Motivation can be described as the force that makes us do things. Our degree of motivation will determine the effort we put into our work and therefore it has an effect on our productivity.

Some people are naturally more motivated than others; they virtually motivate themselves. Their personalities or the goals that they set for themselves drive them to excel at whatever they do. Most people, however, rely in variable quantities on motivation from external sources, that is, from supervisors, managers and business owners. How the task of motivation is approached depends, for example, on the number of staff to be motivated, the type of business, the available budget and the maturity of the business.

However, motivation is achieved through different factors with different people. It is therefore necessary to know what motivates an employee before incentives can be set. In small companies, it is fairly easy to get to know employees but in bigger companies this is determined through employee/performance appraisals.

Motivators

Motivators increase our job satisfaction and increase our efficiency. These may differ from person to person but, generally, they consist of a sense for achievement, recognition of our efforts, the nature of the work itself and our desire for responsibility. These factors are associated with personal development and achievement.

Hygiene factors

The so-called hygiene factors prevent job satisfaction when they are perceived as negative. They include the way in which the business is run, how employees are supervised, the work conditions and remuneration. In the case of hygiene factors, personal attitudes and money play a big role. Often, hygiene factors have to be corrected before motivators will have an effect.

Incentives

There are two types of incentives for motivating employees:

    • Financial incentives, for example salary or wage increases that can be linked to production or performance (with the necessary quality control), fringe benefits (company car, medical aid and/or retirement fund), interest free loans, company shares/profit sharing and quality-related bonus pay.
    • Non-financial incentives, for example giving employees more responsibility (to make an employee feel more valuable and of higher importance), promotion (after an appraisal), job enlargement, job rotation and job enrichment.

If you feel that you are not as motivated as you should be or if you think that you productivity is low, contact our Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EAP), which is available 24 hours.