelines and what is expected of them. Assign employee accountability and ensure the employee understands how important his/her contribution is.
Praise staff accomplishments and any attempts made towards the achievement of goals. Be on the lookout to praise accomplishments soon after they occur. Praise any efforts used to accomplish any goals. Sometimes trying alone provides invaluable lessons. Be Careful! Do Not be on the lookout to punish mistakes. This is a behavior of bad managers. Set a good example, be a leader and do not imitate bad behavior.
Make reprimands as needed but in a cautious way. Never criticize the person but the behavior. Everyone makes mistakes. Turn the mistake into an opportunity for the employee to learn how to do it better next time. Never reprimand in public - redirect in private. Let the staff hear that they are important to the organization and have the needed management support and tools to do a better job next time.
Recognize performance appropriately and consistently. Praising does not need to take up more than one minute. The mere gesture of praising tells the staff that their contribution matters. Avoid delayed praising. Capture the moment. Praise the staff in public. Employees need meaning in the work they do or they will do a mediocre job. People have the need for continuous feedback.
Involve employees in plans and decisions, especially those that affect them. Solicit employees' ideas and opinions. Get them involved and make them feel part of the team. Encourage initiative. By doing this, employees will feel that their opinion matters to the team and the organization and will feel the urge to make a contribution.
Create opportunities for employees to learn and grow. Link organizational goals with the goals assigned to each individual. Ensure the staff understands the value they bring to the company. Make them feel they are an important part of the team. One of the greatest accomplishments of a manager is to prepare his staff to step up to greater responsibilities within the organization. Effective managers encourage their subordinates interests in other areas of the company. Companies prefer to grant career growth opportunities to existing employees. This promotes good employee morale and usually results in the selection of capable candidates that will hit the ground running. Bad managers stifle employee creativity and limit employee opportunity in fear of losing their own job. This behavior negatively affects managers in the long run.
Actively listen to staff concerns - both work related and personal. Make the staff feel that they have a manager they can talk to about anything that may interfere with their work or personal life. By being sensitive to a staff personal concern (example: divorce, death in the family), and by making any necessary accommodations to help the staff feel less stress, managers help to increase staff loyalty.
Share information promptly, openly, and clearly. Tell the truth and with compassion. The rumor mill exists and employees use it to hear some version of the disseminated information. Trying to keep information hidden from employees, especially if the information affects them, only projects a management image of deception that diminishes trust. By telling employees information they need to hear, a manager can defuse any misunderstanding that creates unnecessary stress and that reduces employee productivity.
Celebrate successes and milestones reached - both organizational and personal. Create an organizational culture that is open, trusting, and fun. Be on the lookout to praise successes, not on the lookout to punish mistakes.
Never say anything negative about the company or other employees. Employees get discouraged if they hear their manager venting negatively about other employees or the company. Managers represent the organization and have access to information that the staff does not. When managers speak negatively about the organization, the staff hears that is time to seek employment elsewhere; When managers speak negatively about other employees, the staff begins to question the manager's trust. Never talk negatively about anyone or the organization. The rumor mill will ensure that everyone hears a grave version of what was said.
In conclusion, by continually applying these simple motivational techniques managers will develop employee trust, will increase employee productivity, will increase employee satisfaction and employee loyalty. The final outcome will be a team of very productive and satisfied employees.
Written by Michael Grace
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