Psy 320 Workplace Motivation Paper

Workplace Motivation Paper
Tara Torp
Psy/320
May 11, 2015
Francine Sims

Workplace Motivation Paper
According to WolframAlpha Viewer Application, “141 million people are currently employed in the United States of America” (4.0). What motivates 141 million people to be employed? For most people, the motivational reasons for employment are financial. The financial stability that a job provides allows employees to have the basic physiological needs necessary to maintaining homeostasis. Financially stability allows individuals to acquire food, shelter, provide for their families, pay bills, and gives individuals a sense of purpose and belonging. The writer works as a Registered Nurse in a chemical dependency unit at Southern California Hospital
at Culver City (SCHCC). The unit is composed of several different disciplines including: physicians, counselors, charge nurses, nurses, and mental health technicians. The writer will discuss how various motivational strategies affect productivity in the chemical dependency unit in Southern California Hospital at Culver City such as organizational efforts to improve performance, employees’ resistance to increase productivity, management’s philosophy of motivation and its practices, the implications of applying Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Freud’s Drive Theory, and how these two theories would affect management and employees. Organizational Efforts to Improve Performance
Southern California Hospital at Culver City’s chemical dependency unit uses several various tactics to improve employee performance. One of the main ways to improve employee performance is to show employee appreciation. For example, May 4th-May 10th was National Nurses’ Week, and the hospital gave each nurse a free gift package including a multi-color pen with the hospital logo on it, a tote bag with the hospital logo on it, a chocolate bar, a thank you card, and they served free breakfast for all of the nurses all week. The SCHCC chemical dependency unit also holds monthly meetings to give all employees an opportunity to discuss comments, concerns, give and receive both positive feedback and constructive criticism. These meetings have been super beneficial in boosting morale and keeping employees on the same page about what goes on in the unit. SCHCC is also part of the national nursing union and gives union benefits to all of their part-time and full-time employees. This includes paid time off, vacation days, sick time, full medical, dental, and vision coverage. When employees feel that they are being taken care of they tend to work harder, thus improving overall performance. Employees’ Resistance to Increase Productivity
While the writer does feel that there have been several organizational efforts made to improve employee performance, the writer must also acknowledge that there are several factors that have lead to the employees’ resistance to increase productivity. In the past several years at SCHCC, there has been inconsistent upper level management. For example, over the past few years there have been three different Chief Nursing Officers, several different House Nursing Supervisors, and there has been a large turnover rate with Unit Supervisors. This makes it difficult for employees because once they are used to the way that management operates, the management leaves and the employees have a hard time knowing where the accountability lies. This can also be difficult because employees are unsure of who to contact when upper level management leaves and the position has yet to be filled. The margin of error in these times increases substantially and employees experience higher levels of stress. SCHCC’s chemical dependency unit just recently had a new unit director come in who changed the structure of the unit. Many of the seasoned employees were less than thrilled with the changes that occurred, and they made this very apparent. The director created new charge positions instead of having nurses take turns with this role. In the chemical dependency unit, a full census is 18 patients. When there are 13 patients or more, the schedule calls for three nurses. However, when the census falls below 13, then the census calls for only two nurses. Since the census is highly unpredictable, there are always three nurses scheduled. When this happens, a nurse has to float to another unit that is short-staffed instead of having to be flexed to go home without pay. This has become an issue because the charge nurses are not mandated to float when the census is low. This means that the other nurses have been forced to float more, and they are extremely unhappy about this and do not think that it is fair. Unhappy employees are usually less productive. Management’s Philosophy of Motivation and Its Practices
The current philosophy that management uses involves extrinsic motivation. It is a pretty basic punishment and reward system. For example, management holds employees accountable for following the rules, guidelines, and expectations that were set for them upon hire. If employees do not abide by the rules and expectations that were set for him or her, then they have to face consequences that may potentially result in job loss. Also, the more shifts that a part time or full time employee works, the more paid time off hours that he or she accrues. This is a good incentive to ensure that an employee returns to work. Basically, management’s philosophy is, “If an employee wants to keep his or her job, the employee will show up to work and follow company policies and procedures.” It is very basic, but it is what works for the company. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the Need Theory
Abraham Maslow created his theory of motivation in 1954. The basic idea of Maslow’s model was that there are five levels of needs for humans and each level needed to be fulfilled before someone could be motivated by higher level factors (Hawks, 2011). The first level is known as basic physiological needs. These include: breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, and excretion. The second level is safety. This includes the security of: body, employment, resources, morality, the family, health, and property. The third level is love/belonging. This includes: friendship, family, and sexual intimacy. The fourth level is esteem. This includes: self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, and respect by others. The fifth and final level is known as self-actualization. This includes morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, and the acceptance of facts.
According to Maslow, you would not be able to motivate an employee with positive feedback if their basic physiological needs are not met.
If someone does not get paid enough to provide food and shelter for his or her family, he or she is not going to be motivated by a ‘thank you’ card. On the other hand, when an employee has fulfilled the needs associated with one level, he or she is no longer motivated by the factors that are associated with the levels below (Hawks, 2011). For example, the employers in high-ranking positions of power are rarely motivated by money because their financial needs are already met. However, positive reinforcement may increase his or her self-esteem, thus increasing his or her performance level. If employers want their employees to perform at higher levels, it is vital for them to understand how they are motivated. By putting the reward structure in place to motivate employees, employers can create an environment that will encourage their employees to succeed (Hawk,
2011).
David McClelland’s Need Theory was developed in 1961.
Different needs motivate different people. This theory of motivation is based on three concepts: achievement, affiliation, and power (Reeve, 2009). Employees seek achievement over realistic and challenging goals in the workplace in hopes of leading to job advancement. The concept of affiliation can be applied in the workplace by means of employees forming close personal relationships and interactions with other people. The third concept, power, is probably one that could definitely be beneficial when applied to Southern California Hospital at Culver City’s Chemical Dependency Unit. Most individuals, including employees, are motivated by authoritative figures. In this scenario one may think of a police officer. When an individual is driving over the speed limit and he or she gets pulled over by the police, the individual is motivated to pull over in fear of the consequences that can be put in place by the police officer (an authoritative figure). Employees that are seeking a position of power are motivated by the need to feel influential and effective in order for them to make an
impact. Conclusion
The success of an organization is often related to its ability to motivate its employees. The implications discussed in regards to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and McClelland’s Need Theory can be very beneficial to Southern California Hospital at Culver City’s Chemical Dependency Unit.

References
Hawks, D. (2011, March). Workplace Motivation: Theories, Types & Examples. Study.com.
Reeve, J. (2009). Understanding Motivation and Emotion. (5th ed.). New York: Wiley.
WolframAplha Viewer Application (4.0) [Computer Software]. Retrieved from http://www.products.wolframalpha.com