Motivation in the workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Motivation in the workplace - Essay Example A way to ensure that governmental workers do their jobs correctly is by keeping them motivated. The person responsible to ensure that public servants are motivated is the manager. Managers have to use their people skills and leadership to motivate public workers. A lack of leadership by governmental leaders can lead to disastrous results for a public agency. It is important for managers to always keep the lines of communication open. Communication in the workplace can be enhanced by providing training and development. Active listening skills are also important. A way to motivate public workers is by empowering the staff. â€Å"Empowerment is the process of increasing the capacity of individuals or groups to make choices and to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes† (Worldbank, 2011). Empowering the employees allows the workers to make more decisions on their own without a manager harassing them over every single detail or decision. A theory of motivation that can be used by the managers of public agencies to improve the motivation of the workers is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is composed of a pyramid of lower order and higher order needs. The five needs of Maslow’s hierarchy are physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. The physiological needs are the most basic of all human needs which include biological maintenance, need for food, water, and substance. To comply with these needs the manager of a governmental institution must provide the employees with a lunch hour and two fifteen minutes breaks, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. There should be a lunch room in the facility with a refrigerator and a water fountain. The safety need deals with the need for security, protection, and stability. This need can be met by the manager of a governmental entity by hiring a security guard to