Motivation

I completely agree that “Motivation comes from a variety of needs.” I would like to explore this Idea. People’s motivation are constantly evolving. Understanding the things that motivate employees are critical to the success of a company. By addressing employees’ needs and desires, a company will be able to retain quality employees that perform at high levels. Neglecting those needs however, could prove catastrophic. According to Leopold (2004), “non-financial incentives are now a central tool in the drive for maximizing staff productivity and retaining talent in the workplace” (¶. 2). Employees may leave one firm to join a competitor if they feel like their needs will be better met. These ‘needs’ or motivational factors are constantly changing. The success of labor rights movements has made the expectations of a safe workplace much higher than in the past. Many people back as recently as fifty years ago, believed that injury or even death are just some of the risks associated with a particular job.

I think that the economy has a lot to do with the expectations of employees and what motivates them. During a recession or economic slowdown, job security will probably rank much higher than wages. In time of economic growth, I would expect those rankings to be reversed. When the economy is booming, unemployment is low and there are many job opportunities. Workers can be very selective about what job they take and how much they work for. During a recession, unemployment is high, many people are losing their jobs and those people may find themselves competing for their own jobs. In this situation many would probably take a job that pays lower but is more secure than a higher paying job.

Reference:

McShane, S. L., & Von Glinow, M. A. (2008). Organizational Behavior (4^th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Leopold, C., (2004). Prize Catch. Retrieved January 26^th 2011 from: LexisNexis Academic.

Nayab, N. (November 12, 2010). Motivation Theories and Organizational Behavior. Retrieved January 19, 2011 from: http://www.brighthub.com/office/human-resources/articles/95269.aspx