Money being a crucial factor in employee motivation has been given much preference by employers who want to motivate their workers, needless to mention it is a crucial factor that job seekers check on keenly in situations of dilemma, when they have to choose between two available jobs.
But I would wish to emphasize that money isn’t the only motivation and it is a great mistake for employers to think that well paid personnel are satisfied and motivated.
There are several factors that employers must consider in order to motivate their employees as money alone isn’t sufficient. These factors include:
Work Environment-Every employee wants a conducive, safe and tolerable working environment to be able to be motivated in the job he does. Physically the environment should be clean and spacious. In case of an office, it should be well ventilated and has the necessary furniture to enable him work well.
Sanitation- Sanitation in a work environment is equally as important as every meal served. Toilets and toiletries should be available in a work environment, drinking water should also be availed for the employees and all these should not be paid for by the employees. In a situation where the employees can’t have these services they lose the sense of pride in the company and this will make them view the company negatively even if it pays well.
Appreciation and gratitude- Every human being will love to be appreciated for a job well done. When the sales team has surpassed the month’s sale target they expect to be given recognition, to be mentioned in a staff meeting, be given a round of applause for their achievement or better still to be served tea with the Managing director and chat openly in a rather casual meeting. I bet this gives the employees a feeling that they are a valued asset of the company and this motivates them much more than the commissions they would have earned without “a good job done, keep it up” comments from the Managing Director.
Opportunity for Growth- Every employee always to be on top on the career ladder so they tend to seek those jobs that have bigger opportunities for growth however humble the beginnings might be. For instance, Company X may be offering a permanent job that pays well but it has no steps through which an employee would navigate up the career ladder while company Y maybe paying peanuts but has a well structured growth plan that every employee is quite aware of and wants to achieve. Must workers will consider working for company Y as it promises them a better future in their career.
Employee involvement- Employee involvement is a good strategy in employee motivation. This involves the top management consulting or better yet brainstorming with the employees in cases where certain changes are to be introduced in the organizations. This leads to implementation of changes that the employees feel part of and this gives them pride in themselves, they feel their expertise is valued by the employer and this motivates a lot. In cases where the employees are not consulted when critical changes are made, they get demoralized and lose their self-worth and this goes against their motivation even if they are well paid.
Employee involvement also equips the employees with the necessary leadership skills, gives them exposure which is a very valuable asset in every career.
Team Work- people working in teams are more motivated than those working as individuals. The brotherhood that comes with team cohesion and the team dynamics is a bond every employee would not be willing to break from. Teams work synergistically to achieve a purpose, with different expertise from the team members, problems that would have been a source of frustration to an individual becomes easily solved with lots of fun.
Job Rotation- “If you want people to do a good job for you, give them a good job to do”-Fredrick Hertzberg. Through job rotation employees gets to do jobs of different nature and by this they finally find a job that they can thrive in despite the challenges. Everybody who thrives in a challenge becomes highly motivated in the work he does.
Job Rotation also makes them all round skilled personnel for the job market so that even if the job they do currently ends, they can still easily get hired by other companies. The thought that the skills they acquire in current job equips them wholly for unknown future makes them motivated to work with the company.
Delegation-This ensures that junior employers are given part of work that would have been done by a superior, this is an indicator that the management has seen the capability and has confidence that the worker can accomplish the task he has been delegated. The feeling that the management trust the ability of an employee is an immense motivation factor.
Delegation also gives the employee hopes of being a leader in the future as he will assume that the employer is preparing him to take such roles in the near future. Who isn’t motivated by promotion?
Healthy competition- Even in schools healthy completion is a great motivation for students to work hard. In work place different teams can be created and given similar tasks to accomplish with the best performing team being awarded. Every team will be motivated to achieve much so as to be honored.
Get Together Bash- Some companies have different branches across the country or in a larger scope, different continents. The management can always organize a get together bash for the workers since they don’t see each other frequently, this is a great opportunity for friendship to blossom between the workers, Tell me if there is anybody who will not be motivated by the fact that his company has made it possible for him to meet a colleague that has been in Rwanda for two years, sharing the same table, sharing a bottle of Amarula while listening to cool music.
Exchange Programmes- For diversified companies like Unilever, exchange programmes between the manufacturers of different products can be an awesome way to motivate the workers as they get to learn beyond what they know. In schools symposiums were a perfect way for exchange programs and if I don’t lie I still remember those days with nostalgia. It motivates.
Exchange programmes can also be done with competitors say P&G and unilever. This lets them know the strengths as well as encourage healthy competitions. It’s also good for networking.
Interdepartmental games- Games are an opportunity for workers to exercise their hobbies and having it done at the work place is amazing while having a trophy tied to it is so motivating to the employees.
It also places the employees at the same level with their employers due to the informal nature of sports. This makes the employees open up to their bosses releasing their pent up emotions and viewing your employer as a friend so motivating.
Employee Birthday Celebration- This doesn’t mean that the whole company stops the day operation to celebrate the employee’s birthday like some sort of a holiday, but pinning a note on the notice board recognizing the important day and encouraging the other employees to give gifts to their colleague is surely remarkable and goes along in motivating the employees.
Workers’ Family fun day- The employer can organize family fun day for the workers, where workers come with their family members to their work place and these family have refreshments, know each other and network. This may be done yearly as it makes the workers’ family feel honored by the organization. This is a great motivation to the employees.
End year party- An end year party is quite a crucial event as it will allow the employees celebrate for having achieved various milestones for the company and the thought that their efforts have paid off is a motivating factor.
In conclusions based on the above arguments, it is evident that money isn’t the only motivation, nevertheless no amount of money can equate the zeal and passion that a person has for a job, in fact the more the employees are paid the more their quest for salary increment is inevitable and if you think this is a lie then keenly look at the incomes of those who are constantly in conflict with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, Aren’t they well paid? Are they motivated?
Sliver of Darkness 