HR Essay Sample: Methods to Increase Employees Motivation

Most employees need the motivation to appreciate their jobs and perform productively. The most challenging task that faces a supervisor is learning an efficient way to motivate and keep the employee motivated. Employees who are motivated are more excited about their jobs and undertake their responsibility to the best of their ability increasing the productivity of a team as a result. On the other hand, unmotivated employees are more likely to incline in unproductive activity in their jobs, such as absenteeism and low quality work. Every employee is motivated differently, for example, some might be money motivated while others find recognition and rewards more motivating. Thus it is important to understand the needs of each employee to have a clear understanding of the best methods to motivate them.

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Job enrichment

Job enrichment is the first method that to consider in attempt to motivate employees who seem to have lost engagement with their job. It is a method that will provide them with a variety of tasks as well as empower them with some more responsibility and control over their activities in work. Additionally, employees get the opportunity to acquire different skills and have wider perspective with regards to their individual work contribution to the team. Job enrichment is based on Herzbergs motivation-hygiene theory, which supports that added responsibility and control that job enrichment offers to the employees significantly improves their satisfaction and motivation level. Job enlargement by increasing employees assignment to include additional but similar task is a strategy that can be used to achieve job enrichment. This method ideally removes the boredom out of a job by reducing repetitiveness in tasks and assigning employees more responsibility allowing them to complete the whole process of work. Job enrichment motivates employees by making them feel that they are doing something meaningful and enriching.

Behavior modification

For employees who have lost engagement in their job, I would strive to understand their behavior patterns and work with them to modify their behavior towards the goals of the team. Behavior modification is a systematic method of motivation reinforcement to encourage desirable behavior. It involves the use of both rewards to encourage desirable activities and the use of punishment to discourage undesirable activities. The use of the rewards system, such as compliments and expressions of social recognition are considered much more productive behavior modifies than the use of punishment, such as rebuke and scorn. Therefore, the use of reward is more appropriate in this case, the employees are provided with positive reinforcement in terms of rewards to engage more in their job. Employees who exhibit increased effort towards the desired behavior such as increased production or less absenteeism are rewarded. The rewards might take the form of a compliment or more tangible form of recognition such as monetary gifts. Behavior modification not only modifies employees behavior pattern towards the desired way but also helps to motivate them.

Conclusion

A motivated team of employees is essential to increase productivity for any company. Motivation in this context implies the willingness of an individual to effectively engage in his/her job and take necessary action towards the goals of the team. Motivation methods should center on decreasing job dissatisfaction as well as use motivating factors such as social recognition, increased responsibility, and rewards. Job enrichment increases employees participation and empowerment improving their sense of appreciation and enthusiasm in their job, whereas behavior modification help aligns employee behavior towards a desirable action in a more job-friendly way. These methods increase employees motivation leading to optimal productivity on the individual level.