Benfits That Motivate And Satisfy

Running Head: Benefits that Motivate

Benefits that Motivate and Satisfy

Jennifer Locke

MBA 6610

Fall 2007

Abstract

Benefits and incentives continue to be an area of focus and struggle for many organizations. Benefits and incentives are necessary to continually motivate employees to put their best foot forward. Motivation of employees will always be important to an organization because motivated employees are more productive and therefore continue to help an organization grow and be profitable. With this being said, it is important for an organization to understand what motivates their employees, and how they should use extrinsic and intrinsic incentives to effectively motivate their employees.

Through the use of results generated via questionnaires of employees in administrative based jobs and previous research, I intend to help HR employees and their organizations better understand the needs of their employees, how to efficiently cater to these needs, and how to continually re-evaluate their employees’ needs to ensure they are continuing to do what is necessary to satisfy their employees.

Introduction

This research proposal will consist of benefit packages that both motivate the employee to do their best work while at the same time satisfying them, so that they are not longing for something more from somewhere else. It should be the hope of every organization to effectively take care of their employees so the employees will take care of the company.

This topic is very touching to me, because it seems like where ever I go, some company offers something that another does not have but at the same time lacking something else. There seems to always be tradeoffs and opportunity costs for the employees. Very few companies seem to have a benefits package that satisfies all the needs of their employees. Employees are continually looking for something more. So my hope is to find an organization, or hopefully multiple organizations, who have mastered the art of motivating and satisfying their employees through effective incorporation of benefits. Once having found and studied these companies, my goal is to make information readily available to HR managers everywhere so they can better understand their job and we can help them simplify it.

If my findings are successful and true, then the number of people in the work place that this research can benefit is limitless. It will give insight and advice to every company, human resource manager, and supervisor in the country. It will enable them to save time and money by instituting the right plan the first time. By having the right plan in place from the start, the employees will be more motivated, the benefit plans will be utilized to the up most ability, and valuable money will be spent where it is most beneficial.

Of course every plan will not be 100% identical, but we will provide guidance, support and advice on how to effectively instill the appropriate benefit plan for a particular organization.

I intend to collect primary data through the use of surveys and/or questionnaires across a wide variety of job markets but mainly in administrative positions. The questionnaire will consist of a variety of open and closed ended questions, so that we can gain insight on what is valued most by the individual employee. I will collect data from a variety of office positions and as many other fields as possible considering the time constraints.

Background

The research conducted in this report will build on the ideas that personalization of intrinsic benefits continually maximizes the motivation of the employee. It will also follow the beliefs of thousands of HR managers around the world who believe that benefits packages have to be custom tailored to fit the needs of the individual employee. My hope is to help the individual HR managers better understand the needs and wants of their employees so they can more effectively do their jobs. I also want to be able to give them guidance in understanding the ever changing needs of their employees.

According to an article entitled “Incentive-ology: the science of motivation” by Mike Allen, “By personalizing both the context and sentiment of the incentive, you’ll magnify the effect of your incentive and reap a far greater return in the long run” (Allen). It is my belief that a statement does not get any truer than this. A key to successful motivation of an employee is to make it personal. They need to be set apart from everyone else in the pile. An employee needs to see that you see value in them as an individual. The only way to do this is through personal interaction and recognition. This type of personal recognition is not a huge burden in a company’s pocket, yet at the same time the rewards can be limitless. In this case, you get what you put in. My fear is that with all the hustle and bustle of the everyday work force, over time managers have neglected this important recognition incentive.

Another critical aspect that I want managers and their companies to understand is that once you find a benefits or incentive plan that is successful in your organization you cannot just put it in place and forget it. Employees, their attitudes and what motivates them are ever changing, just like hair styles. I believe Debra Cohen said it best in an interview with Pamela Babcock when she said, “HR professionals not only must create a mix of benefits that retains and motivates what is often a very diverse workforce, but they must continually fine-tune that mix. Employee preferences are a moving target” (Babcock).

In addition, it is crucial to the success of a program that you have a method in place to measure and track the results. Without a quantitative means of measurement, HR personnel will have no means of knowing whether or not the program is being successful. An article entitled “Ten Steps to Designing an Effective Incentive Program,” gives great detail on how to effective start and continue a successful incentive program (Bolger).

Description of Proposed Research

It is my belief and understanding that employees that have