In last week’s newsletter, there was a post about ‘What Do Most Employees Want From Their Employers?’ which was prompted by an article written by Jacqueline Maley in The Financial Review this week ‘Money not the key, worker survey finds’. Today there is a lot of research available in regards to what motivates and engages employees. What is interesting however is that although salary has always featured it has never been the number one driver, particularly for Executives and Professionals.
A blog comment by Ross Clennent took the topic to the next level with his reference to Frederick Herzberg’s motivational theory, who was a psychologist and pioneer of ‘job enrichment’.
In the 21st century more of us are looking for job enrichment from our work-life. Herzberg theory looks at which factors in an employee’s work environment causes people to experience satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
His theory states “that the factors which motivate people at work are different to and not simply the opposite of the factors which cause dissatisfaction. Job satisfiers are confined to the factors involved in doing the job, while job dissatisfiers deal with the factors which define the job context.”
Herzberg proved that people strive for ‘hygiene’ needs because we are unhappy without them (however satisfaction with these are short term) with examples including work conditions, salary, status, relationship with supervisor and so on.
Our ‘true motivators’ according to Herzberg include achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement and the work itself. For most of us there “are more sustaining motivators than money” which this theory and perhaps our own common sense tells us.
Herzberg was concerned with people’s well-being at work and looked to share how to manage people properly, for the good of all people at work, rather than for simply the good of the organisation.
Organizations should not only provide the right hygiene factors to prevent employee dissatisfaction but also must provide factors intrinsic to the work itself. Job enrichment is necessary for intrinsic motivation and this is a continuous management process.
To view the full article visit frederick herzberg motivational theory
Have your say – what are your work satisfiers and dissatisfiers?
