Are you annoyed with your job? This can have many causes. Sometimes the salary is too low, sometimes the working atmosphere is poisonous. But what do employees need to be happy and motivated to go to work?
The boss is constantly looking over your shoulder, home office is of course not an issue in the company, because the supervisor can then not let the control hang out. The boss is satisfied and believes that he has everything under control. It’s just stupid that the employees find his control addiction terrible. And are not at all satisfied.
Incapable superiors, little scope for development, low salary: there are many factors that depress satisfaction. But how do you measure that exactly?
In fact, satisfaction lies in the tension between what you want from your work and what you actually find there. Some factors (so-called hygiene factors) are often taken for granted – but it is precisely these that can demotivate employees. These include working conditions, staff management and corporate policy. Safety and salary are also on the list. These points are less indicative of job satisfaction – but if something goes wrong with them, they contribute to dissatisfaction. An insecure job, poorly paid, with bad bosses, in terrible offices – that affects the mind. On the other hand, employees don’t feel elated just because they have a great desk. Or know that their job is safe. How ungrateful bosses may think. But in order to be satisfied with the work, other points are important.
What motivates employees
There are factors that increase employee motivation. This includes recognition, opportunities for advancement, self-determined work, responsibility and success. In theory, these factors can also offset the hygiene factors. Not permanently, however. Anyone who has been asking for a raise for a long time and just getting the nice work environment rubbed under their noses will hardly be happy with it.
The problem: dissatisfaction is rarely associated with a bang, but is a creeping process. First there is no honest praise, then the boss changes – and there is no higher salary either. Supervisors should pay attention if absenteeism increases significantly, complaints increase, and work results decrease. It doesn’t always have to be terminations. Employees who urgently need the job or who are of advanced age do not drop out in a rush. However, they no longer work with dedication, but do their job well according to regulations. And are sick more often. Such employees are a disaster for the company’s success.
One thing is clear: employees who are satisfied also identify with their work and the employer – so both sides benefit from this. Because this loyalty means that employees would stay with their employer even if they received a lucrative offer from another company, according to a study. Unmotivated, dissatisfied employees, on the other hand, are also financially stressful: As this shows, these employees cost the German economy a lot of money. Annually, the companies lose around 105 billion euros in profit through them.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
