EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION: A STUDY ON MODERN WORKPLACE MOTIVATION

According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary , a motive is "something (a need or desire) that causes a person to act." Motivate, in turn, means "to provide with a motive," and motivation is defined as "the act or process of motivating." Thus, motivation is the act or process of providing a motive that causes a person to take some action. In most cases motivation comes from some need that leads to behavior that results in some ty pe of reward when the need is fulfilled. This definition raises a couple of basic questions. The performance that employers look for in individuals rests on ability, motivation, and the support individuals receive; however, motivation is often the missing variable. Motivation is the desire within a person causing that person to act. People usually act for one reason: to reach a goal. Thus, motivation is a goal directed drive, and it seldom occurs in a void. The words need, want, desire, and drive are all s imilar to motive , from which the word motivation is derived. Understanding motivation is important because performance, reaction to compensation, and other HR concerns are related to motivation. The modern workforce now includes employees spanning three distinct generations. While all employees are inherently different despite age, differences between these generations do follow common themes – each has its own knowledge, strengths and weaknesses. Managers must know how to work with them all to maintain a successful business. If you understand a little bit about each group you will appreciate what motivates them to maximize their output, leading to fulfilling opportunities for everyone. The answer to the frequently asked question of how to motivate employee s has two parts. First use short term techniques to warm up your employees. Then move on to putting bigger programs in place for long term effects. Short term techniques and ideas work and should be used at every opportunity. Even if a long term motivation plan doesn't exist. They are great ways to inject some short bursts of excitement into the workplace. Just keep in mind that they will be less and less effective over time. This is why it is so important to use them in conjunction with long term programs .