Understanding Employee Drives and Motivations

However large or small a company or business is, it is employees at all levels that can make or break it. This holds true not only for the people we hire on a regular basis, but also for temporary and contracted workers. It is as important to research and study the needs, drives, and expectations of people we hire or employ, and aim at responding to and satisfying those, as it is with regard to customers.In actual fact, considering the role each "employee" plays in a company's success, analyzing and planning an adequate response to employees' motivations deserves first place in the order of business.Before going any further, let us shift our approach from grouping people under the generic category of "employee" to individual human beings and term them as "hired workers" or "workers", acknowledging them as human beings with individual needs, drives, characteristics, and personalities.Though each person has specific needs, drives, aspirations, and capabilities, at varying degrees of intensity, people's basic needs are the same, as illustrated by Abraham Maslow in the following model:MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDSMaslow explains the Hierarchy of Needs as applied to workers roughly as follows:Physiological Needsbasic physical needs: the ability to acquire food, shelter, clothing and other basics to surviveSafety Needsa safe and non-threatening work environment, job security, safe equipment and installations Social Needs contact and friendship with fellow-workers, social activities and opportunitiesEgorecognition, acknowledgment, rewardsSelf-Actualizationrealizing one's dreams and potential, reaching the heights of one's gifts and talents.It is only when these needs are met that workers are morally, emotionally, and even physically ready to satisfy the needs of the employer and the customers.Worker motivation must also be viewed from two perspectives:1. Inner drives2. Outer (external) motivators.A person's inner drives push and propel him/her towards an employer, a particular job, career, line of study, or other activity (such as travel or recreation). It is these drives that Maslow delineates in his hierarchy of needs, and which we must understand and internalize, use as guidlines in our efforts to help employees feel motivated.The outer (external) motivators are the mirror image the employer or outside world offers in response to the inner drives. In order to attract the "cream of the crop" of available workers, same as in his/her dealings with customers, the employer not only tries to satisfy these basic needs, but to exceed them - taking into consideration additional extra-ordinary needs individual workers have.Most workers need to:1. earn wages that will enable them to pay for basic necessities and additional luxuries such as the purchase of a home, or travel2. save for and enjoy old age security benefits3. have medical and other insurance coverage4. acquire friends at work5. win recognition6. be acknowledged and rewarded for special efforts and contributions7. be able to advance in life and career-wise8. have opportunities for self-development9. improve their skills, knowledge, and know-how10. demonstrate and use special gifts and abilities11. realize their ideal(s).The employer responds to those needs by offering and providing:1. employment2. adequate pay3. assistance to workers for their special needs (such as child care arrangements, transportation, flexible work schedules)4. job security (to the degree possible)5. clear company policies6. clear and organized work procedures7. a stable, just and fair work environment8. a safe work environment9. medical coverage and other benefits10. an atmosphere of team-work and cooperation11. social activities12. reward and recognition programs13. incentive programs14. open lines of communication (formal and informal)15. systematic feedback16. training and development programs17. opportunities for promotion18. company/ business information19. information on customer feedback20. sharing of company goals and objectives21. information on the market situation and industry22. future expectations23. plans for the future24. guidance and mentoring.It is important that the employer discover other extra-ordinary needs applicants have before hiring them and know beforehand whether he/she can satisfy those needs or not. An employee may have:family responsibilities and be unable to work shifts, overtime, or weekendsheavy financial responsibilities which he/she can meet only by working at two jobs, which will lead to exhaustion, "sick leave", and deficient work performancea desperate financial need for additional overtime and weekend renumerationpremature expectations of swift promotions.Some other needs the employer can expect, for which company policies should be planned accordingly:if the company is in a remote location, all employees will have a need for more social activitiesmany single people look for dates and spouses at worksome women may not be ready to work late shifts unless the employer provides transportation back homesome workers may have a problem with drug or alcohol abuse.In addition to needs and drives, adult workers have expectations from their employer - they expect:a knowledgeable, experienced, expert employerclear and fair policies, procedures, and employment practicesbusiness integrityclear job descriptionstwo-way communicationseffective management and supervisionpositive disciplinegood company reputegood customer relationscompany survivalopportunities for personal growthcompany growtha share in the company's success.Business owners and managers are under constant scrutiny by the people they hire. Adult workers care beyond the salary - they care to know to whom they entrust their fate, reputation, and security. They consider their work as a major factor that shapes their lives and the lives of those dear to them. Hence the scrutiny. Once they feel confident that the employer and their place of work is what they wished for and expected, they are ready to contribute above and beyond "the call of duty".Most of these needs, expectations and aspirations are unexpressed - it is up to the employer to develop a good system of company communications, employee relations, training and development that will lead to an environment of openness, cooperation, team-work, and motivation that will benefit all the parties involved.

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Claire Belilos
Claire Belilos is the founder of CHIC Hospitality Consulting Services. Her background includes Hospitality operations. She specializes in solving people management problems, organizational training and development, supervisory coaching, training of trainers, designing effective job, training and evaluation tools, and training for customer service excellence. For more information, please visit her website at http://www.easytraining.com or e-mail: or e-mail: or e-mail: chic@easytraining.com
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