The workplace may at times tend to be very stressful, leading to a negative effect on the output and general performance of an organization. However, an employer should always try to find suitable ways to motivate employees to avoid this kind of situation. To achieve the above, managers strive to strike a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. While trying to achieve the above, employers need to appreciate that motivation goes hand in hand with attitudes and should, therefore, inculcate positive energy amongst the staff to ensure they are highly motivated and ultimately strive to achieve better performance.
When managers focus solely on extrinsic rewards and not on their own intrinsic rewards, how can this lead to burnout and depletion of energy?
Passion and emotional fulfillment about successfully carrying out various activities come under threat with the use of extrinsic rewards. According to Ganta (2014), although there are other benefits such as salaries and other incentives available, the real purpose and drive for their efforts might not be realized. They also end up working extra time without considering its effect on their health and wellbeing. This overexertion will eventually leave them with some kind of an emptiness and therefore not fulfilled in whatever task they were leading and thus lead to burnout and depletion of energy.
How can intrinsic rewards influence one’s decision-making and skill building at work?
Intrinsic rewards ensure that a person makes a decision purely from a choice to pursue a worthy cause and from a point of competence where one feels he or she has enough skills to accomplish the task (Ganta, 2014). Further, when one is intrinsically motivated, they will wish to learn more about skills in something about which they are passionate. Therefore, they will not just undertake specific training as routine but rather as a means to beef up on something that they already love.
If you were to look at the manager at your current job, how high or low do you think their intrinsic motivation is? Give examples of how you think this impacts the office atmosphere.
In my current situation, my manager exhibits a low level of intrinsic motivation. For the last financial year, the company failed to reach its target and so it hopes to accomplish this goal this time around. This situation has led to the overworking of most of the employees with the aim of achieving higher profit margins. However, it also had a negative impact on them, whereby they only since they seem to work for their salaries without drawing any fulfillment from their jobs. For example, the general office atmosphere is quite dull and everyone seems busy either trying to meet a deadline or make a sale that will bring maximum profits. In addition, many of the employees show signs of emotional depletion and only seem to look forward to the day’s end and as well as when they can have their annual leave so that they can have a break from their work obligations.
While extrinsic motivation is quite necessary, intrinsic motivation is equally important. Too much focus on one and ignoring the other may have a negative effect on individual performance and ultimately, the entire output of the entire organization. Employers and managers should thereby strive to strike a balance between the two at all times to achieve optimal performance.
References
Ganta, V. C. (2014). Motivation in the workplace to improve the employee performance. International Journal of Engineering Technology, Management and Applied Sciences, 2(6), 221-230.
