Workplace Motivation: Most Important Needs and Satisfying Them

A 2014 study by Judge and Papata found that all personality traits are more predictive of job performance when the work was performed in an unstructured environment where employees have the freedom to make personal choices. In addition, the study found that employees’ traits also indicated how they would act in a situation because of those same traits.
According to MacRae, Furnham, and Reed (2018), there are two types of motivation that influence employees, intrinsic and extrinsic. As you likely know, intrinsic motivation comes from that which drives people from within. We are motivated by things like the norms held by our families and by the communities in which we live. For example, if you received many awards for your achievements as you grew up, you may now be motivated toward activities for which you can earn rewards in your adult work.
The second form of motivation, extrinsic, is external. MacRae, Furnham, and Reed (2019) gave several excellent examples of extrinsic motivation factors that include a good salary, steady job, access to medical and other insurance, safe workplaces, and paid time off. These factors are important to every employee, with some more so than others, because all workers have different needs. These factors motivate workers to perform their jobs well so that they keep receiving these rewards.
The intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors employees have is what molds them into who they are as individual employees.
Understanding the role of motivation and attitudes at work is important to understanding why people do what they do (or do not do). It is important to consider the level of accountability at individual, companywide, or nationwide levels to manage performance and ensure ethical conduct takes place. The same is true of understanding all factors of motivating people at work and understanding motives and attitudes.
SLP Assignment
In Module 1, you learned about personality characteristics and how those characteristics affected your behaviors as an employee (and in life in general). In the Module 2 SLP assignment, you will take another test, but this one is about what motivates you. Please take the test at this site (or another site of your choice, or do both tests for comparison of results):
http://www(dot)seemypersonality(dot)com/personality.asp?p=Motivation-Test#q1
For this SLP assignment, after completing the test about what motivates you, address the following questions related to topics covered in this Module in a paper that is 2-3 pages, not counting the cover and reference list pages. Note that when the assignment calls for a submission of 2-3 pages, the professor is hoping for three pages but is willing to accept two full pages.
• What are your top three most important needs, according to the test?
• How do you satisfy these needs?
• Are yor needs the same at home as they are at work?
• How do your needs affect your motivation to do well in life?
• What motivates you to get up every day and go to work?
Then, meet with someone who knows you well: your best friend, a trusted manager, or a coworker, and discuss the results of your motivation test. Write about the results of your personality test and your answers to the above five questions.
Having met with your selected trusted person, is how you see yourself the same as how they see you? In the final submission of this SLP assignment, include a paragraph of at least 150 words (or ½ page double-spaced) covering the highlights of your discussion with that person. (This is in addition to your responses to the five questions above.)
If you are not currently working, you can select a family member, friend, neighbor, or someone else who knows you well to complete this part of the assignment.
Support your responses to the questions in this 2- to 3-page assignment with at least one high-quality reference from the Trident Online Library that is about the concept predominant in this Module, motivation theory. High-quality references come from peer-reviewed academic journals and textbooks. All references must be properly cited and included on the References page.
Remember to spell check your submission. In addition, check for the correct use of basic APA formatting of the document and references, such as the use of Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced paragraphs, paragraphs indented ½ inch, margins on all four sides of the paper set at 1 inch, and bold headings. You can use another formatting style, such as Chicago or MLA, as long as you use it consistently throughout your paper; however, if you use APA formatting, practice using the 7th edition.
This paper is all about you, so it is perfectly fine to respond to the assignment questions in the first person.