The Two-Factor Theory of Herzberg


Herzberg's Two Factor Theory, often known as the Motivation-Hygiene Theory, is one of the methods for identifying internal factors that influence worker happiness and discontent. The groups of motivation components in this theory are motivators' factor and hygiene factors. The function of motivators is to improve job happiness, whereas hygiene factors reduce job satisfaction. The job substance of the task itself is a motivator element. It is an attempt to encourage individuals to work harder and reach greater goals such as accomplishment, recognition, and progress. Hotel policy, work conditions, remuneration, and job security are examples of hygiene elements that are concerned with the employment environment and are external to the job itself. 

According to Herzberg, maintaining a clean work environment is essential for preventing employee unhappiness. Because the two-factor theory states that motivational and hygienic elements must be addressed separately, hotel management should grasp what hygiene factors are and how to enhance them(Bélanger, 1979). 

Figure 1: Telemarketing (2007).

Let’s take a look at the factors affecting hygiene, according to Herzberg: 

 • Compensation: Low pay will rapidly lead to employee unhappiness. Employees should be suitably rewarded in order to keep discontent low, considering the present pandemic situation in the sector of hospitality. 

• Benefits: Most full-time employees demand fringe benefits, which come under the area of hygiene. The hotel management should make sure that the perks they offer are comparable to those offered by other hotels in their sector. 

• Job security: When employees feel safe in their jobs, which is understandable considering the high rate of turnover, they are considerably less likely to be dissatisfied at work. 


In terms of productivity and general worker pleasure, the gap between low and strong motivation in the workplace might be significant. According to Herzberg, elements that motivate people to work generally involve providing them a higher feeling of purpose and significance in their current job. and here are a few examples: 

• Recognizing employees for their hard work is an important part of enhancing job satisfaction. According to motivation theory, when employees are commended and rewarded for a job well done, their performance increases. 

 • Giving staff more autonomy and responsibility inside the hotel is a crucial aspect of Herzog's motivator-hygiene theory. 

• Meaningful work: As much as feasible, hotel management should attempt to provide meaningful work for their staff and show them how their efforts contribute to a larger final result. Many occupations need some mindless, mundane labor, but the more companies can convince employees that their tasks are valuable, the more motivated they will be to work. Given that hotels are now short on personnel and have few opportunities to acquire new talent, this would be an excellent opportunity to inspire and reward those who already work there.

Herzberg's Theory of Inspiration reveals that there are a few elements present at work that results in job satisfaction or dissatisfaction. It is fundamental and prescriptive. The theory is based on pay and recognition. 

___________________________________


Reference List

Bélanger, L. (1979). Essentials of Personnal Management, par Michel S. Novit, New-Jersey, Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, 1979, 243 pp. Personnel: The Management of Human Ressources,par Stephen P. Robbins, New Jersey, Prentice Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, 1978, 393 pp. Relations industrielles, 34(4), p.836. doi:10.7202/029029ar. 

Telemarketing, B. D. I., 2022. Herzberg two-factor theory and Lead generation marketing. [Online] Available at: https://www.bluedonkey.co.uk/herzberg-two-factor-theory-lead-generation/ [Accessed 2 May 2022].

Comments

  1. Thanuja SajaniMay 7, 2022 at 4:34 PM

    Hi Melanie, Interesting post on two factor theory of employee motivation.
    The two-factor motivation theory, otherwise known as Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory or dual-factor theory, argues that there are separate sets of mutually exclusive factors in the workplace that either cause job satisfaction or dissatisfaction (Herzberg, 1966; 1982; 1991; Herzberg, Mausner, & Snyderman, 1959).
    According to the industrial experience which i have, motivational factors in a work place really important to increase employee performance and productivity. it is a best tool to get employees effort willingly to achieve organizational objectives. in contrast hygiene factors creates lot of grievances and negative impact on both employee's performance and organizational growth . it creates visible non compliance and impacts in future also. with the continuation of hygiene factors like, poor relationship with leaders, salary issues , lack of recognition, poor job security resulted to decrease entire department functions with the high employee turnover.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melanie MalcolmMay 11, 2022 at 2:40 PM

      Hi Thanuja, thank you for sharing your comments. Did you also know that Herzberg's theory have been criticized by many where some states that the two factors aren't much different from each other. Some even say that the theory has been oversimplified to lose it's final goal (iEduNote, 2017)

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Employee motivation in the Hospitality industry

Image
  The word "Hospitality" transformed from "Hospice" derived from the medieval times when people offered accomodation and a place to rest for weary travelers (Johnson, 2010). The act of receiving guests as an act of goodwill to provide comfort and care is the essence of hospitality. It can be further extended by providing additional services as reception and entertainment. Overtime it turned into an industry when multiple people and companies offered the same service as a business. Today the hospitality industry has significantly evolved with the involvement of technology and the competition embedded within.  Employees of Sri Lankan hospitality industry The hospitality industry of Sri Lanka witnessed an extreme growth in business after the end of its three decade long civil war. At one point it contributed to the foreign exchange earner of the country as the third highest. As of 31st March 2018, Sri Lanka had around 2,131 establishments under the tourist accommodatio...
Read more

Challenges of Employee Motivation

Image
What is it that keeps us from being motivated?  Are there any motivational issues we've had to deal with?  How do we change it?  Can we identify them as challenges to find a solution for it? It should go without saying that a driven person would behave in such a way that he or she will maximize the chances of accomplishing goals. Therefore, this post will look into the challenges of employee motivation as it has been said in my previous posts that employee motivation is critical to a company's success.  Let's consider a worker who isn't extremely determined working. They are presumably working all the more leisurely, deferring obligations, and squandering life on their telephones. They are oblivious to their current circumstance and aren't investing any energy in their assigned tasks. This isn't just a misuse of assets but it might also affect other employees. It can keep an organization from creating excellent work or accomplishing vital cutoff times. On the op...
Read more

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

Image
Abraham Maslow proposed a theory that is focused on the fulfilment of human needs in order to develop motivation. Physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization requirements are all motivational needs. To begin, physiological needs such as food, shelter, and clothing are the most important. These requirements can be met by obtaining a pay and wages, as well as creating a safe working environment. Second, safety concerns both physical and financial security(Kioko, 2018). This demand can be met by the company by offering benefits such as retirement programs. Finally, social needs refer to a person's desire to belong and be accepted by others. Employees desire positive interpersonal relationships in order to participate in collaboration. Fourth, esteem wants are the desires to be recognized by others, such as societal value, which eventually leads to self-respect and prestige. Finally, self-actualization refers to a person's desire to reach t...
Read more