“Omnium Rerum Principia Parva Sunt”

In today’s competitive landscape there is extensive demand that organizations regardless of technological advances, market penetration, size, and other factors are facing retention challenges. 

There are indeed various employee retention practises bordering around sociological and psychological practices but they are seldom developed from sound theories. Swanson (2001), emphasised that human resources practices should have a dual nature, arising from scholarly and practical research.

Given the large investments in employee motivation and retention efforts encompassing organizations is a valid rationale to analyse and critique the employee motivation theories.

MAGICS AN HR CAN DO TO BOOST EMPLOYEES’ MOTIVATION

Following are the seven variables that need to be addressed for gaining a theoretical perspective of the topic.

SUPPORTIVE LEADERSHIP 

It is one of the major drivers as supportive leaders tend to work closely with the employees which creates a sociological bonding of trust and the employee starts to pitch in new ideas for improvement. Moreover, it also inclines them to develop new skill & talent. Good leaders serve as role models as they hold themselves to a superior standard for accountability which sets a model for all.

FOSTERING INDIVIDUALITY 

Human beings are socially engineered and employees should feel that they are valued as an individual. The company needs to maintain an environment where individual talent is not only appreciated but highlighted. The employees need to be encouraged to showcase aspirational personal goals to physiologically incline them to stay in the long run.

DEVELOPING A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT

Majority of professionals spend their day at office hence the working environment should encompass an overwhelming theme that makes the employee comfortable. A positive environment is not limited to physical infrastructure but corresponds to the social lubrication and culture of the company. People should be allowed to admit their mistakes without the fear of public humiliation.

ENCOURAGING TEAMWORK 

Effective teamwork is critical for any business and the ability to switch between individual responsibility and teamwork should be done on a calibrated basis. It is easy & liberal to say that people are different but the focus should be on fostering compatibility between teams rather than finding the right people which helps in employee engagement and is an important variable for motivation.

RECOGNITION 

In today’s competitive landscape companies that have the best skilled & trained staff are the ones which reward & recognize their employees. Physiologically it can be explained with the employee’s need for financial & recognition needs which are an extrinsic factor for motivation. Financial rewards make the employee feel important and reduces the physiological vulnerably of self-worth among peers.

BOREDOM IN THE WORKPLACE

Boredom begets demotivation and reduces productivity. Routine work and office life make the employee vulnerable to explore. Give your employee’s incentives in a way where they end up doing something new. This will give more chances for employee recognition. Even medically it can be said that routine work decreases the level of serotonin and dopamine which often results in workplace frustration.

EXISTENTIALISM AND FREEDOM 

This is a new field in human resources. In today’s day and age, the majority of people are looking to give meaning to their lives and want to work in an environment where their work makes a difference in society. Often in organizations, intrinsic freedom is given to the employee’s such as casual leaves and recreation time but what the companies don’t realise is these things pander to physical security. Modern-day HR policies should consider the axiological aspect of human behaviour to get the best from their employee’s.