You’ve probably heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Created by psychologist Abraham Maslow, it is a model determining human behaviour and motivation.

The premise is that people’s most basic needs – food, water, shelter and clothes – need to be met before they can continue to the next level.

That is all very well, but what does this have to do with the workplace and more importantly, can this be applied to employee motivation?

Let’s explore the theory in more detail:

  1. Physiological or physical needs – from an employee’s perspective this is about receiving a fair and reasonable salary, enabling them to meet their most basic needs, for them and their family. Benchmark your salaries against comparable businesses, to ensure you remain competitive.
  2. Safety and security needs – think security, structure and stability. Ensure your premises are safe for all your team to work. Have clear working practices and policies to protect your employees.
  3. Social needs – in the work environment this is about belonging to a group, trust and acceptance. You can help this through regular team briefings, actively encouraging teamwork, and organising events for your team to socialise and get to know each other better.
  4. Self-esteem – for the employee this is status, reputation, responsibility, respect and confidence. To support this as a minimum you need to be running regular one to one sessions, and performance management. Better still, give employees the freedom and autonomy to perform their roles, and implement employee achievement rewards for outstanding performance.
  5. Self-actualisation – the focus for this in the workplace is personal growth and development. Support your team with innovative challenges and opportunities, stretching career goals, and personal development plans, with clear succession goals. Coaching and mentoring for the next level can also be very effective at this level.

Don’t think this means you have to go away and implement all of this in your business. But look at the basics first – have you really done all you need to, to make your staff feel safe and secure, and ensure they are well paid? These things directly impact employee motivation, which can make or break a business.

If you have, then maybe it is time to explore the next stage. If you would like help with this in your business, please contact us on 01256 328 428.