Employee Motivation Analysis

The issues of employee attitude and job satisfaction are critical to an organisation’s overall performance. An organisation’s Human Resource Management (HRM) is tasked with ensuring that employees are motivated throughout their work experience. I will discuss employee motivation program within the wider attitude and job satisfaction. The employee motivation program is a system that oversees all factors that prompt employees to pursue set tasks and goals (Gunkel, 2007). It essentially involves any activity that would encourage employees or gives their behaviour purpose and sense of direction. Asim (2013) indicates that there is a correlation between motivated employees and positive job performance, especially in terms of goal setting and achieving.

According to Pohankova, an organisation’s activity and development is influenced by both external and internal factors in their environment, but the most important one of them all is undeniably human potential (2009). This is an accurate observation when considering that every decision made in an organisation whether by a manager or a subordinate, on a personal capacity influences the direction of the organisation. For instance, some employees may decide not to exert much effort because they do not feel the need of doing so. Grant’s (2004) agrees with Pahankova’s view when he says that the only way to improve job performance is by enhancing employee motivation given that employees exerting high amount effort are said to be highly motivated. He argues that motivation is “high expenditure” and that less motivated employees exert amount of effort far below their capacity (Grant, 2004, p. 7). Both assertion point out that motivation is can make individuals attain their highest potential, and is a good strategy for work

Psychological needs (food and clothing) and safety needs (financial and physical) must be met before social needs (friends and family), esteem (confidence and respect) and self-actualization (achievement and inner-peace) are met (Ozguner & Ozguner, 2014). Maslow’s theory supports the fact that humans seek to fulfil specific needs in their lives and will take measures to achieve them, for instance, furthering education, looking for a job, or increasing one’s effort to get a promotion. One thing that is generally agreed is that before individuals seek out ‘higher needs’ the will seek to fulfil their basic needs. Individual needs vary because of different factors, hence, people’s needs can never be equal and that is why each employee has distinct need that he or she would like to fulfil. The best performing companies around the world understand this and , therefore, use elaborate employee motivation program to ensure success. One example is Hay Group Australia, a global management consulting firm that employs a customised reward strategy to meet employees different needs. According to their website, Hay Group uses total reward program that reflects the organisation’s culture and the impact different personnel make in the firm (Hay Group,