Rewards and Motivation

Years ago, some researchers looked at the concept of reward. They found that the following must be present in order for rewards to work:

1. The employee's increased efforts must result in a perceived improvement. [This may sound obvious, but in some jobs you can knock yourself out and things still won't improve.]


2. The improvement must result in an outcome that the employee likes.

The last one is the real challenge. There are many workplaces where achieving goals simply means that more demanding work is piled on and many others where the employees who work the hardest are given more to do than the ones who coast along. In short, achievement is punished.

To complicate matters further, the outcome that an employee likes can differ dramatically. A young employee who is saving up for a house is more likely to be interested in money than an older one with a paid mortgage and the children out of the house. The second employee may be more pleased with new job challenges and flex-time. It varies with individual circumstances.

That's why "one size fits all" motivation programs need to be carefully considered. Handing a plaque to someone who already has an office (or garage) wall full of them might be intended as a reward but it might not be perceived as one.