Abstract
With the vast majority of society having to work, have you ever thought to yourself; “Why do we spend so much time in our lives at work and not enjoying the pleasures of life?” The answer is simple; to meet our needs. There are several theories that explain how our needs impact our daily choices. One such theory from Psychologist Abraham Maslow lists our five basic needs in a hierarchy format. These five basic needs in order are; physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization. (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2008) By working we help meet our most instinctive needs. In today’s society our core needs are usually easily meet with a Wal-Mart in every town. With these needs being fulfilled on a regular basis, what then is driving our actions? A more subtle set of needs start to impact our decisions in life. Studies are staring to show that a person’s motivation is directly linked to how these subtle needs are met. Corporation have taken this idea seriously, the days of just throwing money at the problem are disappearing. Company’s today are starting to implement employee retention programs. These programs have been established to help fulfill individual needs, in turn helping to motivate the employee. The preceding text will discuss what three Fortunes 500 companies (AT&T, Microsoft, and Wal-Mart) are doing to help motivate their employees.
Can you imagine working for a company that states one of its core missions is to take care of its employees? For those that work at Microsoft, it’s a reality. Microsoft invests a lot of resources into retaining and motivating their employees. The most pronounced program that Microsoft offers is an employee advancement program. (Microsoft Corp. 2008)&nbs ...