August 2003 Food For Thought
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Some Surprising Findings on:
Employee Motivation

When you think about what motivates employees,
the first thing that probably comes to your mind is
money. However, some recent findings have shown
that money is not a top motivator. Surprisingly, many
surveys have indicated that a high salary isn't
paramount in producing job satisfaction.

The National Opinion Research Center at the University
of Chicago found that employees rank salary as only
the third most important factor in how much they like
their jobs. The chance to do "important work that gives
a feeling of accomplishment" ranks number one.
Furthermore, a survey by Right Management Consultants
found that 83 percent of some 500 workers surveyed
were "motivated by challenges at work."

So, what does this mean to employers and managers?
Well, taking these findings into account, it indicates that
you should be making every effort to stay in touch with
your employees' goals, and what is most important to
them. Simply asking an employee what aspect of their job
makes them feel valuable and exploring avenues to hone
in on those items can go a long way in producing job satisfaction.

When it comes to employee motivation, sometimes it's
the simple things that can do the trick" praising employees
who've done a good job, and letting them know how much
you appreciate their work on a regular basis.


Interested in learning more about this topic? Make
sure you check out September's newsletter" it's all
about employee behavior and attitudes!