Movating Todays Workforce

Sarah Falls
15 March 2014
Human Resource Management
Final Paper
Motivating Employees in today’s Workforce
I am a fast food manager.   When I walk into work in the mornings, it is always a challenge of wondering what the issue of the day will be.   Will it be customer complaints, food delivery issues, or employee issues? The employee issues are the hardest to manage day in and day out.   Attempting to motivate minimum wage employees to go above and beyond in today’s workplace is a definite challenge.   Employees in this industry can easily go to any food service establishment and make the same pay that they are currently making.   It is my job as a manager to motivate them to stay, and I need to do it on a very strict budget.   A budget in fact that allows for no monetary compensation.   Everyone of course wants to make more money, but the intrinsic motivation is not always present, despite wanting to make more hourly.   Employees in today’s workforce can be motivated by non-monetary incentives, praise, and employee empowerment to reduce turnover.  
With the growing decline of economy, more employers are using non-monetary incentives to motivate employees, yielding positive results.   While everyone needs money for the expenses of everyday life, most current and long-standing employees rarely view cash as good motivation.   If an employer pays fairly, employees desire appreciation and other non-monetary rewards in exchange for a job well done.   This trend is becoming more popular as businesses explore ways to motivate employees without breaking the budget (Heffes).   The benefits are far greater for business to offer what employees desire: opportunity to grow, flexible hours, recognition, opportunity to contribute, and autonomy, than to compensate employees with cash.
Although everyone needs money to obtain the smallest of essentials to live, employees prefer the benefits of non-monetary gifts and incentives for motivation in the workplace.   When employees receive...