Motivation

Often seen as the cornerstone to any organisation, without input from employees or employers, an organisation will struggle to compete, especially in times of economic uncertainty. This section will give an understanding of motivation in the workplace and some of the theories behind it.

Theory

Motivation can be broadly described as an individual or teams need to meet a certain goal, whether it be in their personal or professional life. There are several factors that can drive this, and theorists have debated the factors for years, some of these motivational theorists include Abraham Maslow, Frederick Herzberg and Douglas McGregor.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow came up with one of the most famous motivational theories, known as the Hierarchy of Needs, he described five stages a person goes through in which a person cannot move onto the next stage before realising the current one, those stages are known as Physiological needs such as food & drink etc, Security and Safety needs, Love & Belonging needs, Self Esteem and when the former needs are aspired to, Maslow believed one can achieve Self Actualisation.

Herzberg's Factor Theory

Frederick Herzberg's theory took into account two factors which influence motivation in the workplace. They took into account personal factors and external sources which can also affect motivation. Herzberg's theory looked at motivators such as reward and recognition, responsibility, and job satisfaction, then compared it to what he called Hygiene factors such as salary, security and employee benefits.

McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y

Douglas McGregor came up with the theory that there are two types of employee, under his assumptions, a theory X employee is one who is lazy and dislikes work, has no ambition and resists change. At the other end of the scale, a Theory Y employee is one who is self motivated and committed to their objectives under a suitable reward structure.

Intrinsic & Extrinsic

Intrinsic motivation is one that comes from within and is not concerned by outside factors. Intrinsic factors come from the self when obtaining goals, and stems from continuous learning rather than following the crowd. Extrinsic motivation is one where people are motivated by external factors such as money or exam grades.

Incentives

Incentives are one of the most common ways to increase staff morale, incentives are given when a person or group of people have reached a particular goal or objective. Incentives can take a variety of forms and can consist of thing like a monetary reward such as a Christmas bonus, employee benefits, or non-monetary rewards such as gift vouchers.

Studies have shown that using incentives have proven to increase enthusiasm and morale, however, using them on a regular basis may have a detrimental affect, as employees may get used to rewards therefore productivity can decrease.

Love2reward can offer several incentives for motivation purposes, such as a range of gift vouchers & gift cards, employee benefit solutions and online points systems which can be tailored to meet any budget. Talk to us today about how we can help to incentivise staff in your organisation.

Complete the enquiry form on the right of the screen or call 0845 313 0357