Motivating the Workforce

1. Motivating the Workforce
   1. Simply stated: Benefits of employee motivation
   2. How to motivate people
2. Nature of Human Relations
   1. Human Relations
   2. Motivation
   3. Morale
      1. High morale leads to
      2. Low morale leads to
3. How to retain good employees
4. Historical perspectives on Employee Motivation
   1. Classical theory of motivation
5. Theories of employee motivation
   1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs
      1. Physiological needs
      2. Security needs
      3. Social needs
      4. Esteem needs
      5. Self-actualization needs
   2. Herzberg’s 2-factor theory
   3. McGregor’s Theory X
   4. McGregor’s Theory Y
   5. McGregor’s Theory Z
   6. Goal-setting theory
6. Strategies for motivating employees
   1. Behavior modification
      1. Job design
7. Why can a manager not make work feel like play

---

Motivating the Workforce

Even in small businesses, you can face motivation issues, even if people have an equal stake. If your workers know the goals, they will feel more motivated to helping acheive success

Simply stated: Benefits of employee motivation

1. Higher productivity
   • Workers will not want to let the team down
2. More innovation
3. Lower levels of absenteeism
   • Workers will have personal goals aligned with the goals of the company
4. Lower levels of staff turnover
5. Great reputation

How to motivate people

1. Lead with vision
   • Share the objectives/goals
2. Make sure everyone knows ‘why’
   • “Because I said so” is bad obviously
   • Give good, real answers
   • If a task is not aimed at the mission, it will be hard to motivate (even dedicated) people.
   • Main reason people leave is because they don’t see how the work they are doing is contributed to the longterm goals of the company
3. Set frequent clear targets
   • Short-term goals
4. Recognize great work
   • Don’t give negative feedback
   • Don’t call people out
5. Give your team autonomy
6. Create a welcoming work environment
7. Encourage team work
8. Create a career path
   • Make sure someone can see a future in your business

Nature of Human Relations

Human Relations

The study of the behavior of individuals and groups in organizational settings. It involves motivating employees to acheive organizationa objectives efficiently and effectively

Motivation

The inner drive that directs a person’s behavior toward a goal

• A goal is the satisfaction of some need
• A need is the difference between a current state and a desired state

Motivation is “consumable”. The excitement will go away, but the goal can stay.

Motivation is goal-directed behavior towards need satisfaction

Morale

Morale is an employee’s attitude towards their job, employer, and colleagues

High morale leads to

• High productivity
• High returns
• Employee loyalty

Low morale leads to

• High rates of absenteeism
• High rates of employee turnover

How to retain good employees

1. Offer training and mentoring
2. Create a positive organizational culture
3. Build credibility through communication
4. Blend compensation, benefits, and recognition
5. Encourage referrals and don’t overlook internal recruiting
6. Give coaching and feedback
7. Provide growth opportunities
8. Create work/life balance and minimize stress
9. Foster trust, respect and confidence in senior leadership

Historical perspectives on Employee Motivation

Classical theory of motivation

Suggested that money is the sole motivator for workers.

Time and motion studies

• Frederick W. Taylor, Frank, and Lillian Gilbreth
• Analyzed how workers performed tasks to improve productivity
• Led to the application of scientific principles to management

Taylor’s ideas are still in practice today with financial incentives for productivity.

Theories of employee motivation

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs

Physiological needs

The most basic needs: food, water, shelter, clothes

Security needs

Protecting yourself from physical or economic harm. Am I safe and economically in a good place? Often includes insurance.

Social needs

Companionship - the longing to feel included. Making friends, joining groups, volunteering.

Esteem needs

Self-respect. Do you get pride from doing a job well?

Self-actualization needs

The peak of who you can be as a person. You are taking advantage of every opportunity and are performing at your best.

Herzberg’s 2-factor theory

Breaks factors into heigene vs motivaitonal factors

McGregor’s Theory X

A traditional view of management

1. The average person naturally dislikes work and will avoid it when possible
2. Most workers must be coerced, controlled, directed, or threatened with punishment to get them to work toward acheiving organizational ovjectives
3. The average workeres prefers to be directed, avoids responsibility, has little ambition, and wants security.

McGregor’s Theory Y

A humanistic view of management

McGregor’s Theory Z

Management philosophy that involves everyone in the company’s decisions

Goal-setting theory

If you know what an objective is, there is a higher chance you will get there

Strategies for motivating employees

Behavior modification

Involves changing behavior and encouraging appropriate actions by relating the consequences of behavior to the behavior itself.

Job design

• Managers can use job design strategies to improve employee motivation
  • Job rotation
  • Job enlargement
  • Job enrichment

Flextime and showing core and flexible hours is motivational because it can allow more people to work with their jobs and their circumstances.

Why can a manager not make work feel like play

At work, you have an objective, goal, and teamwork. Sounds like sports?

Many managers cannot enjoy themselves and get work done at the same time. Managers fear loosing control of the control and productivity of their workers. Studies exist that support the most important thing is motivation rather than money to get someone to work hard.

If you take it to a point where you are just having fun, thats not good, but a fun working environment can help retain workers

At Google, workers can play with pinball, photo booths, slides, and more. Workers will not stay if they hate walking in the door every day.

---