Employee Motivation

Motivation in the Workplace

Motivation is a critical concept that determines the success of any organization. It involves an intrinsically generated drive to attain a goal or follow a given course of action (Fallatah & Syed, 2017). Highly motivated employees enable a company to achieve immense success. The top management of an organization is charged with the responsibility of motivating the junior employees so that they can do their best. Motivated employees are quite productive and convey good attitudes to both co-workers and customers (Sterling & Boxall, 2012). In essence, employee motivation is the bedrock of any successful company. Therefore, this paper discusses my idea on how I am going to motivate employees within the company as well as well as the importance of motivation.

The Importance of Social Recognition

A motivated workforce is going to be my priority. Many companies believe that the secret to maintaining employee motivation lies in rewarding them, for instance, giving them bonuses. However, various studies have depicted that motivation emanating from rewards is short-lived (Luthans & Youssef, 2004). As such, I will adopt the implementation of channels that encourage social recognition as my primary means of generating and maintaining a motivated workforce.

Implementing a Social Recognition System

Naturally, human beings feel good when they are recognized. Consequently, social recognition channels will play a very crucial role in motivating employees to perform their best so that they can be acknowledged. A considerable number of employees feel that social recognition for immense contribution or excellent performance is far more fulfilling as compared to any reward. Thus, I will work with the human resource department to initiate and maintain a robust social recognition system. For example, I will establish a bulletin board where employees can pin notes glorifying excellent performances of others for the public to see. I will also encourage departmental managers to share good results or instances where an employee went above and beyond the call of duty with the entire company through email.

Utilizing Technology for Social Recognition

Most importantly, technology through social media platforms that workers interact with daily may provide the best site to enhance employee social recognition. Therefore, I will endeavor to secure the use of software to promote social recognition. Employee recognition platforms for instance Wood Board has emerged. This platform can be integrated with other platforms such as Slack to enable employees to post statuses praising their colleagues. That way, everyone can see them. This system can also be customized so that employees can earn points as they receive praises from others.

The Benefits of Social Recognition

Researches carried out on the benefits of social recognition in instances of great performance amongst employees demonstrate that it does not only give a feeling of self-worth, but also improve the employee performance. A study by Gallup found out that employees who are constantly publicly acknowledged for their excellent results display increased productivity, enhance their engagement with colleagues and are more likely to remain in the organization. A motivated team of employees enables a company to meet its target and objectives. Generally, motivation makes the workers remain committed and thus results in a firm's success.

Conclusion

In conclusion, motivation is a noble idea that plays a significant role in ensuring a successful company. Notably, social recognition results in intrinsic motivation which is more permanent as compared to rewards, and thus I find the implementation of channels that enable it very important. Motivated workforce contributes immensely to the success of a firm.

References

Fallatah, R. H., & Syed, J. (2017). Introduction: Contextualising Motivation. Employee Motivation in Saudi Arabia, 1-18.

Luthans, F., & Youssef, C. M. (2004). Human, social, and now positive psychological capital management: Investing in people for competitive advantage.

Sterling, A., & Boxall, P. (2012). Lean production, employee learning, and workplace outcomes: a case analysis through the ability-motivation-opportunity framework. Human Resource Management Journal, 23(3), 227-240.