Wasted Time at Work and Employee Motivation

On average a worker wastes 2.09 hours a day not including scheduled breaks out of an 8 hour day (Malachowiski, 2007). These workers hang out by the water cooler, make personal phone calls and browse the internet. Each and every day they are wasting the company assets with little concern of its overall effects on the viability of the business.

The problem is one of motivation. Employees are paid a wage regardless of what they actually accomplish for the company. It doesn't matter if they work 2 hours or 10 hours they ultimately get the same pay. Thus it makes sense from an economics stand point that employees want to do the least amount of work for the most amount of money.

The company also has an objective. They want to pay the least amount they can and get the highest amount of work they can. Ultimately the goal of any company is to make money for its shareholders or owners. The more they can keep their labor costs, as well as other costs low the more likely they are to be profitable.

Companies cannot offer lower than market wages unless they are going to recruit entry level workers. They are then bound by the current economics of the market price. Offering lower wages would put them in dire straits in the avenues of skill, efficiency and experience. No company can survive with the worst workers.

Companies do have the opportunity to raise the level of employee motivation and thus efficiency. They can do this by developing a proper culture, changing their compensation structure, appropriate feedback and promotion for excellence. Consider the following:

Culture: Developing a "can do" attitude in employees requires the ability of all managers to say the same message and believe in the company philosophy. Culture is developed by what we say, what we do, what we pay for and what we recognize. The human to human relationships are the pedestal of the culture.

Compensation Structure: Pay people more who do the most work and increase their overall worth to the organization. Those who have the right political connections but don't serve the company well shouldn't be promoted to the next position. It is those who are diligent in their work, bring projects to a satisfactory conclusion, tote the company philosophy and motivate workers who should get promoted and paid more.

Feedback: Annual appraisals are not the only way of giving appropriate feedback. Ensure that these annual appraisals are not inflated and accurately reflect the persons work performance. Include sections that talk about efficiency and positive relationship building. Give encouragement and advice regularly and liberally.