Hr Performance Issues and Motivation

HR Performance Issues and Motivation

It is common for motivation to be used in the workplace in order for goals to be reached by employees. In the workplace, it is absolutely necessary that both management and employees are able to concentrate on their work. There are many things that can motivate someone into acting or behaving a certain way. A person’s productivity can be determined by the motivation that they receive not only from their work environment but also from outside influences. Money is not the only influence that can motivate an employee. Sometimes showing an employee how much their hard work is appreciated can motivate them into working harder. There are many motivational problems that can make it very difficult for goals to be reached. Motivational problems may come from the workplace, while others occur outside the workplace, but all of them can influence a worker’s performance. A person’s personal life can be the most common motivation problem.

It is necessary to separate personal life and work but it is sometimes difficult to do and family affairs may affect performance at the workplace. There is always a need to be able to totally focus on work in order for organizational goals to be reached. The issues that a person has in their person life can be motivation problems that make it hard for goals to be attained. Some of the personal problems that may interfere with someone’s motivation include conflicts at home or stress at home. These personal issues are a problem to motivation, and the employee who has these problems may not deliver as expected. Since motivation is directly related to productivity in the workplace, various psychologists have developed theories that may explain how employees can be motivated into being productive.

Abraham Maslow’s motivation theory is one of the most used theories today. Maslow's hierarchy of needs says that a person's behavior will be dominated by those needs which have the greatest influence (“Motivational approaches”, 2008). This theory, which is known as the hierarchy of needs, divides people’s needs into different levels. According to this theory, there are five levels of needs that a person requires. This needs include psychological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization needs. Physiological needs are needs such as food, water, and sleep. Safety needs are needs such as shelter and protection from danger. Social needs refer to the need to be part of a group and also to the need to love and be loved by people. Esteem needs concern the need to feel good about oneself, one's abilities and characteristics. At the top of Maslow's hierarchy of motivators is self-actualization, which is the process of fulfilling one's potential (Gordon Rouse, 2004). The motivation theory emphasizes that the needs that appear first in the hierarchy must be met before meeting others. The needs in Maslow’s theory