CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BASIS ABOUT THE HOTEL INDUSTRY AND WORK
1.6. THEORY OF EMPLOYEE’S WORK MOTIVATION
1.6.1. THE CONCEPT OF EMPLOYEE’S WORK MOTIVATION:
Employee motivation is defined as the enthusiasm, energy level, commitment, and the amount of creativity that an employee brings to the organization on a daily basis.
Motivation is derived from the Latin word, “movere” which literally means movement. All the definitions that you would read in books or in dictionary relate to the fact that motivation is behavior, and one needs to channelize this behavior in order to achieve desired goals and results.
Chitiris (1990) strongly emphasized the importance of motivation by stating that
“Motivation is the prime determinant of behavior at work and that high ability and high levels of job training will not result in high performance if the individual is completely de-motivated or under-motivated at work.” In addition to that, Lee-Ross (2005) elaborated on the significant connection between motivation in the workplace and practical organizational-based outcomes such as productivity, commitment, job satisfaction, intent to stay and burnout.
According to Robbins et al. (2008), motivation can be defined as “The processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction and persistence of effort towards attaining a goal.” Intensity is concerned with how hard a person tries and is generally the focus of motivation. However, high intensity is unlikely to bring favorable job- performance outcomes unless the effort is channeled in the right direction. Finally, the persistence dimension of motivation is a measure of how long a person can maintain effort. Motivated individuals stay with a task long enough to achieve their goal.
Motivation factors including pay, monetary rewards, opportunity for advancement and promotion have been examined in the hotel industry. Also, other motivation factors such as job responsibility, recognition from people, job challenge, feelings of accomplishment, and development of self-esteem have been identified important for hotel employees. (Chiang and Jang 2008; Wong, Siu, and Tsang 1999).
Employee motivation is all about how engaged an employee feels in tandem to the organization’s goals and how empowered he/she feels. Motivation is of two types:
Intrinsic motivation
Extrinsic motivation Motivated employees are an asset to an organization, they are directly proportional to an organization’s success. Motivation is intangible, difficult to measure and extremely difficult to control, but extremely easy to facilitate if done right. It’s all about intention, intensity, and perseverance.
1.6.2. WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION?
According to psychologists, self-realization is a very human thing. It is our basic nature to nurture something and see it flourish, it is applicable to most things we do in our day-to-day life. This is true for both social and societal spaces.
Motivation plays a particularly important factor in a human’s life. Whether it is about improving ourselves or our organization’s performance. Motivated employees don’t need to be told how to get things done, they take initiatives, are eager to take up additional responsibilities, are innovative and go-getters.
Motivated employees ensure:
There is a positive atmosphere within the organization.
Co-workers are happy and feel safe at work.
Make sure clients are happy.
They always achieve better results than their counterparts.
Motivation, therefore, plays an especially important factor and ensures employees remain active and contribute their best towards their organization. Furthermore, a high level of motivation leads to a lower level of employee turnover.
1.6.3. SOME WAYS TO MOTIVATIE EMPLOYEES:
Employee motivation surveys: Use an online survey software or platform to conduct
employee motivation surveys. Let them give candid and genuine feedback about their experience, ideas, and suggestions. This will help you identify areas that need your attention.
Employee satisfaction surveys: Employee satisfaction depends on a ton of factors
such as work environment, infrastructure, roles, and responsibilities, etc.
Conducting employee satisfaction surveys will help Managers understand dissatisfaction factors and act on them. Frequent surveys will help addressing dissatisfaction issues faster.
Job well done- recognize it! Recognition plays a huge role in increasing the
motivation levels of the employees. It helps create a healthy bond between the
employer and employees. It not only fulfills our basic need of esteem but also facilitates belonging.
Create an amazing work environment: The work environment seriously impacts
employee’s mood. So it does make sense to invest in the work environment where people actually spend 60 hours a week. Creating a good atmosphere will motivate your staff. Just go ahead and do it.
Be a visionary: Lead with vision. Employees need to know their efforts are driving
something important. They need to know their destination and more importantly the path that will take them there. If as a leader you lack the vision for your own organization, how do you expect them to own up to your vision? Make a visual reminder of your organization’s road map, encourage your employees to add to that.
You will be surprised how innovative they can get.
Career-pathing: Having a career growth plan with clearly mentioned roles and
responsibilities is crucial to employees. It helps them focus and direct their efforts to an achievable goal. Make sure that you sit down with every employee and come up with a career plan that is transparent and communicated clearly.
Provide flexibility: Not all employees are alike. Some prefer 9-5, others not much;
some like coming to work daily, others not much. For some, commuting to work might be long and challenging. Allow some flexibility within reason and your employees will be happy and motivated.
Give employees a challenge: When people perform easy, routine tasks, they
sometimes act like they are on autopilot. But when they face a challenge, they draw on their strengths and work hard. Offer your employees challenges that ask them to think creatively and work together. For example, you could ask employees to brainstorm ideas for new holiday decorations or to design a more efficient luggage storage system. The challenge should be something doable but out of the ordinary.
Offer constructive feedback: Some people assume that criticism demoralizes
workers, but it all depends on how it is delivered. Constructive criticism that gives your employee the information they need to improve can be motivating because it signals that you believe they have the potential to do better. Back up feedback with training. For example, if a new housekeeper makes a bed in a sloppy way, point out
bed, and ask the housekeeper to show you the correct method. Spending time teaching an employee shows that you want them to succeed, and you are willing to offer support.
Ask them to help train others: People feel good about themselves when they help
others, and sharing their own knowledge leads to a sense of pride. Let your employees enjoy that feeling of ownership in their work by giving them opportunities to train new team members. Knowing that someone is looking up to them and depending on them for guidance is a great motivator.