Application of Herzberg Motivation Theory to Employee Engagement

Herzberg Theory

Herzberg stated factors that influenced job satisfaction can be divided into two categories as hygiene factors and, motivational factors. Hygiene factors, that were related to avoid unpleasantness in doing the job, included company policies and administration, relationship with supervisors, interpersonal relations, working conditions and salary. The Motivation factors were achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility and advancement (Alshmemri, Shahwan-Akl & Maude, 2017, Herzberg, 1966, Herzberg, 2003). Rogers (2005) stated, 'employees who lack job satisfaction are likely to withdraw from job involvement and not be motivated to make broader contributions or set higher goals'. Dissatisfaction and, poor performance could be prevented by satisfying the hygiene needs however, to bring in productivity improvements sought by organizations, satisfaction of the motivational factors was required (Stello, 2011). Figure 5.0 depicts the Herzberg theory explained in pictorial format.

 Figure 5.0 – Herzberg Theory

(Source: OSH Academy)

Application of Herzberg Theory

Hygiene and Motivation factors could be combined to define conditions that could influence employees differently as portrayed in table 4.0 (Baah & Amoako, 2011).

Table 4.0 - Hygiene Motivation Combinations

Hygiene	Motivation	Employee Stance
High	High	§  Highly Motivated §  Few Complaints
High	Low	§  Few complaints §  But - Not highly motivated §  The job is perceived as a pay cheque
Low	High	§  Motivated §  But - Lot of complaints. §  A situation where the job is exciting and challenging but salaries and work conditions are not
Low	Low	§  Unmotivated employees §  Lots of complaints

 (Source:  Baah & Amoako, 2011, pp. 2,3)

Taking these combinations into accounts, Herzberg (1987) suggested, organizations/managers can create an environment to eliminate job dissatisfaction and create conditions for job satisfaction as shown in table 5.0 (Baah & Amoako, 2011).

Table 5.0 – Eliminate Dissatisfaction and Create Satisfaction

Eliminate Job Dissatisfaction

Create Conditions for Job Satisfaction?

§  Fix poor and obstructive company policies § Provide effective, supportive and non-intrusive supervision §  Create and support the culture of respect and dignity for all team members §  Ensure that wages and salaries are competitive §  Provide job security § Build job status by providing meaningful work for all positions

§  Providing opportunities for achievement §  Recognizing workers contributions §  Creating work that is rewarding and that matches the skills and abilities of the employee §  Give as much responsibility to each team member as possible §  Provide opportunities to advance in the company through internal promotions § Offering training and development opportunities so that people can pursue the positions they want within the company

(Source: Amoako, 2011, p. 3)

Relationship with Employee Engagement

Armstrong & Taylor (1977) suggested, engagement to have 3 overlapping components as motivation, commitment and organizational citizenship behavior. Institute for Employment Studies produced a model with the 3 components for better understanding as indicated in figure 6.0.

Figure 6.0 – IES Model of Employee Engagement

(Source: Armstrong & Taylor, 1977, p.195)

Intrinsic motivation is the element considered in engagement. Macey et al (2009: 67) commented that, 'when the work itself is meaningful it is also said to have intrinsic motivation, meaning it is not the pay or recognition that yields positive feelings of engagement but the work itself’ (Armstrong & Taylor, 1977). Therefore, it could be suggested that there is a direct link from the Herzberg theory to engage employees.

Practical Application of the Herzberg Theory in an Organization

Hygiene factors make dissatisfied employees satisfied but not motivated. To get employees motivated, organizations need to focus on motivators. In this paragraph, I will attempt to evaluate the practices in the organization I work with Herzberg theory.

Hygiene factors

The organization has several premises which staff operate within Colombo and outside Colombo. Currently, the theme of working arrangement is ‘the open office’ concept. With implementation of the theme, all office premises were converted providing all employees the same experience in physical working conditions. With implementation of the theme, separate recreational areas were created where employees could take a break with colleagues with a cup of tea or an indoor game. The company has provided all employees with state-of-the-art equipment and tools required to carry out the operations and always looking for opportunities for improvement. Benefit structures are reviewed yearly considering the concerns raised at the employee engagement surveys, revised accordingly and, communicated to employees.  These have created an environment of overall satisfaction among the employees.

Salary is a factor which raises dissatisfaction at almost all employee engagement surveys where the feedback provided is diverse.  While some are happy with the salary and the total compensation package, there is set of staff who are not satisfied with same. Although there is an annual increment based on the performance evaluations and organization has taken many initiatives to balance it, salary remains a factor that raises both satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

Job security wise, the company maintains a positive vibe with employees and especially during this crisis of Covid -19, all employees have been assured of job security and full salary paid as of now, while most organizations had to go through salary cuts. This has resulted in high satisfaction among the employees.

Motivators

To ensure the work remains challenging and does not bore the employees, job rotation is highly encouraged within the organization after a specific period, with career development opportunities. All employees are given due responsibility to carry out the job and this is monitored through the annual engagement survey, where employees could voice any concerns, they have in performing the job. High performers are recognized and rewarded through the annual performance evaluation and other various rewards and recognition schemes within the organization.  Points stated have made a positive impact on employee motivation and created an engaged workforce within our organization. This is further solidified by our company winning the Telecommunication Brand of the Year’ at the prestigious SLIM-Nielsen Peoples Awards - 2020 for the record 9^th year consecutively.  

Conclusion

Even though I have not discussed all the controversies of the Herzberg Two factor theory in this blog post, the theory continues to thrive.  This could because the theory is easy to understand, rather than academic abstractions. Herzberg was also an influencer in job enrichment movements which designed jobs to maximize opportunities to obtain intrinsic satisfaction from work and thus improve the quality of working life (Armstrong, 2010). 

Smerek & Peterson (2007), stated “Testing a theory is not always an appropriate means to determine its value”. A theory that has stood the test of times, integrates to basic practices of Motivation and engagement has proven its value and Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation belong in this category (Stella, 2011). 

Reference

Alshmemri, M, Shahwan-Akl , L & Maude, P 2017, Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory , Life Science Jornal , Vol. 14, No. 5, PP. 12-6 , viewed 12^th Nov ember 2020,

<http://www.lifesciencesite.com/lsj/life140517/03_32120lsj140517_12_16.pdf>

Armstrong, M 2010, Armstrong’s Essential Human resource Management Practice – A guide to People Management, Kogan Page Limited, London 

Armstrong, M & Taylor, S 1977, Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 13^th edn, Kogan Page Limited, London

Baah, KD & Amoako, GK 2011, ‘Application of Frederick Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory in assessing and understanding employee motivation at work: a Ghanaian Perspective’, European Journal of Business and Management, Vol 3, No.9, viewed 11^th November 2020,

< https://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/EJBM/article/view/642/535>

 OSH Academy, Herzberg Two Factor Theory – digital image, viewed 11^th November 2020,

< https://www.oshatrain.org/courses/pages/700herzberg.html#>

 Stello, CM 2011, ‘Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Job Satisfaction : An Integrative Literature Review’, Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development College of Education and Human Development , University of Minnesota, viewed 10^th November 2020,

<https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Herzberg-%E2%80%99-s-Two-Factor-Theory-1-Herzberg-%E2%80%99-s-of-%3A-Stello/5c203ef79d233a1788ee4e9c433af1b71db55ade>

Employee Engagement during Covid -19 Pandemic

Introduction

The changes brought forward due to Covid-19 in organizations across the globe has been historical. Businesses were disrupted from the normal way of work and changes in work practices and organizational culture were experienced by working staff unexpectedly.  As a result, leaders and HR professionals faced the challenge of managing and sustaining engagement during these turbulent times. Hence, this blog post will discuss some key challenges faced by organizations along with suggested practices and its practical application.

Challenges

As Covid-19 was a global health crisis, in order to curb the spread of the virus, governments locked down cities or at some point the country itself with no definite time of re-opening. Thus, work patterns changed from full time office work, to work from home (WFH) concept or essential workers concept. Virtual teams, virtual leadership and management practices too emerged (Whillans, 2020).  An employee, while working from home, can play many roles; a parent, a caregiver, a teacher, a spouse or sometimes work on your own if living alone. All this could lead to employees developing feelings of isolation and disconnect from their organizational culture, which could lead to disengagement (Laker, 2020). For essential workers who are present at work, changes were both physical and mental. Working with personal protective equipment through out the day, fear of contacting the virus and spreading it to family and friends, or even isolation from family due to work. These all resulted in extreme stress, physical strain, a state of demoralization or burnout that could ultimately lead to disengagement (IHF, 2020).

Suggested Practices to Sustain Engagement

The responsibility of ensuring staff are engaged and motivated to carry out their work falls in the hands of leaders and managers. Laker (2020) suggests 2 ways to keep employees engaged; Connection and Recognition. Connection meaning, to have constant communication with employees to check on their wellness, mental health, workload challenges, and issues around balance while working from home. Consistent recognition will also boost morale, if employees are told they are doing a great job even during these uncertain times (Laker,2020).

SHRM suggests the following 5 steps to sustain engagement during this period (SHRM, 2020).

1. Prioritize communications – because remote working might bring in the feeling of isolation, it’s vital for managers and leaders to have strong communication with their staff. Communication must not only limit to work related but also to give them a sense of safety and care.

2. Set Clear Expectations – of what is required from them while WFH with timelines and targets. However, it must be noted that all workers would not have ideal WFH setup, so managers must be mindful of when expectations are set and agree on a win- win situation for both employee and organization.

3.  Recognize the Good work – one of best ways to heighten engagement. Even a simple email of thank you would suffice.

4.  Encourage work life balance – as WFH is a new concept for many, drawing the line between work and personal life could be difficult and could eventually lead to burnout. Hence as a manager it is imperative to strongly communicate the importance of creating boundaries for work time and personal time.

5.  Demonstrate a collaborative culture – employees feel more engaged if they feel they are a part of a team. As such managers must ensure employees understand even though all team members may not be in office together, all are working together toward the same common goal. 

Health care sector is an industry greatly affected by Covid-19. To manage the staff momentum hospitals provided staff with an extra pay for the high risk they faced. Although this extra remuneration did serve as a motivational factor, the following 4 actors were identified as a way of sustaining the engagement of the staff (IHF, 2020).

1. Protection & Well-Being - how well did the hospital look after their staff, physical and psychological well-being along with social and financial elements.

2.  Education & Training - did the leaders find the right and important information, educate and train the staff on new advances and continuous changes.

3.  Communication – good, direct and clear communication – top-down and bottom-up

4.  Guidance & Personal Encouragement – are the leaders present during day to day operations to listen to and provide guidance

In Video 1.0 Dr. Jennifer Thompson from Chicago school of professional psychology, shares strategies for engaging employees during a quarantine period and managing productivity. In her video she is emphasizing the importance of autonomy and trust and states to focus on results and outcomes rather than micro managing, which will greatly impact engagement.  

Video 1 – Engaging Employees during Covid-19

(Source: Thompson, J 2020)

Practical Application

In Sri-Lanka, in about 2 days of identifying the first Covid-19 patient in mid-March curfew was imposed within the country.  As stated in my previous blog post, the company I work being a quad play connectivity provider, had to ensure service was provided to our customers without any interruption. There are 2 types of staff in our workforce. Back office staff who could WHF and essential workers who had to be on the field or office to serve customer problem or at office to monitor network on a continuous basis.  At the start of the curfew respective chief officers spoke to their direct reports and had a discussion on how each operation could function in the new norm. Our CEO had a portfolio wise town hall to give more insights, on how this situation had impacted our company and what as employees, we had to do to recover from it. This gave a moral boost to the employees.  Communication from HR was continuous on various subjects ranging from safety, best ways to improve efficiency in WFH setup, encouraging our front line staff who are on the field and recognition for employees and teams who work remotely by way of e-flyers to all staff. All front line staff were provided with Personal protective equipment and special transport was arranged for staff who had to be in office. All these factors encouraged our staff and gave a feeling of being cared for by the organization which undoubtedly increased engagement levels. One main downside on WFH setup at the initial stage was drawing the line between work and personal life, where meetings were scheduled early in the morning starting as early as 7 am and going till about 8 pm or past 8 pm. This created a burnout of employees with negative feedback and dissatisfaction. However, HR swiftly addressed this introducing a policy on WFH practices. The meeting scheduling times were restricted from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, giving employees the authority to reject any meeting after the said time if scheduled.  Hence at present both WHF and front line staff work harmoniously with a good mind set of being assured that the organization does care.

Conclusion

In conclusion it could be stated engagement of employees in a  pandemic situation is a challenging task for all organizations and leaders and managers are the key to sustaining engagement.

References

How to Engage Remote Employees during Coronavirus Pandemic, 2020, SHRM, viewed 3^rd November 2020,

<https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/how-to-guides/pages/how-to-engage-remote-employees-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic.aspx>

Laker, B 2020, How to Keep Workers Engaged During the Coronavirus Crisis, Forbes, viewed 5^th November 2020,

< https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/2020/06/22/how-to-keep-workers-engaged-during-the-coronavirus-crisis/?sh=7b512009590f> 

Leadership Challenges in maintaining staff engagement and motivation during Covid-19, 2020, The International Hospital Federation (IHF), Bernex-Switzerland, viewed 3^rd November 2020,

<https://www.ihf-fih.org/2020/09/03/maintaining-staff-engagement-and-motivation/> 

Thompson, J 2020, Engaging Employees During Covid-19, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, online video, viewed 6^th November 2020,

< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAZ7fHkBT6U> 

Whillans, A (Assistant Professor of Business Administration) 2020, COVID-19 and the Workplace: Implications, Issues, and Insights for Future Research and Action, Working Paper 20-127, Harvard Business School, viewed 4^th November 2020,

<https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/covid-19-and-the-workplace-implications-issues-and-insights-for-future-research-and-action>