Motivational Theories and Factors Essay

Stress and conflict in the workplace can cause major emotional and physical damage to the facility and workers. In the past, there have been reports of tragedies caused by disgruntled workers who may have clocked in with a gun in hand. We are going to look into ‘three motivational theories including the relationship of stress and conflict in relation to individual motivations. ’ Many factors can motivate employees while at work. Some of the motivating factors could include the structure of the lives of the employees before they became employed. Personality is a big factor in employee performance and motivation. Someone that is an introvert may not have the same mind set as an extrovert. This will definitely dictate how that employee behaves and responds to directives at work. Turmoil has happened in recent years in workplace settings. Let us take a closer look at a tragic workplace incident. Omar Thornton was a thirty-four year old black delivery driver in Manchester Connecticut. On August 4, 2010, he signed his resignation papers in front of witnesses after he saw video footage of him stealing beer from his company. Before leaving the room he reportedly pulled a gun and started randomly shooting workers he came across. In the end, he killed eight, leaving two wounded before he killed himself. Thornton’s relatives and girlfriend said he had been harassed in a racial manner. This story is not the only one we have seen in the news. It proves that motivation can be a source of good behavior or negative. In Thornton’s case he was motivated by what he thought to be racially aimed mistreatment from his white co workers. This caused him to become stressed and it reached a deadly point of conflict, a him against them scenario. In the real world, no employee should allow their job stress to motivate them to take lives or destroy property. Stress can lead to serious consequences, whether it becomes a health issue or affects performance in a negative way. If employees are in constant conflict over management issues, pay working conditions or other concerns, this can lead to low moral among the employee congregation. It won’t matter if all employees are involved in the struggle, dissatisfaction can spread like sand into each individual’s boundaries. It will be the main topic around the water cooler each day. The job for management is to keep employees motivated in the right direction for the good of the company and its productivity. Management can help decrease the incidents of job dissatisfaction by following these steps. Positive reinforcement should always follow an employees job well done. When problems or disagreements arise the discipline should fit the crime. All persons who live up to their expected performance should be treated in a fair respectful manner. Goals should always be well pronounced so that no employee will say they didn’t know what was expected of them. Some jobs may need to be restructured to generate better productivity. All employees who perform in an acceptable capacity should be rewarded fro their compliance. Increased pay or a truck load of benefits may not always be at the top of the list when it comes to employee motivation. People want to feel needed and appreciated on the job. They want to know that their work is worth something. So, to decrease the incidents of stress, unfairness which can lead to conflict and disgruntled or dissatisfied employees, companies need to place value on employees who are doing what they are asked. When conflicts arise, there should be a procedure in place to allow every voice to be heard. When I am involved in stressful work situations, I bring it to the attention of my department manager. I do not attack an individual, I attack the cause of the problem. I follow the company’s guidelines for resolution, it has always worked for me. Since I started this class, I have learned that positive external motivation can also decrease or prevent stress in the workplace. So there should be a plan already in place to head off negative incidents.