Employee motivation
Employee motivation is the amount of energy, dedication, and creativity employees bring to their duties. Worker encouragement is a vital aspect of the workplace, which leads to better performance of a particular department and even the whole business. The paper examines the articles by Bawa Muhammad (2017) and Chandrakant Varma (2018) that explore the topic of employee motivation and how it influences human resources management (HRM) practices and boosts performance at the company level. The articles develop similar ideas regarding motivation. Both writers accept that using motivational theories such as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and goal-setting theory gives practical directions that HR leaders can use to increase employee commitment. Each scholar acknowledges the importance of recognizing and praising workers and urges managers to follow practical steps to select a winner who truly deserves the price. Motivation improves the employees’ interest and attitude towards their work, making it easier to achieve business goals and objectives.
Summary of Both Articles
In the modern-day corporate environment, as is it happens with high business losses due to retrenchments and layoffs to stop losses of performing workers due to the absence of motivation and depreciating work satisfaction to achieve organizational sustainability. Varma (2018) asserts that motivated and contented workers will have an enthusiastic attitude towards meeting organizational goals and objectives. The author informs that the function of HR is to continually work towards aligning employee aspirations with the aims of the company. Varma (2018) believes that it is possible to realize the goal by forming an inspiring workplace which encourages and addresses worker need for advancement. He thinks that it is not easy to implement and sustain all motivational approaches, which requires HR leaders to take time and understand what works well with their members of staff. Varma (2018) describes how businesses need to understand and embrace approaches to employee motivation to regulate turnover and handle other severe implications of dissatisfaction such as inadequate orientation towards organizational goals, ineffective coordination, lack of cooperation, decreased morale, and dissatisfaction performance absenteeism. Hence, HR has to form a business environment and foster an organizational culture that considers the prevailing requirements.
Bawa informs readers how adequate evidence exists to show that managers and researchers increase their attention to motivation and its possible implications on employee performance. Bawa (2017) performs a systematic review of relevant empirical evidence and theories to know the connection between motivation and organizational productivity with a motive of gaining valuable information for leadership practice. The author draws examples from various countries to explain how companies approach the obligation and understand the techniques corporations use to engage employees. The research revealed several factors to consider in motivating staff (Bawa 2017). The company may opt for financial techniques such as providing satisfying remuneration or giving monetary rewards to performers or non-financial styles, such as promoting productive individuals and creating an appealing work environment. The author suggests that based on the findings, each supervisor or manager needs to examine and understand their workers generally and individually to devise suitable motivation styles. He encourages leaders to embrace diversified motivational approaches because one method is not likely to yield relevant results in the contemporary diversified business settings (Bawa 2017). Consequently, an establishment that wants to realize its objectives should work towards motivating its workers.
Factual Impact of the Main Issues on Organizations
HR leaders must be careful when selecting motivational approaches to ensure they settle on those likely to give the best outcome. The information encourages leaders to consider whether applying motivational theories may result in anticipated outcomes. Bawa (2017) gives the example of the Maslow hierarchy of needs theory that seeks to motivate employees depending on their needs and urgency of realizing these requirements. According to the theory, physiological requirements for food, shelter, and clothing are the most essential in a person while a worker is just beginning his or her career. The only effective way to motivate workers at this level is to pay them well and on time (Bawa 2017). The approach is necessary because it is apparent that the primary strategy of inspiration is remitting wages without much delay at this phase. The management can consider other monetary rewards if the timely payment succeeds to increase employee morale and attitude towards work. For example, the company can offer a productivity bonus, inspiring them to improve their productivity. The firm should then consider meeting the employees’ security needs (Bawa 2017). Leaders can assure workers about their job security and install features such as CCTV and fingerprint identifiers to minimize possible fears of working at the firm. HR managers must know that employees who reasonably achieve the need for security would want love and acceptance. It is appropriate to facilitate interaction among staff members and inform them to put their differences aside while relating to each other (Bawa 2017). The supervisors may proceed to form a staff club to increase interactive avenues. Employees who attain their need for love now look for esteem, which they desire after making considerable accomplishments (Bawa 2017). Organizational leaders can motivate such workers by recognizing and appreciating them for the excellent work that they do. Finally, HR managers should help staff members achieve their self-actualization needs, whereby they aspire to attain their highest ability.
Alternatively, businesses can use the goal-setting theory that requires workers to set individual aspirations and work towards realizing them. Edwin Locke formed the concept and argued that goal setting has a significant connection with task performance (Varma 2018). Using this theory should encourage their workers to set specific and thought-provoking goals and timely feedback to improve performance (Varma 2018). The goals employees set for themselves direct them on what must happen, and the effort needed to achieve a better outcome. Managers should urge their employees to develop the willingness to work towards achieving their goals (Varma 2018). They should guide them in setting specific and clear objectives and developing challenging but realistic goals. It is easier to work towards impressive performance when workers already know what they want and how to get it.
Analyzing the two articles reveals that another suitable way to motivate workers and improve their productivity is to embrace the culture of recognition, praise, and appreciation for any slight advancement. Praises, according to Bawa (2017), spur workers into further development. Managers who choose the approach should follow the guidance motivator theory, which gives a vital starting point for establishing a policy of encouraging employees. The concept asks leaders to respond to several questions that would help them to inspire their subjects. For instance, it is crucial to identify the appropriate behaviors or actions that require recognition, and in what manner (Varma 2018). Besides, HR leaders can choose from several recognition styles available for motivating employees. One can choose approaches that appreciate the inputs (efforts and ideas) or those that acknowledge outputs, such as service providers or other types of successful additions (Varma 2018). Besides, leaders can use schemes that emphasize pro-social actions and behaviors, such as teamwork and communication effectiveness, and those that focus on direct gains to business performance like buyer satisfaction and improvement (Bawa 2017). The team in charge of HRM can formulate, execute, and sustain schemes recognition categories such as Department of the Year, Administrator of the Year, and Employee of the Year, among other schemes (Bawa 2017). Proper and precise assessment of needs should take place quite often to settle on the award’s correct winner. Besides, the process should rely on a vividly created and executed plan for recognition like proficiency in community service, mentoring, teaching, research, or any other structure that facilitates attaining the mission and vision (Bawa 2017). It is also essential to keep the structure fresh and continuously informed. Similarly, since the appreciation scheme’s significance is the attention it gets, HR leaders should organize formal recognition such as an open acknowledgment during a departmental meeting, lunch, or dinner. The victor can receive a certificate, a trophy, or a financial token to motivate them further.
The two articles give similar views on the importance of overcoming possible barriers to employee motivation to realize the best results. One major hindrance to employee motivation is poor communication skills, making it challenging to understand employee needs. Regular interaction with workers provides an opportunity to know what they want (Varma 2018). Besides, constant engagement presents managers with an idea they may use to elevate morale. Supervisors should take time to learn what practical indulgence entails to establish proper conversation where all parties understand the other’s needs. The other obstacle is a lack of resources, especially financial prowess (Bawa 2017). The challenge renders the company unable to pay its workers well and denies it the ability to give other monetary benefits. HR managers should work together with organizational leaders to find long-lasting solutions to these constraints that could tamper with employees’ desire to serve.
Conclusion
Analyzing the two articles reveals that employee motivation is an integral aspect of business operations that all HR leaders must consider to facilitate the realization of organizational aspirations. Both authors accept that motivation is an indispensable practice that the firm must consider with uttermost attention to achieve the best results. They urge leaders to choose from the multiple motivational approaches and implement those that can boost morale among staff members. An organization can use theories such as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and goal setting theory that give appropriate guidelines for inspiring workers. Managers should consider recognition as a potential technique for motivating employees but must know the features that qualify a worker as a winner. They must develop schemes that allow them to categorize workers into different sections and identify their unique capabilities. Leaders who want to achieve the best from their inspirational initiatives must overcome possible challenges that could interfere with any aspect. They should devise mechanisms to create proper communication models and achieve financial stability, facilitating motivational strategies.