The Impact of Motivation on Work Efficiency for Both Employers and Employees also During COVID-19 Pandemic: Case Study from Armenia

The article summarizes the main arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on motivation and its impact on work efficiency. The main goal of the research is to analyze the impact of motivation on work efficiency for both employees and employers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A systematization of the literary sources on motivation indicates that there are different factors of motivation. Some people are motivated by intrinsic factors, while others by extrinsic. Also, the discussion of some recent studies revealed the influence of pandemic on the motivation of people to work remotely. The majority wants to work from the office as face-to-face contacts and collaboration derives innovation. Analysis in the paper for Armenia is carried out in the following logical sequence: a survey is done, which reveals how employees and employers evaluate the impact of motivation on their work efficiency, which factors of motivation they value, also their suggestions for improving the motivation policy in their workplaces. Methodological tools of the research methods were analysis and synthesis, survey, Pearson Chi square testing. The study reveals that people mainly appreciate both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors. From the material incentives which are more important for respondents, the most popular are salaries, rewards and health insurance, and from nonmaterials – career advancement, healthy moral and psychological atmosphere of the organization, flexible work schedule, fair and equal conditions, training courses. According to employees, the organization's motivation policy affects their work efficiency and plays an essential role in the organization's success. This fact is also proved by the statistical testing, that the relationship between these two factors is significant. The main reasons why employees leave the job may be the low salary, conflicts in the team, and the impossibility of career advancement. According to employers, employees are most interested in material incentives. The survey also reveals that people are most motivated when they are in the workplace, and for only 12% of respondents remotely working is motivating. It shows that in Armenia, people prefer to work from the office. The results have both theoretical and practical significance. It may be useful for organizations to improve motivation policy by changing the available problems, especially after the pandemic.