Hiring and Keeping Motivated People
In the late 1950s, Frederick Herzberg conducted a landmark study on how human relations relate to motivation in the work place. He concluded that there were two factors relating to motivation in the work place and came up with two resulting theories: the hygiene theory and the motivation theory.
The first part of his findings relate to the work environment. The elements of hygiene involve
• The company
• Policies and their administration
• The supervision people receive on the job
• Working conditions
• Interpersonal relations
• Salary
• Status
• Security
This theory suggests that the hygiene elements will not motivate an employee, but if they are not met, there will be job dissatisfaction.
The second part of Herzberg’s findings relate to the motivating factors
• Achievement
• Recognition
• Growth/advancement
• Interest in the job
The hygiene and motivating factors relate to employees’ understanding of the purpose of their jobs. It is the manager’s role to make sure employees are well-informed and clear on the purpose of their work, the team’s work, and the company’s work. When employees know why they are doing the work, they are much more motivated and satisfied with their jobs. So how does a manager ensure that this happens?