Basic needs:

A fair wage, a meal and rest facilities.

Safety needs

Job security, safe working conditions, pension schemes.

Social needs

Met by introducing team work and perhaps providing social facilities like a club or sports pitch.

Self-esteem needs

This is about how others see us at work and can be provided for by rewarding staff with status symbols like cars, offices and new job titles. Allowing staff to gain qualifications at work can boost self-esteem too.

Self-actualisation

Achieving your full potential. A business must ensure that promotion is possible and that there are opportunities to use initiative.

Financial motivators

Money, and the way it is paid, can affect motivation to work. In your exam, you may be asked to calculate wages and bonuses or to compare one type of payment scheme to another. These are some of the most usual payment systems:

Time rate or ’wages’

Paying by the number of hours worked.

Piece rate

Paying by the number of items (pieces) produced.

Overtime

Extra pay for work done over and above normal working hours. It is usually paid at a higher hourly rate, e.g. double time means twice the normal hourly rate.

Shift payments

Usually paid for working unsocial hours such as night work.

Bonus payments

A special single payment for achieving a target.

Profit sharing

A percentage of the company’s profit is shared amongst the workers.