Higher Salaries for Workers
Introduction
According to Glazer & Amihai (2004), motivation is a conscious decision to perform one or more activities with greater effort than the other competing activities. Across the world, many theories have been developed, trying to develop the idea of what lies behind the workers’ motivation. What pushes the worker to improve their performance, increase their effort, and ultimately feel like a part of the organization? It could be interpreted that motivation has been a ‘known decision’ that cannot be forced, but only trigged by a manager using their all known means. However, even today, managers have refused to give up Taylorism and the use of scientific management.as a result, the idea of noblemen still exists, and managers still treat the worker as tools presuming that they are being motivated by the pay. This essay will argue that today’s jobs are a means of earning just a living, and pays are just a means of a better living but not a factor that motivates people to work. Pays by itself does not motivate the worker to improve their job performance or their effort.
Higher Salaries as Best incentives for Workers
According to Hawthorne Studies conducted by Elton Mayo, the workers had no say on decision making our work process. He wanted to show the relation of productivity and poor working conditions and how it could be controlled by altering some working environment factors. Productivity was increasing whatever the working condition, leading to the conclusion that the worker wanted to perform better in return for the manager’s interest. This leads to the conclusion that motivation is affected by social factors as well; workers place more interest in an increment of pay than motivation itself (Hongoro, Charles, et al., 2006).
Where workers are presented to be motivated by pay in relative terms rather than absolute, money can be measured. Thus, it allows comparison to be made, leading to the importance of equity and fairness as a factor of motivation. Therefore, workers are most likely to improve their performance if they consider their pay to be fair relative to the effort they had put in and the effort of the others.
Higher Salaries not being the best incentives for workers.
The behavior of the workers is affected by the organization’s structure and culture. Workers pursue their self-actualization through work. Therefore, if cold be argued, the organization’s performance would ultimately depend on the extent to which individuals are provided with the opportunity to satisfy their own goal by contributing to the organization’s goals.
People are more likely to be motivated and feel as apart of the organization when they share the same values, beliefs, and attitudes. In reality, people look for something deeper rather than just a mare salary increment or motivation (Henderson, Lyn, et al., 2008). Workers need to be listened to; listening to workers makes them feel their opinion are interested, and they are needed in the organization. Offering workers more responsibilities also makes them feel motivated; this would provide room for personal improvement and workplace development. The worker should be provided with a clear career path; this the best incentive for all workers in an organization since they feel that their job are more secure.
Also, providing supportive leadership, trust, and sympathetic ear are powerful incentives for keeping veterans focused and developing new talents.
Conclusion
In conclusion, pay does not motivate people though it may not last in the long-run. Money is the means for a better life though it is seen as a condition to work rather than a particular effort. Once the worker has achieved their material well-being, they will try to satisfy their desires to sell- fulfillment. As a result, they will pursue recognition, achievement, and final self-actualization. Therefore, employers should strive to learn their employees personally, consider their worries, and discover what ultimately motivates them to give their best effort. More organizations should consider this step to depend less on money and offer their workers greater personal growth opportunities.
References
Glazer, Amihai. “Motivating devoted workers.” International Journal of Industrial Organization 22.3 (2004): 427-440.
Hongoro, Charles, and Charles Normand. “Health workers: building and motivating the workforce.” Disease control priorities in developing countries 2 (2006): 22.
Henderson, Lyn N., and Jim Tulloch. “Incentives for retaining and motivating health workers in Pacific and Asian countries.” Human resources for health 6.1 (2008): 18.