Businesses 'must know what motivates workers'

Date: 24/11/2009

Companies must find out what truly motivates their employees, as many chief executive officers wrongly believe that cash is the best way to the hearts of others, one expert has said.

Eric Mosley, an expert in incentives and recognition writing for Forbes, said that while money is the "currency of compensation", it is far less effective as the legal tender for motivation or recognition as it is not psychologically linked to appreciation or recognition "for a job well done".

He explained that by giving workers the freedom to choose meaningful rewards, it will be much more effective in powering more long-term motivation than cash ever will be.

Such ideas may be to give those who have worked long hours the chance to spend more time with their family.

"Recognising that employee with a thank you, a gift card of his choosing or even a personal day off can take you very far," Mr Mosely added. "Such on-the-spot recognition, done year-round, inspires ongoing motivation and high performance."

Companies may want to liaise with corporate events management if something successful is to be done soon, particularly in light of a recent CareerBuilder survey which found that employees have found longer hours, increased workloads and restricted resources during the recession leading to a major drop in morale.

Posted by Peter Chad

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