Motivation is considered as the desire to do a task without being coerced into doing it. Individuals who are motivated are willing to put in effort in whatever they do specifically at the workplace. In today’s business environment where competition is tough and the work environment is dynamic there is a dire need to have a motivated workforce. Having a motivated workforce is essential because they are more productive that helps the company to achieve its overall goals. One of the most common and easiest way of motivating workforce is through employee incentive programs which include financial and non-financial rewards. As the owner at WooWoo, I would begin by identifying the problems within the human resource department before devising a motivation plan. It is important to recognize where the problem lies so that it can be tackled before making changes to other business areas. The development of the plan would be the next step along with the implementation schedule. The motivation plan would include employee ideas and concerns because it will make it easier to implement this plan at the departmental level without having to face resentment.
WooWoo’s motivation plan would revolve around those motivator factors which eventually lead to job satisfaction. Recognition for a job well done would serve as a motivator and commitment from the workers towards their jobs. Peer nominated rewards would also serve as motivators if this is done fairly and regularly. Monthly recognition activities could become part of the organizational culture and include the distribution of peer nominated rewards on a monthly basis. Furthermore, the problem of turnover needs to be addressed. Turnover will minimize if the company introduces a program for employees where they are able to voice their concerns without the fear of resentment. Moreover, turnover could also be minimized if the company provides suitable working conditions and promotes a healthy and cooperative relationship between employees. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, relationship with coworkers would satisfy the social needs of the employees. Employees should focus on quality of the work they perform and the company could help workers in this spectrum by assisting employees possibly through the development of an Employee Assistance Program. Flexi-time may also prove as contributing positively towards higher productivity levels and work quality (Schmerhorn, Osborn, Uhl-Bien, & Hunt, 2012). However, flexi-time will prove successful if the company has excessive workers at any one time and the employees are willing to cooperate.
The first important method to motivate employees includes the promotion of two-way communication. A one way to-down approach is not acceptable or popular in today’s work environment. Employees have first-hand knowledge about the work they perform; therefore, they are the best judge of improvement methods, and this is only possible if there is effective two-way communication. It is a trait of successful leaders and managers that they are willing to listen to their employees rather than imposing their subordinates. It is the managers success if his/her subordinates feel comfortable and at ease while communicating with him/her. Adding on, two-way communication also ensures that the worker is putting in his maximum effort because of his commitment towards his job. It is the manager’s choice whether to adopt an autocratic or democratic work style. However, it must not be ignored that some decision require speedy decisions and it is not possible to consult employees; thus, the nature of the decision may prove as a deciding factor of the work style adopted by the management. Research has suggested that democratic work style contributes positively towards motivation, improved job performance, and higher morale amongst the workers. Furthermore, if employees are given the freedom to give opinions and these opinions are actually implemented then workers would be more committed towards the company because they feel important (De Vries, Jehn, & Terwel, 2011).
The second method that may prove successful is to provide a sense of ownership amongst the employees. In today’s work environment, employees spend less time with one company on average. In a situation where turnover is high the need to instill a sense of ownership within employees cannot be over emphasized. Employees need to feel they belong to the company otherwise they would not think once before switching jobs. High turnover means the company loses talent to its competitors; thus, management must take steps that would help retain the company’s talent. One way to develop a sense of ownership and increasing commitment is by allowing employees to make mistakes rather than holding them responsible for even the smallest of errors. This would encourage employees to take chances and innovate rather than simply following routine orders. A sense of ownership may also be instilled if the workers are allowed to speak about how they feel about the organization and what steps should be taken to improve the structure and business practices. Adding on, involving employees in strategic decision making is also a positive contributor towards instilling ownership amongst employees. One of the most important driving forces behind employee citizenship behavior is treatment of employees. Everyone wants to be treated with respect and employees are no exception. Those workers who feel they are being treated with dignity and respect often give the same to the company in return in the form of loyalty.
The minimum wage server may be motivated using any of the three approaches that includes; reward systems, respect and value, and workplace atmosphere. The rewards system should incorporate extra benefits above the minimum wage if the worker has performed up to a certain standard. For instance; if an employee has been regular he should be given a bonus this would motivate the employee to work harder as he would receive a reward for his performance. Another way could include publicly recognizing the employee’s efforts in front of co-workers as this would motivate and encourage others to imitate performance. Respect and value is a necessity to ensure employees are satisfied and productive. Employees who are not respected often evolve into an unproductive workforce which is unwilling to participate positively in the company’s progress. The workplace atmosphere is also an important factor to motivate minimum wage workers. Most minimum wage workers comprise of teenagers and young adults who do not want to work in highly supervised work environments; therefore, a relaxed and fun atmosphere may prove suitable for these employees. The management needs to put extra effort in understanding the psychology of low wage workers because they function differently from the rest of the workforce. Thus, efforts made to understand minimum wage workers may prove beneficial for the company (Maynard, 1997). ERG’s theory may help understand why workers are mainly de-motivated by poor wages, lack of benefits, and poor working conditions. Even though, these needs are over exaggerated in many cases but all other needs are related to these three basic needs.
Organizations are increasingly focusing towards team work and team building. The concept of individual workers is deteriorating every day and management should work towards building teams. The concept of synergy is gaining popularity because a team can perform much better compared to any single individual alone. As there is a diversity of individuals within teams; thus, teams are better able to perform and often show increased productivity and efficiency. Even though, individuals may be productive when they are working alone because they know they are responsible for the work they do; however, this thinking may not be translatable within groups. Special training and workshops would have to be conducted by the management in order to ensure that employees are giving their maximum within teams; otherwise teams may be counterproductive and may not provide the expected results. Managing teams also requires a special art and managers and supervisors would require this training. Team management includes the management to take into consideration every individual within the team and motivate every worker individually. The sense of ownership may also flourish while working within teams because workers would have a sense of belonging and according to Maslow their social needs would be satisfied. The potential of the individual worker should not be ignored under any circumstance. Individual workers are often more responsible and productive because they work independently and are not relying on any one else for their performance. This was the ideal way to work in traditional organizations but it is losing its charm in the modern work environment.
References
Maynard, R. (1997). How to motivate low-wage workers. . Nation's Business, 85(5), 35.
Schermerhorn, J. J., Osborn, R. N., Uhl-Bien, M., & Hunt, J. G. (2012). Organizational Behavior (12th edition ed.). -: Daners: John Wiley & Sons, Inc..
Vries, G. d., Jehn, K. A., & Terwel, B. W. (n.d.). When Employees Talk and Managers Don’t Listen. strategy+business. Retrieved May 23, 2014, from http://www.strategy-business.com/article/re00160?gko=82a49
