Case Study On Motivating Employees Management Essay

Managing people is one of the predominant factors in the modern world. When, management under pressure with the deadline or subtle with fragile decisions the last thing is to deal with people. In this case the motivation helps to get a quick rational output from the core team. In this hypothesis we are discussing about pay is one of the important factors to motivate people. But my belief is that Pay is not the significant factor for a long last output. As like all motivation factors pay also having its own role to motivate employees. My investigation states that Motivation includes “self satisfaction, pay, appraisal, environment, promotions” etc.

In the case study “Socometal: Rewarding African Workers” clearly indicates that motivation has a vital role to increase the productivity. For getting a reasonable output employee desires suitable environment, enjoying the job, satisfying their needs and getting appraisals. Pay doesn’t have chronological higher value than others that mentioned above. Gratifying all the aspects an employee can produce a hundred percentage output

This study is to identify and evaluate that pay is not the only aspect to motivate employees.

Motivation

Human Resource Management is a managerial role which deals with issues correlated to people such as safety, hiring, performance, salary and wages, administration and training. The general principle of Human resource Management is to make sure that the organization is able to attain success through people. For achieving better output from the employee we have to motivate them. Mean while motivating a person is not at all an easy task.

Motivation is essential part of day-to -day life and recognized once in a blue moon. More over there are lot of inspiring factors behind all procedures experienced in everyday life. It varies in different circumstances, For Example; the factors that stimulate a man sitting in the office are different to those that inspires a mother to feed her kid. Motivation is energy from the inner mind that drives one in the direction of performing a certain action. Motivation depends on the person’s ambitions and desire. It plays a significant role in achieving objectives and the same way it is important for organizations that work in team based environment.

For my study of this subject I have chosen the company WHITESANDS TOURS AND TRAVELS from Dubai, UAE. I have noticed that in 2008, 1/3 of the total employees left the company, that’s escort me to detect the lack of motivation. . The organization is a mixture of different cultures Indians, Nepalese, Philippines, Syrians and Pakistanis. All the people left the job are Indians and Philippines, I noticed that employees are getting good salary and good incentives and the company is making a good profit still people are resigning from the organization. Is pay only the factor affecting or motivating the employee? I found that the organization fails to implement the following motivation factors which I found during the studies are given below.

Motivation factors

• Recognition or appreciation
• Knowledge about Company matters
• Considerate attitude from the Management
• Job Security
• Good Salary or Wages
• Job satisfaction
• Career development opportunities
• Good Atmosphere
• Professional discipline

Recognition or appreciation: Recognition is something very important to feel excellent in the employees mind about their activities and works. Sometimes one word of recognition like “well done” is much more effective than any other motivations.

Knowledge about Company matters: That will make a feel to the employee that he is also a part of the company. Employee can add his ideas and skills to generate more business. For this the employee must have to know the future plans, goals of the company, economic issues & market trends, customer needs and expectations and financial position of the company. This will help the employee to move away from erroneous decisions and he can take the best decision based on the information what he have.

Considerate attitude from the Management: An employee can work without fear and innovate new ways that raise the productivity. Here the organization has to know the strength and skills of the worker before assigning a task.

Job Security: It is the strength of an employee to work in an organization which helps to make a feeling that the person is important to the organization and organization does not throw him out like curry leafs

Good Salary or Wages: Money is a real motivator only if the employee is not meeting his or her basic needs. Once anyone met the basic needs then money is not a very good motivator.

Job Satisfaction: Gratifying a job allows employees to do their job in lovelier manner that stimulates a very good performance.

Career development opportunities: Evaluating and observing the work of an employee company could find the strength of an employee and giving opportunity for promotions. Organizations have a training department and that department molds the employee as per the job description.

Good Atmosphere: A pleasant surrounding makes the brain enjoyable. One can enjoy the atmosphere means he loves to work in that organization. Now lot of companies in DUBAI, UAE is providing rest rooms with bed and more facilities to sleep or take rest inside the office premises. Scientifically proved that better environment makes more productivity or getting more output from the employee

Professional discipline: An organization needed a hierarchical structure or professional approach to the employees. Depend upon the structure of business it varies but normally classified into Labor, Middle Management and Senior Management. Systematically arranged organizations have a smart and comprehensible discipline

Theory supporting the Motivation Factors

There is lot of motivation theories and here I am explaining only two or three main theories. All the theories derived from the following set of variables like personal characteristics, work attitudes and job characteristics.

Abraham Maslow Needs Hierarchy Theory

Abraham Maslow beautifully explained in his theory that human motivation has a hierarchical structure which he is calling as needs hierarchy theory. There he is focus five fundamental needs which are folks sustain. They are physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization. Physiological needs are the human basic needs like food, shelter, water, sex, etc. Safety means security and protection from mental and physical emotional harm. Social needs basically refer to friendliness and possessions needs. This states that a person endeavours for good relationships with all the colleagues or his/her group thereby, can give a better attention to the family and friends. In order to that every folks hold a need for an unwavering and high assessment of themselves will guide to the self-esteem and admiration given to them by public. Self esteem may occur from the internal and external factors. Factors persuade internally are achievement, self-respect and sovereignty and the factors influence externally are Recognition, appraisals and social status.

Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory

Herzberg theory argues that extrinsic factors are correlated to the job dissatisfaction and the intrinsic factors are associated to the job satisfaction. He categorized work into two factors: Motivaton and Hygiene factors. Motivating factors are achievement, work, recognition, responsibility, advancement and growth and the Hygiene factors are company policy, interpersonal relationship, supervision, salary and security. As per the evaluation of Herzberg, he found that hygiene part will makes a person dissatisfied. But it is potentially effective (satisfied) in the case of motivations.

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3.6.2.4 Douglas McGregor X and Y Theory

Theory X

According to theory X, the approach of the management may vary from hard approach to soft approach. The hard approach relies on duress, couched threats, tight controls and close supervision, may guide to crucial dominating environment. According to his point of view the consequences of hard approach is low output and oppositions. Mean while soft approach is lenient and the cooperation of employee must be more when asked to do something.

Theory Y

McGregor’s theory states that employees must be innovative, responsible and self directive. Seek advice from the employees to decision making process, participate in the practice of how much healthier they met the objectives and how to set objectives, may help employees.

Based on the above theories Pay is only a motivating factor, if anyone does not meet the basic needs. Once a person met his basic needs pay is not at all a motivating factor. A person join in an organization have certain skills, needs, desires and expecting a work environment where he/she can meet his requirements. Here Maslow establish a theory about human needs specify that how an organization can motivate employees.

Evaluating the Motivation Factors

The company which I have done my studies is a Destination Management Company. Here in my study I bring into being the staff turnover is increasing due to the lack of motivation. This organization has work under the policy “initiative and incentive”. This policy is exclusively proven wrong, that’s why more than 30 percentages of the total employees left the company in one year. Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy Theory states that the basic stirring factor is Physiological factor that means sex, food, cloths, shelter, sleep and water. In “Whitesands” the employees are happy that the organization satisfies their Physiological factors. . Once this factor satisfy then person will be thinking of the second step Security. The factors including in this are security of employment, family and health security, protection on resources and mortality. The company is very keen in satisfying the second level needs. In UAE there is no worry about the employment security. The Labor laws are predominantly helping the employees. Once any one got the employment visa from the Ministry Of Labor (MoL) the visa is for three years and if the employer wants to terminate the employee they have to give one month prior notice and employer has to give all the benefits to the employee including one way flight ticket to the home country. For a new staff company has to pay 1600 pounds to the MoL. So the job security is more even if company won’t like to give.

The management of the organization treating the employee likes “I am the Boss”. So the staffs are not happy with the Love/Belonging factor. Even though they are making good relationship in between lower level employees, but they could not make a friendly relationship with the management. The people who are unhappy left the company and some are half minded and dissolve with the situation are continuing in the same. Once satisfied this situation people are looking for Self Esteem and Self-actualization. Here employees are not reaching the motivation factor of Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory (he divides the Maslow theory into two, Hygiene and Motivators).

PAY – A Motivating Factor

In the Thierry’s Hypothesis I have been found that Pay is one of the motivation factors among the employees. I am agreeing that pay is a motivating factor to get more results. According to my research the observation detect that there are lot of other things motivating the employees. The main factors are Promotion opportunities, Recognition, Achievement, Responsibility and an Opportunity for Personal Growth. Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory marvelously explains all the above factors. See the Socometal case study, in that African workers are thinking that they are not able to do the task of 20,000 units and French people valued that Africans could not reach the target. But N’Diaye take it as a challenge and he reached the required target in one week. He promotes two employee to energize and motivate all the employees. That works, and he got the result in one day. He have done a change in the pay also that employees have to work extra one hour and will get a pay of two hours. The above all things motivate the employees to reach the target. But Mr. Bernard recovered from illness and come back to job he found that the systems are not correct as the management is giving double salary to 1 hour over time. According to his concept the things are went wrong. He changed the pay system and reduces the double salary to normal salary. But after that also employees are doing the target what they have done before. Here we can clearly states that pay is not at all a motivating factor once people overcome their basic needs.

Here, even though the company reduces its pay the employees are willing to obtain their target. Let see one Example from India. The research about the carpentry works on going in Kerala. Mr. Bean from one of the construction company is telling that he has not getting carpenters to work properly as the labors are getting huge wages and they won’t go to work all days. This is one of the great experiences that Pay is not a motivating factor. Why people are not going to work every day means they are getting enough money even if they are working for 2 or 3 days in a week and remaining days they are enjoying with family and friends. This is a clear example of why pay is not a motivator.

According to Douglas McGregor X and Y theory the X part is following “I am the boss” method and the Y part allows freedom to the employees. The company is working under the X theory. This theory is appropriate to the company (whitesands) what is mentioned first. If we are giving little more freedom to the employees to raise their needs then we can avoid the mass layout of employees.

Conclusion

The preamble focuses pay is the only factor motivating an employee. The theory of Maslow’s, Herzberg and Douglas McGregor determines that there are more other factors inspiring people. Pay is only one of the factors among that. Based on the Maslow’s theory all the remaining theories are derived. Maslow classified the motivating factors into five – Physiological, Safety, Love/Belonging, Esteem and Self actualization. Herzberg derives the same into two- Hygiene and Motivator. The first three factors in the Maslow’s theory are same as the Hygiene factor of Herzberg and the remaining are same as motivator. The X and Y theory tells that there are two factors, the X states that with using commands only people will work. Sometimes Commands are more powerful to get better output. But that is only a short term output. Fear makes decrease in the accuracy and output gradually. People don’t like the atmosphere and try to look for a better opportunity. Once they got the better opportunity they will quit the job and go for the better.

But organizations that are working under the policy Y can reduce the staff turnover. There the employer win to make a friendly atmosphere and that result to the employee what they are working is for their own satisfaction.

The cross culture depends on the motivating factor. A person from poor country can motivates easily with pay rather than a person from developed country. The basic nature depends upon the basic culture. A person from the African country will motivate with pay more than a person from UK.

As per the theories and examples I have reached the conclusion that motivating factors are depend up on the person only. One motivating factors are not the motivating factor to another. Pay is a motivating factor to person who could not meet his basic needs but for a person who meets all the factors until Love/Belonging wants self esteem not the pay. So hardly observe the needs of the employee and satisfy the same. If fails to satisfy the needs employee will quit the job and look for better opportunity.

Recommendations

As per my study I found that managing human resource must be a very big task. The organization must have an observing eye to know the pulse of the employees. Sometimes a word motivates the employee. Sometimes we have to put some effort to motivate a person. Opinion is to evaluate the market value of a skilled worker and raise the salary as equivalent to the market value or just below that, Increase the Job security little more than the other company. Now a days the companies are willing to give some share of the company to the employees.

• Yearly bonus
• Make a cricket team or football team inside the employees and arrange tournaments
• Incentive packages to some tourism destinations
• Make a feeling to the employee that the he is also a part of the company
• Friendly atmosphere
• Flexible management
• Observing the employees is doing their appropriate skilled task only
• Observe anybody in boring doing the same job for a long time. If find find his skills and change the job responsibilities
• Make the feeling that “we can all be or boss”

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