To convert intention into action, employees need to be motivated & build into a stronger team to cultivate a pleasing working environment. Failure to motivate employees can create poor communication, diminished productivity & cause low levels of engagement inside the management. Many companies spend a lot to hire motivational speakers by realizing that nurturing the talents of the employees is important to build stronger teams. Motivation and reward are much important to cultivate a good working environment. It is the drive that motivates employees to work towards a goal. There is a lot of difference between how an unhappy worker approaches work and a happy worker does his/her work. Failure to recognize and reward good performance will demotivate the employees and lead to poor performance. There are many business theories that state the importance of motivation & drawbacks of failure to motivate employees. We will be discussing them in this blog.

Relationship between Happiness and Job

Happiness has got a lot to do with business. Imagine that an unhappy employee is given a task; the person will find the work uninteresting and will complete the task without taking much interest in it. An unhappy employee does a job so that he is not fired. Have you ever done a job above and beyond what is expected when you are not given an incentive? I’m sure your answer will be no. On the other hand, a happy worker will find the work enjoyable and find value in the work that is to be done. There are intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect motivation.

Intrinsic factors

1. Responsibility – A sense of responsibility motivates an employee to work well.
2. Achievement – Employees are motivated when they a driven to a goal. Something to achieve is always a motivation to employees.
3. Recognition – When employees are praised for their work, they feel good that their work is being recognized.
4. Growth – When they achieve growth in their field of work it is a motivation for them.

Extrinsic Factors

1. Salary – When they are given a hike in their salary they tend to be more productive.
2. Benefits – When employees are provided with benefits other than their salary they feel motivated.
3. Working conditions – Better working conditions are a necessity and when provided with it will increase the productivity of the employees.
4. Safety and security – Apart from good working conditions a safer and more secure working condition will boost the morale of the employees.

Motivational Theories

There are numerous motivational theories that have been advised by experts in the field of management. They state that there are certain factors in the workplace that are responsible for employee satisfaction. We will be discussing two of the main theories that point out the factors that motivate employees.

Herzberg's Motivation Theory or Two Factor Theory

Herzberg’s motivation theory states that there are certain factors that motivate the employees and certain others that demotivate them. This behavioral scientist proposed this hygiene theory factor affects the motivation and performance of the employees. There are job factors that prevent dissatisfaction while there are others that result in satisfaction. This was the theory put forward by Herzberg.

Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory

One of the most popular theories proposed by Abraham Maslow is the need hierarchy theory. It suggests that there is a hierarchy of needs that is basic to every human being. These needs are:

• Physiological
• Safety
• Social
• Esteem
• Self-actualization

Maslow proposed that all human efforts are to satisfy these needs and that motivation is the result of a person trying to achieve these needs. These needs are represented in a hierarchical form in a pyramid.

What Lack of Motivation Can Do?

Failure to motivate employees for their work they will soon make them start to think about why they should put much effort when it is not recognized. Management must be conscious of the things that cause demotivation among employees and solve it in time. Employees who are not appreciated and motivated for the work that they do might stoop to a lower level. They must always be informed about the company goals and employee objectives. This gives them a sense of how important their work is to the organization. It affects the morale of an entire office when one employee is dissatisfied with the work that he is doing. If the employees are dissatisfied with their jobs it can soon turn out that they will want to quit their job. If you want to keep them occupied with their work make sure that you make it interesting for them.

Concluding Thoughts

It is essential that you must appreciate the work of your employees and give them proper motivation and appraisal. For instance, you might be running a customer service project where your employees need to solve the issues of your clients. Failure to motivate employees might make it uneasy to talk with customers. They might not have the patience or energy to deal the customers they are talking with. In such situations, it is important to motivate them for the work they are doing. Employee motivation can not only be done in terms of money but also by appreciating the work that they do.