HRGuru

Dear

We can motivate the employees by providing them ontime services from Hr Dept.And accounts Dept.Regarding their salary and benefits and rewards only.

Now adays simply saying you have done a nice job will never motivate the employees.

UDAY

The most common response is monetary compensation (e.g., pay raise).

However, not everyone is motivated by money alone. Recognition is an important factor as well.  I recommend an Employee of the Month/Quarter/Year or letter of appreciation.

Providing the option to cross-train in another department will defer some of the monotony. Plus, the orgranization has provided the employee the opportunity to be more of an asset by "filling in" whenever there is a staff shortage in a department other than their primary position.

Giving employees additional time off for a job well done is an excellent motivator as well.

The most commonly way to motivate an employee is better pay, when i say better pay it should be based on competency and the responsibilties assisgned to a person to perform a job better and better.

Other than this i can think of challenges to excel and grown with in the organisation via creating a job opputunity with in the organisation.

shillphr says ...

"....I work with a large 'Generation Y' group who are always looking for that work-life balance. They feel that pay is and entitlement so that doesn't motivate them."

Agreed, and it's increasingly important for this boomer.  Mind you I'm used to 30 days leave (I'm a Brit) so I'll always vote for more time off.  Interestingly, many of us from the other side of the pond also consider leave as entitlement.  I guess if more leave becomes the norm eventually this will also be viewed as an entitlement.  Thing is, we need to understand what motivates a very diverse work force and providing a flexible benefits package (including the option to choose extra vacation) might well help us achieve this.

Listen to their current priorities and desires, (as individuals) and see what you (and the organization) can do to satisfy their needs and wants.

A. may be looking for recognition, B. may be looking for more interesting work, C. may want better tools, D. might be looking for a chance for personal growth while E. may need more flexible working hours.

Ric - orglearn

In my country it is more pay  that motivates the employees .

Actually the prospect of more pay/money may inspire employees to greater levels of activity however once they get it 'they always deserved it'. Lack of 'proper levels' of pay, or the perception by an employee that he or she is underpaid can however lead to demotivation. I don't, after working and employing people in a number of countries over forty years, believe that money is a motivator. In Asia many people swap jobs straight after annual bonus time... where's the value in that?

ric - orglearn

I found it hard to choose.  Since I am pretty pleased with my benefits and I have more vacation time than I can honestly take in a year and know that pay by itself is not enough of a stimulant, I could not select any of the options listed.  It make me think though about someone  who  comes to work every day and for whatever reason simply feels disconnected and hence, unmotivated.  Better pay, benefits, and vacation are good incentives but do not seem to give an "unmotivated" person the push to do more.  I think the comment about recognition and knowing that what you do makes a difference for the team and organization provides great impetus.  Motivation comes from within - having someone tell you, "gee, your work on XXX was very insightful and I appreciated your work" is meaningul to stretch oneself.  I agree that work-life balance is important and we should strive for it on a daily basis.  I would like to see the concept of recognition added as a choice.

I also found it hard to choose between just those three things. I think that motivation is something that is unique to each individual but that there is one major component in an organization that will help the road to motivating employees--COMMUNICATION. When employees feel as though they are active participants in an organization rather than numbers on the payroll, it tends to make them have some personal ownership of their own motivation. When employees know the direction of the future and can feel somewhat safe (in knowing there's no impending layoff, etc.) then they can focus on work and not the "what if's" of the company.

My last company held quarterly employee forums for all employees. The CEO delivered a presentation (prepared by the forum team which I chaired) and encouraged input. This helped to include employees in with what was going on, address rumors, and even helped initiate some change that was long overdue in some areas. It was a nice environment where the employees felt relatively free from retaliation or any such intimidation. If the CEO could not deliver the presentation, one of the other senior staff members would present it. Each forum offered the opportunity for employees to complete a brief survey and the comments initially were VERY eye-opening to what the employees wanted. We thought we knew what the employees wanted but it turned out that they simply wanted to be included in the communication loop BEFORE things were made final. The impact of having their opinions VALUED for a change was immeasurable. The forums were structured and heated discussions were moderated so that the CEO could personally address after the forum directly with the employees--not in a retalitory manner but just a fact finding mission. When people began to realize that the CEO cared about the organization as much as he did, attitudes began to shift from negative, derogatory remarks, etc. to a more positive, team oriented, "we can do it" attitude. We celebrated the wins during these forums as well as communicated some of the losses (learning opportunities) and it was AWESOME. The thing is, however, if you're going to roll this kind of program out you must be committed to keeping it going because employees come to expect them.

more pay, better facilities and extra vacations all will motivate but for short period. Actual motivatioan is recognition as important member of the organisation and acceptance as a contributor to the success of the organisation.

I will vote for better benefits. Appying the Maslow's hirerarchy of human needs, money will motivate people for short term as long as they are in the basic neeeds phase.

Those who are seeking social recognition or self esteem have other needs.

What is important in people / employee motivation is to have diversified approaches that fit into individual needs.

Varied thoughts put in, i would pretty much agree with what david and ric have to say - its always " different strokes for different folks".  Our company - an billion dollar IT major, took a different path this year to understand how motivated our employees are. We had conducted a survey to guage how " engaged " our employees were more than how " satisfied" they were. The thought stemmed from - Gallup's Q12 ( http://www.artsusa.org/pdf/events/2005/conv/gallup_q12.pdf )

I would go with benefits...I think its more to do with work culture....employer's need to nurture their empoyees as if their kids....find which area's they are weak at and offer them trainings..it will make them feel that the employer is not only thinking about thier own growth and benefit but also is interested in investing effort in upgrading them and helping them grow professionally. I really like the model in which lot of empoyers sponser the higher education and certifications for their employees. Trust me ! its a great motivator !!

sanorita says ...

I would go with benefits...I think its more to do with work culture....employer's need to nurture their empoyees as if their kids....find which area's they are weak at and offer them trainings..it will make them feel that the employer is not only thinking about thier own growth and benefit but also is interested in investing effort in upgrading them and helping them grow professionally. I really like the model in which lot of empoyers sponser the higher education and certifications for their employees. Trust me ! its a great motivator !!