1、附录 A Title:Meeting employeee requirements: Maslows hierarchy of needs is still a reliable guide to motivating staff. Material Source: Industrial Engineer Oct2011 Author:SADRI,GOLNAZ BOWEN, R. CLARKE. Motivation relates to a range of psychological processes that guide an individual toward a goal and
2、cause that person to keep pursuing that goal. Motivation often is described in terms of direction (the choice of one activity over another), intensity (how hard an employee tries) and persistence (how long an employee continues with a behavior, even in the face of obstacles or adverse circumstances)
3、. Motivated employees work harder, produce higher quality and greater quantities of work, are more likely to engage in organizational citizenship behaviors, and are less likely to leave the organization in search of more fulfilling opportunities. Competition by companies to attract the most talented
4、 individuals has given employees the power to demand more than just a reasonable wage or salary, and there is evidence that companies are starting to listen. A recent survey showed that salary had only a 20 percent impact on job satisfaction. Employees need a range of motivators in orderto remain en
5、gaged in their work. In response to this demand, employers are looking at how to satisfy their employees on both an extrinsic, financial level as well as an intrinsic, psychological level. Research conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) found that in 2004, 92 percent of employer
6、 spending for total compensation was on wages and salaries； however, the following year spending on wages fell to 81 percent. In balancing monetary (extrinsic) and nonmonetary (intrinsic) incentives, companies use diverse motivators ranging from competitive monetary compensation and health insurance
7、 packages to concierge services and nap times. The continuous endeavor is to be creative in designing a benefits package that attracts and retains quality employees. The theory of Maslow s hierarchy of needs can be used as a framework to identify the various benefits organizations can offer to satis
8、fy their employees needs and, in turn, increase revenues and reduce expenses. Psychology professor Abraham Maslow s theory, proposed in 1943, identifies the five basic human needs that underlie all human activity. Fundamental behavior Maslow s hierarchy of needs is one of the fundamental theories of
9、 personal motivation. The theory can help organizations design programs to motivate their employees, retain employee loyalty, reduce turnover, recruit quality individuals and ultimately increase productivity and net income. A. Kinicki and R. Kreitner, in their book Organizational Behavior, identify
10、and define the five basic human needs that comprise Maslow s hierarchy. The five human needs, presented in hierarchical order from the most basic to the most advanced, are physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualization. According to Maslow, each need has to be satisfied substan
11、tially in order for an individual to progress to the next level. Managers are able to motivate their employees by providing rewards that help satisfy the need that is operational and prevalent at any point in time. Once a need has been satisfied substantially, it ceases to be a motivator. Then, empl
12、oyees move to the next level in the need hierarchy and work on satisfying those needs. 1. Physiological needs Maslow defined the physiological need as the most basic. It includes the need for food, air, water and shelter as well as the need to be active, to rest and to sleep. The most obvious motiva
13、tional item in this category is monetary compensation, which includes wages and salaries, bonuses, stock options and retirement plans. Wages and salaries make up about 80 percent of what companies spend to compensate their employees. Many individuals would list salary as one of the most important fa
14、ctors when considering a job. Money is a vital part of employees reward packages and helps fulfill the bulk of their physiological needs. Food, clothing and a place to live can be obtained with the wage or salary a person earns. Providing a comfortable work environment also helps satisfy physiologic
15、al needs. Clean and fresh air to breathe and an ergonomic workspace, keyboard and mouse can help employees perform without distraction and keep them motivated. Other benefits offered to satisfy employees physiological needs are free or subsidized cafeterias, regular break times and break rooms stock
16、ed with drinks and food. Many companies provide free food for their employees so that they are satisfied on this level and able to engage more fully in their workplace activities. For example, A. Lashinsky in Fortune describes Google s 11 gourmet cafeterias at its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters
17、 where employees can eat for free. Other free (and subsidized) perks that companies provide include car washes, laundry and dry cleaning facilities, onsite gyms, exercise classes, massages and discounts on company products. Providing perks for free or at a subsidy helps reduce employees expenses, wh
18、ich indirectly gives them more discretionary income to purchase other necessary items that help satisfy basic physiological needs and beyond. Another employee benefit that is becoming more important for companies to provide is a healthy work-life balance. Work-life balance is considered a physiologi
19、cal need since one needs to engage in enough nonwork activity and rest to have a healthy lifestyle. Increasingly, employees are considering work-life balance as an important goal and factor the potential for this into their decision of whether to work for a company. It is not uncommon for a job cand
20、idate to reject a job offer because it did not include a good work-life balance. Most recruiters say work-life balance considerations are more important now than they were five or 10 years ago. In order to accommodate the work-life balance needs of potential employees and attract the best possible a
21、pplicants, companies have developed greater levels of flexibility, offering programs like telecommuting, on-site fitness centers, on-site laundry facilities, flexible workweeks and hours, and the ability to work from home a few days a week. In addition, employees seek greater balance through vacatio
22、n time and extra days off during the holidays to help them enjoy life outside of work, have more balance in their lives and be more productive once they are back at the workplace. 2. Safety need The safety need, as defined by Maslow, consists of the need to be safe from physical and psychological ha
23、rm. As with physiological needs, wages and salaries help to provide a safe place to live, a basic need. Another factor that is as important as a safe place to live is a sense of security regarding an employee s health (both physical and mental). According to a study by J. MacDonald from EBRI, corpor
24、ate America spent $596.5 billion on health benefits in 2005. In prior decades, perhaps only the employee received health insurance. Today, it is expected that companies extend health coverage to family members. In addition, companies are providing disability and life insurance, which adds to the fee
25、ling of long-term safety and security and helps build employee trust and loyalty. Another major component used to satisfy safety needs is the provision of retirement plans. Employees derive an overall sense of long-term security with the knowledge that they are able to provide for themselves during their retirement years.
