motivating employees Flashcards
1
Q
why do people work
A
- money: to pay for necessities and luxuries
- security: knowing that your job and pay are safe
- self esteem: feeling that what you do is important
- social needs: feeling part of a group, meeting people and making connections
- job satisfaction: enjoyment derived from feeling that you’ve done a good job
2
Q
benefits of a well motivated workforce
A
- high output per worker – which helps to keep costs low and increase profits
- willingness to accept change, for example, new methods of working
- two-way communication with management
- low labour turnover – a loyal workforce – this reduces the cost of recruiting workers who leave
- low rates of absenteeism – reducing the disruption caused by absence from work
- low rates of strike action – avoiding damage to customer relations
3
Q
maslow’s hierarchy stages
A
- physiological needs: food, rest, recreation shelter, wages
- safety/security: protection against danger & poverty, fair treatment, job security
- social needs: feeling part of a group, friendship, support
- esteem needs: status and importance, achievement, recognition for a job well done
- self actualisation: succeeding to your full potential, being promoted and given more responsibility, feeling you have done a good job
4
Q
maslow’s hierarchy advantages and drawbacks
A
- most business managers now recognise that if employees are going to be motivated to work effectively then the higher levels in the hierarchy must be available to them – money alone will not be the single route to increased productivity
- maslow also suggested that each level in the hierarchy must be achieved before an employee can be motivated by the next level
- there are problems in that some levels do not appear to exist for certain individuals, while some rewards appear to fit into more than one level
- managers must identify the level of the hierarchy that a particular job provides and then look for ways of allowing the employees to benefit from the next level up the hierarchy
5
Q
taylor’s theory advantages and drawbacks
A
- high productivity due to high output and low labour costs
- employees are motivated by many things and not just money
- you can pay an employee more money, but if they are unfulfilled by their work in some way, there will be no increase in their effectiveness at work and there will be no productivity gains
- a practical problem arises if you cannot easily measure an employee’s output
6
Q
herzberg’s theory contents
A
motivators: help employees grow psychologically
* achievement
* recognition
* personal growth/development
* advancement/promotion
* work itself
hygiene factors: do not motivate, but if not met can demotivate
* status
* security
* work conditions
* company policies and administration
* relationship with supervisor
* relationship with subordinates
* salary
7
Q
advantages of wages
A
- the worker gets paid on a regular basis and does not have to wait long for some money
- if the employee works longer than their normal hours, they can usually be paid overtime, this is an incentive to work additional hours when required by the business
8
Q
disadvantages of wages
A
- as the wages are paid weekly, they have to be calculated every week, which takes time and money and wages clerks need to be hired
9
Q
advantages of time rate
A
- this makes it easy to calculate the worker’s wages and the worker knows exactly how much they will be paid for working a certain period of time
- used when output is difficult to measure like for service businesses
10
Q
disadvantages of time rate
A
- the hours worked are often recorded on a time-sheet which must be filled in and used to calculate the wages which takes time
- good and bad workers get paid the same amount of money
- often supervisors are needed to make sure the workers keep working and producing a good quality product, this is expensive
- a clocking-in system is needed to determine the number of hours worked by the employees.
11
Q
advantages of piece rate
A
- encourages workers to work faster and produce more goods
12
Q
disadvantages of piece rate
A
- workers may concentrate on making a large number of products and ignore quality, producing goods that may not sell very well because they are of a poor quality or harm the reputation of the business, this usually requires a quality control system and this is expensive
- workers who are careful in their work will not earn as much as those who rush, which may not be seen as fair and will lead to jealousy between employees
- if the machinery breaks down, the employees will earn less money
13
Q
advantages of salaries
A
- a salary is calculated as an amount of money per year for the job performed by the worker, this means it is easy to calculate salary costs for the business
- the employer has the money in their bank account for longer than if they were paying their workers’ wages, as salaries are paid only once a month
- the payment has to be calculated only once a month instead of at least four times a month – as with wages
14
Q
disadvantages of salaries
A
- workers may prefer to be paid weekly.
- no payment for extra time worked – workers may be reluctant to work longer
15
Q
advantages of bonuses
A
- motivating
- workers feel recognised for their good work
