Section 2.6 Motivating Employees

Question 1

What is motivation?

Answer 1

The factors that influence the behaviour of employees towards achieving set business goals

Question 2

What are some factors that influence motivation at work?

Answer 2

• Job security
• Status
• Responsibility
• Promotion
• Money
• Fringe benefits
• Friendship
• Training
• Clean and safe workplace
• Variety of task
  ect. ..

Question 3

What are the benefits of having a well-motivated staff?

Answer 3

• Improved productivity
• More competitive
• Better quality products/ services
• Low rate of labour turnover
• Low rate of absenteeism

Question 4

What does labour productivity mean?

Answer 4

A measure of the efficiency of employees by calculating the output per employee

Question 5

What does absenteeism mean?

Answer 5

Employees’ non-attendance at work without good reason

Question 6

What does labour turnover mean?

Answer 6

The rate at which employees leave a business

Question 7

What is Maslow’s Theory of Motivation?

Answer 7

It is a theory that identifies the main needs of humans.
It includes:
Step 1: Basic Needs
Step 2: Safety Needs
Step 3: Social Needs
Step 4: Self-esteem
Step 5: Self realisation

Question 8

Give examples for each step on Maslow’s Theory of Motivation.

Answer 8

Step 1: Basic Needs - Air, Food, Shelter

Step 2: Safety Needs - Shelter, safe from physical danger, job security

Step 3: Social Needs - Love, Acceptance, To be part of a group

Step 4: Self-Esteem - To stand out, Being unique/ special

Step 5: Self Realisation - Fully motivated (promotion, Bonus)

Question 9

What is Taylor’s scientific management theory?

Answer 9

Taylor believes that people are motivated by money alone. This is known as the theory of the economic man.

Question 10

What is the theory of economic man?

Answer 10

The view that humans are motivated only by money

Question 11

What is piece-rate?

Answer 11

Paying employees for each unit produced

Question 12

What is Fredrick Herzberg’s two factor theory?

Answer 12

According to Herzberg, there are some job factors that result in satisfaction (motivators) while there are other job factors that prevent dissatisfaction (hygiene factors).

Question 13

What are some examples of hygiene factors?

Answer 13

• Working conditions
• Relationships with others
• Salary or wage
• Supervision
• Company policy and administration

Question 14

What are some examples of motivators?

Answer 14

• The work itself
• Responsibility
• Advancement
• Achievement
• Recognition of achievement

Question 15

What does working conditions mean? (hygiene factors)

Answer 15

How clean and safe the workplace is and what facilities are provided to the employees

Question 16

What does relationships with other mean? (hygiene factors)

Answer 16

Friendships with other employees

Good relationship with managers

Question 17

What does supervision mean? (hygiene factors)

Answer 17

The importance of leadership style and how closely employees are supervised

Question 18

What does company policy and administration mean? (hygiene factors)

Answer 18

Rules and procedures which control and affect the way that employees work and their relationships with other in the workplace

Question 19

What does ‘the work itself’ mean? (motivators)

Answer 19

The tasks that employees so are an important influence on their motivation. The tasks must be varied and challenging

Question 20

What does responsibility mean? (motivators)

Answer 20

Giving employees more responsibility for the tasks they perform shows them that they are trusted and valued

Question 21

What does advancements mean? (motivators)

Answer 21

Employees have the opportunity for promotion

Question 22

What does achievement mean? (motivators)

Answer 22

Employees need to feel that they have reached challenging goals

Question 23

What does recognition of achievement mean? (motivators)

Answer 23

Employees need to have their achievements recognised by management and the other people they work with

Question 24

What are the two types of rewards given to employees?

Answer 24

Financial rewards and non-financial rewards

Question 25

What are financial rewards?

Answer 25

Cash and non-cash rewards paid to employees which are often used to motivate employees to increase their efforts

Question 26

What are non-financial rewards?

Answer 26

Methods used to motivate employees that do not involve giving any financial rewards

Question 27

Examples of financial rewards.

Answer 27

- Hourly wage rate - Salary - Piece-rate - Commision - Bonus schemes - Fringe benefits - Profit sharing

Question 28

Examples of non-financial rewards.

Answer 28

- Job rotations - Job enlargement - Job enrichment - Quality circles - Team working - Delegation

Question 29

What is hourly wage rate and what type of reward is it (financial or non-financial)?

Answer 29

A payment to employees based on a fixed amount for each hour (financial reward)

Question 30

What is quality circle and what type of reward is it (financial or non-financial)?

Answer 30

Groups of employees who meet regularly to discuss work-related problems (non-financial reward)

Question 31

What is team working and what type of reward is it (financial or non-financial)?

Answer 31

Organising production so that groups of employees complete the whole unit of work (non-financial reward)

Question 32

What is profit sharing and what type of reward is it (financial or non-financial)?

Answer 32

An additional payment to employees based on the profits of the business (financial reward)

Question 33

What is delegation and what type of reward is it (financial or non-financial)?

Answer 33

Passing responsibility to perform tasks to employees lower down in the organisation (non-financial reward)

Question 34

What is salary and what type of reward is it (financial or non-financial)?

Answer 34

A fixed annual payment to certain grades and types of staff not based on hours worked or output (financial reward)

Question 35

What are fringe benefits and what type of reward is it (financial or non-financial)?

Answer 35

Non-cash rewards often used to recruit or retains employees and to recognise the status of certain employees (financial rewards)

Question 36

What is job enrichment and what type of reward is it (financial or non-financial)?

Answer 36

Organising work so that employees are encouraged to use their full abilities (non-financial rewards)

Question 37

What is piece-rate and what type of reward is it (financial or non-financial)?

Answer 37

A payment to employees based on the number of units produced (financial reward)

Question 38

What is commision and what type of reward is it (financial or non-financial)?

Answer 38

A payment to sales staff based on the values of the items they sell (financial rewards)

Question 39

What is job rotation and what type of reward is it (financial or non-financial)?

Answer 39

Increasing variety in the workplace by allowing employees to switch from one task to another (non-financial rewards)

Question 40

What is bonus scheme and what type of reward is it (financial or non-financial)?

Answer 40

An additional reward paid to employees for achieving targets set by managers (financial reward)

Question 41

What is job enlargement and what type of reward is it (financial or non-financial)?

Answer 41

Increasing or widening tasks to increase variety for employees (non-financial reward)