Human Resource Management (HRM) is mandated with the role of managing and implementing employee-related policies. Since they work closely with employees, HR managers oversee their welfare, interest, and working conditions. They must work closely with organizational executives to ensure that the desires of the workers are taken into consideration. The HR department is directly responsible for the performance of the workers through employee motivation. Motivation involves the act of asserting both internal and external forces that prompt individuals to participate in an activity. Research has also drawn a close relationship between motivation and performance. The most successful organizations achieve motivation by aligning organizational strategies and leveraging the overall compensation programs.
Aligning the Goals and Strategies to Motivate Workers
Robescu and Iancu (2016) define motivation as the "Internal and external driving forces that make the individual perform an activity." Research has also elaborated on the relationship between motivation and the work performance of individuals. In this regard, organizations must realign their goals and strategies to enhance the motivation of employees. The department charged with the management workers in any organization is the human resource management (HRM). The HRM will be required to take several steps in a bid to align their employees towards the path of motivation. First, organizational training remains a fundamental aspect associated with employee motivation.
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The HRM department must ingrain training activities as part of the organizational operation. Through training and capacity building, the organization will facilitate the continuous adaptation of employees to new environments and conditions in the workplace. Ozkeser (2019) asserts that training and capacity building can increase the capacity of the employees to perform their roles with increased competence and quality. As such, the HRM department must continuously set aside the funds required for training and educational programs. Also, the organization must place training as part of its strategic plans and overall organizational culture.
Other than the employee empowerment, the organization should focus on creating an overall favorable environment. The organizational setting can be manipulated in two different ways in a bid to enhance motivation. First, emphasis should be placed on employee recognition. Effective recognition occurs in cases where the organization has a strong supportive culture. Also, it calls on the organization to understand the value of praising from a psychological point of view. Companies must also find effective ways of applying the strategies of recognition. In justifying the importance of recognition, Amoatemaa and Kyeremeh (2016) says, "Employee recognition has been identified to be a strong motivational tool that enriches employees’ energies towards the accomplishment of organizational goals and objectives.”
Other than employee recognition, a favorable environment can be created through effective communication. Over the last few years, literature has paid considerable attention to the value of communication and its effect on motivation. Communication involves the direct exchange of information from one person to the other. Robescu and Iancu (2016) assert that through communication, employees feel a sense of belonging and that the part of the company's strategic vision. In this regard, efforts should be directed towards opening the communication channels within the company. More critically, employees' efforts should be valued through communication and constant engagements. The HRM must communicate with the employees in a manner that reaches out to every single member of the company.
In the company's strategic plan, the welfare of the workers must be taken into consideration. The firm will need to ensure that the additional needs of the employee are taken into consideration. For instance, failure to maintain work-life balance can lead to fatigue and boredom, leading to high turnover rates (Robescu & Iancu, 2016). In this regard, part of the organization policy should work on enhancing the welfare of the worker. Importance strategies that could be used include creating work guidelines that promote work-life balance and giving employees paid holidays and leaves. The company must also appreciate diversity and respect the cultural differences that people exhibit within the organization.
Overall Compensation Program
The role of incentives in enhancing motivation cannot be underestimated. Motivation can broadly be classified into two, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation arises from the inner being of the person, whereas the extrinsic motivation emanates from the external sources. Incentives emerge from external sources and, therefore, directly contribute to the motivation of the employee (Bruno, Faggini, & Parziale, 2017). Common examples of the incentives commonly used by companies include the overall compensation program. Compensation includes a host of incentives such as salaries, bonuses, health coverage, insurances, and benefits, among others. Several theories support the fact that different compensation programs can enhance the motivation of the workers.
The first theory is the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. According to the theory, the satisfaction of one needs leads to the emergence of another. Once an individual has secured the basic, psychological, and safety needs, they will eventually need the esteem needs. The esteem needs include a host of requirements that gives a person a sense of worth and status. Within the scope of the working environment, examples include benefits, salaries, and job security. The second theory that justifies the importance of the compensation program is known as the expectancy theory. The authors describe it by saying, "The expectancy theory believes that employees will change their behaviors by working harder or prioritizing their actions if they know that by doing so they will be rewarded with something of value to them (Aamir, Jehanzeb, Rasheed, & Malik, 2012 p.224).
According to Aamir et al. (2012), the role of the reward system is to enhance maximum organizational performance. Furthermore, the authors mention that the development of an efficient reward system forms an essential role in human resource management. The authors continue by saying, "From an organizational perspective, a reward system aims to attract, motivate and retain high-quality employees" (Aamir et al., 2012 p. 224). In this regard, the organization must necessary steps in ensuring that they have an efficient compensation program that motivates their employees. First, benefits should be geared towards the performance of an individual. Employees with better performance should also receive better pays and packages. Secondly, the HRM department should constantly review the pay structures and promote people accordingly, based on their contribution, experience, education, and longevity.
Conclusion
A direct correlation exists between motivation and organizational performance. Companies that devote their strategic plan towards motivating employees tend to achieve the best outcomes. First, organizations must realign their objectives and strategies to meet the need for motivation. As such, this calls for putting employee education and capacity building at the heart of operations. Through this, employees are better placed to handle new challenges with an increased sense of performance and effectiveness. Other strategies should be focused on improving the work environment. Through employee recognition and constant communication, employees feel accepted and appreciated. Efforts should also be placed on enhancing the welfare of the employees, such as the maintenance of a work-life balance. Organizations must also include incentives as part of their culture. Incentives primarily exist through compensation programs. Employees with better performance should also receive better pays and packages. Secondly, the HRM department should continuously review the pay structures and promote people accordingly, based on their contribution, experience, education, and longevity.
References
Aamir, A., Jehanzeb, K., Rasheed, A., & Malik, O. M. (2012). Compensation Methods and Employees" Motivation (With Reference to Employees of National Commercial Bank Riyadh). International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 2(3), 221-230.
Amoatemaa, A. S., & Kyeremeh, D. D. (2016). Making Employee Recognition a Tool for Achieving Improved Performance: Implication for Ghanaian Universities. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(34), 46-52.
Bruno, B., Faggini, M., & Parziale, A. (2017). Motivation, Incentives, and Performance: An Interdisciplinary Review. International Journal of Business and Management, 12(12), 29-52.
Ozkeser, B. (2019). Impact of training on employee motivation in human resources management. Procedia Computer Science, 158, 802-810.
Robescu, O., & Iancu, A. G. (2016). The effects of motivation on employees' performance in organizations. Valerian Journal of Economic Studies, 7(2), 49-56.
