How to Improve Employee Motivation in Consumer Durable Industry

 

All organisations require productive employees to achieve production of goods of acceptable quality and to achieve its economic, societal and staff-related objectives (Arnolds & Boshoff, 2001). Organisations are under utmost pressure to improve performance and become increasingly competitive (Buitendach & De Witte, 2005). The success of retail organisations is rely on a motivated workforce (Huddleston & Good, 1999). Therefore, organisations have to be aware of what keeps employees and managers motivated as this would improve their job performance and increase their productivity (Analoui, 2000).

According to Stroh (2001), some employees do not produce the quality of work or maintain a reconcilable level of work outputs, which they are capable of.  This may be attributed to many factors, including the underutilisation of their skills, lack of a challenge, or unstimulating leadership styles. These could result in motivation levels decreasing, and hence overall job satisfaction levels decreasing.

It is often assumed that motivation and satisfaction are very similar if not identical terms (Hersey and Blanchard, 1988). According to Kreitner and Kinicki (2001), there’s a significant positive relationship between motivation and job satisfaction. They stipulate that managers can potentially increase employees’ motivation through various attempts to increase job satisfaction.  According to Sorge and Warner (1997), work satisfaction is the most prominent result of work motivation. They further specify that motivational concepts are often used to analyse and predict a wide range of individual articulation relevant to organisations such as attitudes, recognition, emotions and behaviour.

In consumer durable industry, it’s really important to get an idea about how to motivate employees to get the maximum out of them. Motivation can define as the factors (either internal or external to a person) that arouse enthusiasm and persistence to pursue a certain course of action (Daft, 1999). But in general, ways of motivating employees can state as follows,

•   Value employee’s work and contribution with structured feedback.

Employees have both a mind and a spirit and seek to find meaning and purpose in their work, and an expectation to be part of a community, hence making their jobs valuable and motivating them to do at a high level with prospective to personal and social development (Ashmos and Duchon, 2000). According to Oosthuizen (2001), the work itself refers to the doing of the work and the type of work. The job can be uninteresting or changing, creative or monotonous, easy or difficult. Jobs that are both motivating and satisfying are said to be those that provide skill variety, task identity, task significance, freedom and feedback (Pearson, 1991). Analoui’s (2000), stated that the ‘nature of the job’ is a major source of satisfaction for employees, particularly if the job is exciting and direct feedback is provided on their efforts. Similarly, continuing challenge provides continuing satisfaction and motivation (Pearson, 1991). Feedback, although an important aspect of job design, refers not to the job itself but to the environment in which work is carried out (Pearson,1991).  

As per Oosthuizen (2001), the types of work, individuals do influence their satisfaction and managers must make the work content as interesting as possible in order to build strong levels of motivation. Lam et al. (2000), found that the job itself is an powerful factor in forecast overall job satisfaction. They agree that a job itself should be seen as challenging and interesting. Therefore, variety and flexibility in employees work are important. Vuori and Okkonen (2012), stated that motivation helps to share knowledge through an intra-organizational social media policy which can help the organization to gain its goals and objectives.

• Reward employee’s for great work

Lam’s et al. (2001), research found that reward (including benefits) has a positive relationship with overall job satisfaction.  In fact, the variable ‘reward’ emerged as the most important factor in predicting overall job satisfaction. Arnolds and Boshoff (2001), found that employees are significantly motivated by monetary rewards and basically pay has symbolic importance, giving feedback to the employee of his or her worth to the organisation (Pearson,1991). In order to prevent dissatisfaction, management needs to continue to observe competitors’ salaries and keep their staff’s salaries in line with competitors. Furthermore, Lam et al. (2001), state that rewards (including salary) affected positively to job satisfaction as it played a dominant factor in motivating employees. Aguinis et al. (2013), stated that financial benefits can be a very powerful aspect of employee motivation and achievement which, in turn, can advance to important returns in terms of firm-level performance.

• Encourage career development

Promotion is the restructure of an employee to a higher-level job (Grobler et al., 2006). Promotion, otherwise known as advancement, is a motivator, and should therefore build strong levels of motivation and this factor contributes significantly to the dissatisfaction of employees (Oosthuizen, 2001). Satisfaction in the workplace, by providing promotion opportunities, has been shown to impact positively on employee job performance (Arnolds and Boshoff, 2001). Most educators indicated that promotion to a higher post level was one of their goals (Wever, 2000). Promotion may be an employee’s reward for good performance, that is, productive evaluation, which leads to employee motivation (Louis, 2009).

• Build a culture of recognition.

Recognition is the acknowledgement of an individual’s contribution showing appreciation and to reward the individual for an accomplishment of a task or in recognition for good performance (Oosthuizen, 2001). When rewarding individuals for good performance, the element of recognition must be present (Stroh, 2001). Recognition by supervisors and peers were desired by employees in order to perform well (Analoui, 2000). Employee recognition contain of personal attention, expressing interest, promotion, remuneration, approval and appreciation for a job well done (Robbins, 2003).  The workplace identification is considered as the most powerful tool for employee motivation (Robbins, 2003).  

Employees in consumer durable industry wants to be recognized. Employees want to know that their superiors appreciate their work in the industry. Most of the retail industries value, ‘people principles’ and ‘social responsibility’. People principles refer to the association between management, the workers and the handling of workers (Harikripahai, 2007). According to Harikripahai (2007), respect and recognition, values and leadership, remuneration, learning and developmental growth, and resources are the five basic dominant factors in retail industry.

For an example, Appreciating and recognition of employees for his/her excellent customer service is a responsibility of the organization or management and he deserve it for customer service excellence delivered through motivation who are willing to do more to satisfy clients, that result in positive world of mouth and repeat business.

{Source – Social Media on Carolyn Melissa Wijegoonerathne > The EFPS (Electronic Position Fixing System) Community}.

• Build a positive work place environment.

Organisational values, supervisory style and physical conditions are factors related to work environment (Pearson, 1991). According to Oosthuizen (2001), physical working conditions concern to the quantity of work and availability of resources, such as machines and tools, ventilation, lighting, workspace and air conditioning.  Furthermore, according to Singleton (1989), weather conditions play an influential role in divergence in work behaviour. Work environment emerged as an influential factor in predicting overall job satisfaction; focusing strategically on this factor would enhance managerial employee’s job satisfaction level and improve their retention rate (Lam’s et al.,2000).

 

It is very important to have a good understanding about how to motivate employees. Apart from the above-mentioned important aspects, Video - 3 will conclude the ways of how to motivate employees. According to the video, there are four (4) ways to motivate employees. First one is, Promote good stressors. It means that limiting hindrance stressors like job insecurity, job confusion and unknown responsibilities, which will reduce the motivation level of employees. Therefore, it is important to increasing the motivation level by having achievable and challenging work load, varied responsibilities, clear job description and fluid conversations. Secondly, Bridge the introvert - extrovert gap. It means creating a flexible work place by allowing employees to work in groups, work from home with suitable devices. Third aspect is Change how employee feel about feedback. It is very important to speak about successes and failures, create open line of communication between employees and managers. Finally, Employee mind wonder and that means improve the morale of employees. These aspects are really vital to improve employee motivation.

Video – 3: Four (4) ways to Motivate Employees

Source: (Bython Media, 2018)

 

Reference

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Arnolds, C., & Boshoff, C.  (2001). The challenge of motivating top management: A need satisfaction perspective. Journal of Industrial Psychology, 27(1), 39-42.

Buitendach, J.H., & De Witte, H.  (2005).  Job security, extrinsic and intrinsic job satisfaction and affective organisational commitment of maintenance workers in a parastatal. South African Journal of Business Management, 36(2), 27-37.

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Harikripahai Organization (2007). The Fast-Food Industry, McDonald`s Market Research.

Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K.  (1988). Management of organisational behaviour. London: Prentice Hall.

Huddleston, P., & Good, L.  (1999). Job motivators in Russian and Polish retail firms.  International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 27(9), 383-393.

Kreitner, R., & Kinicki, A.  (2001). Organisational behaviour. USA: Richard D. Irwin Inc.

Lam, T., Baum, T., & Pine, R. (2001).  Study of managerial job satisfaction in Hong Kong's chinese restaurants. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 3(1), 35-42.

Oosthuizen, T.F.J.  (2001). Motivation influencing worker performance in a technical division of Telkom SA, Acta Commercii, 1, 19-30.

Pearson, R.  (1991). The human resource: Managing people and work in the 1990s. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill.

Robbins SP (2003). Organisational Behavior. 10th ed. Canada: Prentice Hall, Pearson Education International, USA.

Singleton, W.T.  (1989). The mind at work. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Sorge, A., & Warner, M. (1997).  The handbook of organisational behaviour. London: International Thomson Business Press.

Ströh, E.C.  (2001). Personnel motivation: Strategies to stimulate employees to increase performance. Politeia, 20(2), 59-74.