Employee Motivation
What Is Employee Motivation?
Employee motivation is the level of commitment, energy, and creativity that employees bring to their work. It is driven by internal factors, such as personal growth and purpose, and external factors, such as pay and recognition. Motivated employees are more engaged, more productive, and more likely to stay with their organization.
The Basic Idea
Unfortunately, unless you’re one of the lucky few who were born with a silver spoon, a job is a necessary part of life. Despite being a fact of life for individuals living in modern, urban societies, what job we choose to have, whether we enjoy it, and how well we perform at it are all influenced by motivation.
Consider what makes you get up in the morning (even when you desperately want those five extra minutes), go to work, and accomplish your tasks. Is it because you need a paycheck to support your lifestyle? Is it because you feel valued by your colleagues? Or maybe it’s because you’re passionate about the work you do.
Figuring out what motivates employees is important for companies seeking to attract and retain the best talent. Motivation influences productivity, engagement, quality of work, and work culture, which ultimately all impact a business’s success and profitability. A recent Gallup report found that employees who are not engaged or actively disengaged contribute to approximately $1.9 trillion in lost productivity.1
While historically, external factors like financial compensation may have been enough to motivate people, as people’s attitudes toward work have shifted over generations, other motivators like purpose, opportunities for growth, and work-life balance have become increasingly important. Additionally, as the complexity of tasks has increased over the years, with many requiring out-of-the-box problem-solving and creativity, employees must feel motivated by a sense of purpose and mastery. The importance of employee motivation has made it an important factor in behavioral science, with companies trying to figure out the perfect recipe for success.2
“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”
— Lou Holtz, former American football coach3
About the Author
Emilie Rose Jones
Emilie currently works in Marketing & Communications for a non-profit organization based in Toronto, Ontario. She completed her Masters of English Literature at UBC in 2021, where she focused on Indigenous and Canadian Literature. Emilie has a passion for writing and behavioural psychology and is always looking for opportunities to make knowledge more accessible.
