Employee Motivation in Low Income Earning Jobs: a Case Study of Subway Essay Example
Chapter 1
Introduction
Background to the study
A motivated employee works hard and effectively because of the satisfactory feeling of fulfillment. In business management, motivation is an important research field. Over the years, there have been many motivation theories developed. One of the most famous theories is on the basis of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Maslow (1954) argued that individuals have a hierarchy of needs, and true motivation is achieved by fulfilling higher level of needs. Emphasized by various motivation theories, income (money) has been an essential factor which can affect motivation. Someone who has low income jobs tends to have low motivation. Consequently, low motivation will result in low effectiveness and high rate of staff turnover, which has a negative influence on company’s performances. As a multi-national company, Subway has achieved international success over the years. In the UK and Ireland, since the first store opened in 1996, Subway is continuing to expand at a substantial rate, with an average of five stores opening every week (www.subway.co.uk). During the past two years, Subway has provided more than 7000 jobs in UK and Ireland (www.subway.co.uk). Therefore, the research based the case study of Subway will have a wide range of indications in terms of employee motivation.
Statement of the problem
Self motivation only exists when people agree that there is a beneficial relationship between their behavior and their desired results. If an employee is only working in a low income working place because of money, it will be difficult to motivate them because it is very hard to convince them that they are staying in the best place for themselves. As a result, the rate of employee turnover is comparatively high. Motivation therefore has become a big issue to both employees and managers. From employees’ perspective, they have to find the factors which can keep them motivated. From managers’ perspective, they have to find
Introduction
Background to the study
A motivated employee works hard and effectively because of the satisfactory feeling of fulfillment. In business management, motivation is an important research field. Over the years, there have been many motivation theories developed. One of the most famous theories is on the basis of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Maslow (1954) argued that individuals have a hierarchy of needs, and true motivation is achieved by fulfilling higher level of needs. Emphasized by various motivation theories, income (money) has been an essential factor which can affect motivation. Someone who has low income jobs tends to have low motivation. Consequently, low motivation will result in low effectiveness and high rate of staff turnover, which has a negative influence on company’s performances. As a multi-national company, Subway has achieved international success over the years. In the UK and Ireland, since the first store opened in 1996, Subway is continuing to expand at a substantial rate, with an average of five stores opening every week (www.subway.co.uk). During the past two years, Subway has provided more than 7000 jobs in UK and Ireland (www.subway.co.uk). Therefore, the research based the case study of Subway will have a wide range of indications in terms of employee motivation.
Statement of the problem
Self motivation only exists when people agree that there is a beneficial relationship between their behavior and their desired results. If an employee is only working in a low income working place because of money, it will be difficult to motivate them because it is very hard to convince them that they are staying in the best place for themselves. As a result, the rate of employee turnover is comparatively high. Motivation therefore has become a big issue to both employees and managers. From employees’ perspective, they have to find the factors which can keep them motivated. From managers’ perspective, they have to find