Introduction
Motivational problems at work places are a great hindrance to performance and creativity. Motivation can be termed as a strong desire or urge that drives, maintains and invigorates a person to keep on going towards achieving his/her goals or targets. There are different things that motivate people, and vary from one individual to another. Management can not motivate employees, rather, they need to create an environment where the staff feel and remain focused on their goals and targets, and those of the company. This is the main work of a manager. Motivational problems arise when the workers have lost morale and their focus on the achievement of their goals, or those of a company.
Main part
The CVS/CAREMARK is a middle level airline company specializing mainly in domestic commercial and cargo flights on a daily basis and weekly flights within the region. It is currently experiencing a high employee turnover ratio mainly among junior staff in cabin crew and the call center. There has also been a significant reduction in customer base for a period of two years. The management of the company in my opinion is very unfair, since we are expected to meet the costs of our meals at work, our working clothes and external training. These are to be paid at the beginning of the month or before training. The company is now sourcing for new recruits from outside the country to work on contracts, who have to receive a three month on-job training for which the management said they will only receive stipends while on training.
At CVS/CAREMARK call center, one works on a twelve hour shift without a break for six days in a week, causing a lot of stress and fatigue. At the end of the day, one can not even be able to treat customers nicely or have the patience to listen to their complaints. This is also the case with cabin crew staff and junior pilots. This greatly compromises our services as one works just for the pay. The pay itself is low compared to the hard work the staff put in and the long hours. At CVS/CAREMARK there is no union to demand better pay and compensation for workers as this is highly discouraged by the management.
There are many theories of employee motivation which can be used according to circumstances and the results desired. These are applied due to the need to treat workers with respect as human beings and in order to improve performance and innovation. The problems at CVS/CAREMARK can be described using Frederick Hertzberg’s 2 Factor, Hygiene and Motivation theory. The Hertzberg’s hygiene factors do not relate directly to increased motivation but, bring satisfaction. These are factors such as salaries which are low in this case, company and its policies, leadership and management, working conditions among others. Lack of these factors brings dissatisfaction. The workers in this company consider the management unfair, working conditions poor and no job security and they are generally unhappy.
The motivators according to these theories are the achievement, recognition, growth or advancement and the interests one has on the job. The staff at CVS/CAREMARK work just for pay. There are no interests in the job or in achievement of anything else outside of pay and no recognition by the management for work done. This is shown by the low pay and requirement of meeting the cost of one’s meals and training even after putting in so many hours of work. There is also no desire for advancing career or no opportunities provided as demonstrated by the high turnover ratio.
The motivational problem in CVS/CAREMARK could be solved using this model. This is not all about improving the performance of the company, but also fosters a caring environment for employees for the good of all people. The company will reap the benefits of increased customer base, customers will be served by happy staff and enjoy their flights and the well-being of the workers will be catered. The company should strive to satisfy the above hygiene factors by increasing the salaries of employees, making them participants in the formulation of the decisions and working programs and practicing a management style that involves, respects and helps the staff instead of harassing them.
Using this theory, the managers can enable the employees to attain and satisfy actual motivators by recognizing employees for their effort in the company through rewards. The company can also start paying for the training of workers and those on the in-job training to receive a salary like fully employed people. This will demonstrate to them that the company is investing in them and therefore will be motivated to work hard to meet its goals and targets. Further, the company should have an innovative and encouraging recruitment process that will make the staff feel valued and appreciated. The company can also put in place a system where workers can be promoted on merit and rise to high managerial levels. This will encourage them to work hard in order to climb levels and advance their careers. Added responsibilities and trust can be another way of making employees in the company feel recognized for efforts and therefore motivate them.
Conclusion
Motivational problems at work places are a great hindrance to performance and creativity. The management needs to create an environment where the staff feel and remain focused on their goals and targets and those of the company. Use of Frederick Hertzberg’s 2 Factor, Hygiene and Motivation theory can help managers to motivate employees.