Maslow 

Motivation is a key part of everyday life so on that point I have chosen Maslow's theory which essentially consists of 5 levels of human needs which employees need to have fulfilled at work. The five levels of human needs are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs and self actualisation. All of the needs are structured into a hierarchy and only once a lower level of need has been fully met, would a worker be motivated by the opportunity of having the next need up in the hierarchy satisfied. A business should offer different incentives to workers in order to help them fulfil each need in turn and progress up the hierarchy. Managers should also recognise that workers are not all motivated in the same way and do not all moves up the hierarchy at the same pace therefore have to offer a slightly different set of incentives to their workers. (Simpson. 2012)

Physiology

Repetition is a key part of employment that’s why I believe a decent contract which consists of a decent wage, satisfactory hours of employment, a reasonable lunch break alongside holidays and sick days play a big part in motivating yourself mentally to getting up early out of the warm comforts of your bed especially when you’re feeling lethargic, to go to work for the majority of the day does prove to be difficult but the monthly pay is what everyone looks forward to.

Safety

To proceed to the next stage would be to have an added level of security whilst working, so financial security for example paying the bills is a big worry for most people and other costs such as transport, living costs etc… also knowing the workplace which you commute to is in a safe area where the public health and safety services are nearby and there is secure car parking provided to prevent theft or damage including relative safety from abuse, violence from the public.

Social

One of the more important topics is the social aspect finding unity amongst colleagues is difficult as their will be differences but forming bonds with them can help you to enjoy work more by passing the day with each other’s communication which could be even little things as experiences over the weekend or banter about football matches. If you’re comfortable with the people around you then going to work becomes less than a need due to the fact you may actually want to go to work to catch up with colleagues.

Esteem

Obtaining gratitude after consistently working hard at work and not complaining, helps a great deal after getting praised you usually feel happy especially when you know you’ve worked exceptionally hard or if you have been having a bad day which in turn drives you to do better.

Self-actualization

Finally we have laid the foundation to a good future, part of this section I believe covers becoming proficient in what you do. I’m under the opinion is knowledge is power, if you already know what to do there is never any doubt which therefore means stress levels are at a low and means moving onto better things is an ideal option because it opens a lot more career paths for someone who is at the top of their game which therefore leads to commanding a better salary.    (Tutor2u, n.d.)

 Motivation

I chose BTEC National Diploma in Business because I had a basic GCSE level of understanding of the business world and I knew it was a popular choice as a career path. During my course I had a lot of time to think about which field of business I wanted to go into for further education as business is a vast industry as time went on I developed an interest for the accounting side for an organisation because the salary I could command would be suitable for my lifestyle and future aspirations in terms of going abroad for holidays and much more. I have always excelled at what I have done so I believe I am laying the correct foundations for a better future slowly but surely I climbing the ladder of success which will get me to the very top of the Maslow hierarchy. As a current employee as a carer for the elderly I work over the course of the weekend for 14 hours  so I feel like Maslow’s theory is relevant as they all apply to me. I feel currently I am on the third level and I am progressing onto the fourth level mainly because college was the past and university is my life for the next 3 years. I have met wonderful people here who I have formed good relations and I socialise with them in and out of university. The mind tends to wander during lectures and breaks so it’s nice having companionship to pass the time with.

De-motivation

The time where I lost motivation was at work when I looked at the time and realised I had still another 10 hours to go as I was doing an extremely late as I was asked for the first time by my manager and thought well yes i could do with the extra money, it’s a joke after working really hard at work I received no gratitude from none of my peers or DRP on duty. I think self-motivation is vital and it’s what will get you through the day regardless of appraisals, you need to focus on ways that you can motivate yourself.

Conclusion

To summarise I think self-motivation is key when working because not everything will go your way. I think to some extent some things are needed however most of these things like pay hours etc… are set as a law now so you will almost never go without I agree with the social aspect and self esteem however I also believe to progress in life a lot has to be done yourself and to expect is to regret as nothing will be handed to you on a plate theirs a saying you cant expect help till you help yourself first Thomas Fuller said  "All things are difficult before they are easy".

References:

Simpson (2012) PowerPoint Presentation

Tutor2u (n.d.) Motivation in theory - Maslows hierarchy of needs [online]. available from: http://tutor2u.net/business/people/motivation_theory_maslow.asp [assessed date: 4th May 2012]