The issue of employee motivation is of interest to almost every businessman. The most successful of them are well aware that workers need to be encouraged and stimulated in every way. After all, there are not often people who are completely and completely satisfied with their position, which they most likely did not occupy by vocation. However, any leader can do the workflow comfortable for the team, so that everyone fulfills their duties with pleasure. Ultimately, labor productivity, the development prospects of the company, etc., will depend on this.
Many companies hold auditions, they look for ideal managers with staff, arrange psychological trainings, etc. And all this is just to increase the interest of their employees in the final result by any means.
Motivation
The issue of increasing staff interest in the final result of their work is relevant not only in our country, but throughout the world. Indeed, the successful motivation of employees is the key to the success of the entire company as a whole. What does this concept mean?
Employee motivation is an internal process taking place at the enterprise. Its goal is to encourage each member of the team to work for the final result.
In addition, employee motivation is an indispensable component of the personnel policy of any institution. Its role in the management system is very tangible. With a well-established process of staff interest growth, such events can significantly increase the profitability of the business. If the system is mediocre, then all the efforts of even the best specialists will be nullified.
Employee motivation is a set of incentives that determine the behavior of a particular individual. That is, it is a certain set of actions on the part of the leader. At the same time, the goal of motivating employees is to improve their ability to work, as well as attract talented and qualified specialists and retain them in the company.
Each leader independently defines methods that encourage the team to active and creative activities that allow people to satisfy their own needs and at the same time fulfill the common task assigned to the enterprise. If the employee is motivated, then he will certainly enjoy the work. He becomes attached to her soul, experiencing the joy of completing the tasks assigned to him. To achieve this by force is impossible. But at the same time, encouraging employees and recognizing their achievements is a very difficult process. It requires taking into account the quality and quantity of labor, as well as those circumstances that serve as a prerequisite for the emergence and development of behavioral motives. In this regard, it is extremely important for each manager to choose the right motivation system for his subordinates for his company, applying a special approach to each of them.
Tasks Performed
The development of employee motivation is necessary to combine the interests of each team member and the entire enterprise. In other words, the company needs a job well done, and the staff needs a decent salary. However, this is far from the only task facing the motivation system. Its implementation allows you to:
- to attract and interest valuable specialists;
- eliminate the turnover of qualified personnel;
- identify the best employees and reward them;
- control employee benefits.
Many of the novice businessmen do not fully understand the importance of solving motivation issues. Thinking thoughtlessly about creating an incentive system at their enterprise, they are trying to achieve the task by paying premiums alone. However, such actions will not allow to fully solve this problem, which will require full analysis and competent resolution. This can be accomplished by first studying theories of motivation created by famous people. Let's consider them in more detail.
Maslow Theory
Its author stated that to create an effective system of motivation for company employees, it will be necessary to study their basic needs well. Of these, he identified five main categories:
- Physical. These needs are a person’s desire to satisfy the physiological need for food and drink, relaxation, a home, etc.
- Security needs. Each of us strives to gain confidence in the future. At the same time, people need to feel emotional and physical security.
- Social needs. Every person wants to be part of society. To do this, he makes friends, family, etc.
- The need for respect and recognition. All people dream of being independent, having authority and a certain status.
- The need for self-expression. People always strive to conquer the peaks, develop their "I" and the realization of their own capabilities.
Maslow compiled a list of needs by their importance. So, the first point is the most important, and the last is the least significant. The head, who will choose the theory of this author to increase the motivation of employees, does not have to fulfill one hundred percent without fail. However, it is important to try to at least address each of the above needs.
Theory of "X and Y" McGregor
The author of this option for managing employee motivation claims that a manager can manage people using two methods:
- Using the theory of "X". In this case, the leader adheres to an authoritarian management regime. This should happen in cases where the team is extremely disorganized, and people just hate their work, trying in every possible way to escape from the performance of their duties. That is why they need tight control from the head. Only this will allow to establish work. The boss is forced not only to constantly monitor the staff, but also to encourage him to conscientiously fulfill the assigned duties, having developed and implemented a system of punishments.
- Using the theory of "Y". This area of employee motivation is fundamentally different from the previous one. It is based on the work of the team, performed with complete dedication. At the same time, all employees responsibly approach the fulfillment of their duties, show interest in them and strive to develop. That is why the management of such workers should be carried out using a loyal approach to each person.
Herzberg's Motivational Hygiene Theory
Its basis is the assertion that the performance of work can bring satisfaction to a person or leave him unsatisfied for various reasons. A person will get pleasure from solving the tasks assigned to him if the end result becomes the possibility of his self-expression. The main motivation of employees is the development of specialists. And it directly depends on the prospects of their career growth, recognition of achievements and the emergence of a sense of responsibility.
What factors motivate employees to lead to their dissatisfaction? They are associated with the shortcomings of the organizational process of the enterprise, with poor working conditions. Their list includes low salaries, an unhealthy atmosphere in the team, etc.
McClelland Theory
According to the author, all the needs of people are divided into three categories. Each of them experiences the following:
- The need for management and impact on other people. Some of these workers simply want to control others. Others strive to solve group problems.
- The need to succeed. Such people like to work on their own. They have a need to complete a new task better than the previous one.
- The need for involvement in a particular process. Employees in this category want respect, recognition. They prefer to work in specially organized groups.
The leader, based on the needs of each member of the team, should implement a system of employee motivation.
Procedural Theory of Stimulation
The basis of this direction is the statement that it is important for a person to achieve pleasure without experiencing pain. This should take into account the head. According to this theory, he needs to reward his employees more often, applying punishment as little as possible.
Vroom's Theory of Expectation
In this case, the peculiarity of employee motivation is the acceptance of the fact that a person will perform his work with the highest quality only if he understands that the final result will satisfy his needs. This is the main incentive for people.
Adams Theory
The meaning of the statements of this author comes down to the fact that the work of any person should have an appropriate reward. In case of underpayment, the employee will work worse, and in case of overpayment all his actions will remain at the same level. That is why each of the work performed must be rewarded in fairness.
Direct and indirect motivation
There are a large number of ways that allow you to increase productivity by influencing the staff. Depending on the form used, motivation is direct or indirect. In the first case, the employee is well aware that the task quickly and accurately performed by him will be additionally rewarded.
Indirect motivation is an ongoing incentive measure that allows you to renew a person’s interest in fulfilling his duties and arouse his satisfaction after completing a task assigned to him. In this case, each member of the team has an aggravation of a sense of responsibility, which makes management unnecessary.
In turn, direct motivation is material (economic) and intangible. Let's consider these categories in more detail.
Material motivation
At times, company managers are convinced that the most effective incentive for any employee is the amount of their salary. But actually it is not. If we consider those human needs that Maslow described in his theory, it becomes clear that money can satisfy only the first two of them. That is why the system of employee motivation in the organization, which provides for increasing the interest of specialists with high salaries alone, is ineffective. Yes, it provides an increase in people's labor productivity, but not for long. Usually this period lasts no more than 3-4 months. After that, specialists feel dissatisfaction with all other needs, which are at a higher level compared with physiological and safety issues.
What are the material ways to motivate employees? There are only three types of them, which include various forms of financial incentives for staff, as well as penalties for untimely or incorrectly completed tasks.
Employee motivation methods include in your list:
- cash rewards;
- non-monetary rewards;
- system of fines.
Cash reward is considered:
- allowances and bonuses;
- wage growth;
- benefits and social insurance;
- percentage of sales;
- cash rewards for overfulfillment;
- large discounts on the company's products or services.
For example, cash rewards accrued for overfulfilling a previously drawn up plan are an excellent motivation for sales staff.
In addition, the financial incentive is the reward, relying on the victory in a particular competition. For example, an employee was adequately represented at a competition of industries in the region, in the country or in the world. At the same time, the specialist won a prize, for which the company management encouraged him with a big prize.
Non-monetary rewards include the implementation of social corporate projects:
- providing discounts or free use of the organization’s institutions (kindergartens, clinics, etc.);
- the opportunity to relax on a ticket purchased by the company, in sanatoriums, rest homes or health camps (children of company employees);
- providing tickets for a variety of cultural events;
- advanced training or a course of study at the expense of the organization;
- the provision of paid time off or an extraordinary weekend;
- direction to foreign business trips;
- good equipment of the place of work.
A less pleasant category of all types of motivation for employees of a material nature is the system of fines introduced at the enterprise. These include:
- material punishment of a specific member of the team that occurs in case of his lateness, failure to complete the assignment and other administrative violations;
- depriving all employees of a bonus for not fulfilling a plan for a particular time period;
- the introduction of so-called penal hours.
When applying punishment as one of the ways to motivate employees, the manager should remember that the main task of such an event is to prevent certain actions that could harm the enterprise in a certain way. The employee, realizing that if he fails to fulfill the plan, he will certainly be fined, will begin to treat his business with greater responsibility.
However, it should be borne in mind that the punishment system is effective in cases where it is not revenge for the misconduct of an employee. Penalties should be a measure of psychological impact on a person. One example of the motivation of employees of this type is the slogan that says that an employee must play according to the rules of the company in order to feel comfortable. Moreover, failure to comply with such rules shall be punished in accordance with the level of the offense committed.
Is it enough to just scare people with fines? Will they then work with due return? No! Such a system should only be applied if it is closely linked to bonuses, bonuses and rewards. It is important for the leader to find a middle ground in order to act fairly, rewarding for success and punishing for misses.
Intangible motivation
This method should also be applied when stimulating company employees. He will allow them to come to work, while having a genuine desire to get around competing firms in everything.
What is the intangible motivation of employees? It is a combination of effective forms and types of personnel incentives, which are:
- praise for successes and their public recognition;
- career prospects;
- comfortable atmosphere in the team and throughout the organization;
- cultural events and corporate events;
- Congratulations to employees with significant dates for them (happy birthday, wedding, anniversary);
- holding motivational meetings;
- prize draws and professional contests;
- involvement of specialists in strategic decision making.
The non-material motivation of employees is also understood as feedback in the form of a manager’s response to employee complaints, their wishes, etc.
Other types of incentives
What other manager can take measures to increase labor productivity in the enterprise? For this, there are methods of motivating employees, such as:
- Social. A person realizes that he is part of a team and an integral element of the whole mechanism. This makes him afraid to let his colleagues down. In order to prevent this, he is doing everything possible for the highest quality performance of the tasks assigned to him.
- Psychological. The head of the enterprise should contribute to creating a welcoming atmosphere within the team. Good relations in the company lead to the fact that a person with a desire goes to work and takes part in the production process. At the same time, he receives psychological satisfaction.
- Labor. This method of stimulation is aimed at employee self-realization.
- Career. In this case, a good motive is to move up the career ladder.
- Gender. The motivation of the employee in this case is his ability to boast of his own successes and successes in front of others.
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- At the first stage, problems that exist in staff motivation are identified. For this, the manager will need to conduct an appropriate analysis. Obtaining the necessary data is possible using an anonymous questionnaire, which will reveal the reasons for the dissatisfaction of subordinates.
- At the second stage, taking into account the data obtained during the analysis, the team is managed. In this case, the leader needs to closely interact with subordinates. Given the research data, it will be necessary to introduce methods that can be more beneficial to the enterprise. One example of employee motivation at this stage is to change the working day if most specialists do not agree with the one that exists at the moment.
- The third stage has a direct impact on the behavior of workers. But, taking measures to develop a motivation system, the leader should take criticism into his address and carry out timely remuneration of employees. In addition, the chief must necessarily demonstrate the correct behavior on himself, thereby teaching the same to his employees.
- The fourth stage is characterized by activities aimed at improving the incentive system that takes place at the enterprise. During this period, intangible ways of stimulating employees are introduced. Workers must be convinced of the importance of improving labor productivity. The leader will need to “ignite” each of his subordinates, finding an individual approach to each of them.
- At the fifth stage, employees should receive a well-deserved reward for their work. For this, each of the companies is developing its own system of rewards and bonuses. When the team realizes that his efforts are not without reward, he will begin to work even more productively and better.
Examples and methods of motivation
There are a fairly large number of methods to increase the activity of employees at work. However, before putting them into practice, the manager should consider what methods are suitable specifically for his company.
Among the best methods of motivation are the following:
- The salary. She is a powerful motivator, forcing the employee to efficiently perform the tasks assigned to him. With low wages, it is unlikely to satisfy the employee, who, most likely, will not give all the best.
- Praise. Every employee who faithfully performs his work, certainly wants to hear the words of approval. The leader needs to regularly analyze the fulfillment of tasks by specialists, without stinting praise at the same time. With this method, without spending a single penny, the boss can significantly increase the productivity of staff.
- Address by name. In order to constantly maintain the authority of the director, he needs to know his employees by name. Appeal to a person not by his surname is showing him respect. The subordinate in this case realizes that he is a person whom the leader appreciates.
- Extra rest. This method allows you to stimulate people to do their job better and faster. So, for example, the motivation of department employees who are not directly related to customers can be realized. The member of the team who shows the best result by the results of the week may leave home earlier on Friday. The use of this method causes excitement among subordinates and the desire of each of them to become a winner.
- The prospect of a boost. People should understand that with the high-quality and quick completion of their work, they will certainly achieve a rise in the ranks. Such a perspective can motivate no worse than material reward.
- Opportunity to be heard and express your opinion. It is important for every specialist to know what is considered and listened to with his opinion.
- Awarding. When any memorable date comes, it is advisable for employees to present gifts. Such a sign of attention can be an ordinary trinket on which engraving will be applied. Such a memorable gift will be remembered by a person for life.
- Hall of Fame. Placing photographs on it refers to intangible methods of motivation that remarkably increase labor productivity. The organization places pictures of the best employees of its team on such a board. This allows you to create a direction such as production competition, which allows you to stimulate staff to improve performance.
- Providing opportunities to work at home. This method of motivation is suitable only for certain companies. In the event that the office employee has to do the routine work, he can do it without leaving the walls of his house. The main condition for this will be the high-quality implementation of the task.
- Corporate parties. Many companies have parties, celebrating big holidays at them. People present at such celebrations relax, their communication takes place in an informal setting. Corporate parties help employees get distracted and, moreover, demonstrate the company's concern for their employees.
- Public expression of gratitude. The leader should praise the employee not only personally. It is very good if done publicly. Realization of such an idea is possible in various ways. For example, the announcement of the best employee through the media, on the radio or through a speaker installed in the enterprise. Such praise will encourage other workers to work much better so that as many people as possible learn about their successes.
- Motivational board. This method is simple but very effective. The idea is realized when placing on the demonstration board a graph of the productivity of each of the participants in the production process. In this way, sales staff can be motivated. Each of the team members will immediately see who works better, and he will have a desire to become a leader himself.
- Formation of a bank of ideas. It can be created in the organization in the form of an electronic box. Everyone is given the opportunity to send his letter of suggestion. Thanks to this approach, employees will certainly have a sense of self-worth.