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What is employee motivation?

Motivation as a driving force behind success

A growing number of companies are applying motivational techniques to attract and retain talent, which is a strategy that also increases productivity, the employees' quality of life, and their commitment to the company. 

We spend a great deal of our lives at work. Working in a company that provides us with incentives and allows us to develop personally and professionally is very valuable, and it has an impact on productivity and the quality of life of employees. More companies like Repsol are increasingly making efforts to boost work motivation with techniques and strategies that increase employee motivation, ranging from economic incentives and training to professional growth, respect for work-life balance, and leadership opportunities.

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What is employee motivation?

According to authors Stephen Robbins and Timothy Judge (Organizational Behavior, 2004), employee motivation is “the willingness to exert high levels of effort toward organizational goals, conditioned by the effort’s ability to satisfy some individual need.”

In other words, motivation at work encourages employees to strive to achieve a company's goals while meeting their own needs. 

One of the first authors of reference to talk about what employee motivation is was the American psychologist Abraham Maslow (Motivation and Personality, 1954), who classified human needs into five groups: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. Applied to the field of employee motivation, as an employee satisfies their most basic needs (healthy environment, sufficient rest, job and economic security, etc.), other higher needs gradually emerge (professional growth, opportunities to innovate or lead, etc.). Employee motivation strategies cover all of them.

Why is employee motivation important and what are its benefits?

Employee motivation is now key for any company. According to the 2015 study carried out by researchers from the University of Warwick, in England (Happiness and Productivity), who conducted experiments with more than 700 people, happy workers are 12% more productive.

Harvard University researcher Shawn Achor calls this finding "the happiness advantage". His conclusion, after a decade of studies, which he set out in a best-seller of the same name, is that happy and committed employees see their productivity increase by 31%. But the advantages of employee motivation go further: sales increase by 37%, creativity grows by 55%, mistakes are reduced by 19%. Employees also get ill an average of two times less per year and the chances of them remaining at the company multiply by 9.

As can be seen, there are many varied advantages of employee motivation, both for the company and workers. Some of them are:

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Increased productivity, creativity, and innovative ideas

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Employees stay long-term with a company

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Improved employee health and quality of life

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Better talent attraction

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Greater customer satisfaction

A more positive work environment that results in higher employee motivation

Reduced absenteeism and work-related accidents

Creates a better image of the company

Employee motivation techniques and strategies

An employee's motivation comes in part from the professional activity itself, from the challenges and opportunities offered by the position. But it also comes from seeing other needs covered or from receiving incentives. Company strategies include a variety of employee motivation techniques, including:

A hand holds elements that convey employee motivation

  • Improved working conditions. From a higher salary to the improvement of the conditions in which they work: comfortable and accessible spaces, better tools, occupational health and safety etc.
  • Work-life balance. Among the employee motivation techniques and social responsibility, there are increasingly more options to balance work and family life: flexible hours, leave to care for family members, teleworking, adjustment of working hours, etc.
  • Work recognition. Examples of employee motivation are techniques that make the worker feel valued, such as promotions, chance to lead teams, or gain autonomy.
  • Professional development. Training and learning or undertaking new projects in the company are other employee motivation techniques that offer added value to the work.
A group of people clench their fists together as a sign of a good work environment

  • Material incentives. Remuneration for objectives achieved, profit payments, and other monetary or material incentives are also other employee motivation techniques that are well appreciated by employees.
  • Improvement of processes. When you invest in improving work processes, preventing errors, or unnecessary efforts, the worker feels more motivated. Especially if their ideas to innovate in these processes are also taken into account.
  • Good work environment. A good work environment, where diversity and equal opportunities are also respected, are also basic when it comes to achieving motivation at work.
  • Business values. Feeling connected to the company values and convinced that the company is pursuing social and economic objectives is also a plus when feeling connected to it.

 

At Repsol, we apply all these examples of employee motivation, because one of our objectives is the attraction and retention of talent. International work teams in which diversity and equality are respected, attractive salaries coupled with objective-based remuneration, work-life balance possibilities, training and learning opportunities, and some unbeatable working conditions that allow professional development are some of the incentives of working at our company; together with our commitment to renewable energies and a more sustainable future.

Do you want to be part of the Repsol team? Discover the profiles we are looking for and the advantages of working with us.

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