EFFECT OF REWARD SYSTEM ON THE MOTIVATIONAL LEVEL OF EMPLOYEES;

A SURVEY OF SELECTED INVESTMENT COMPANIES IN LAGOS METROPOLIS

ABSTRACT

The research is an appraisal of the effect of reward system on the motivational level of employees; it analyzes the concept of reward system, types and significance as a motivational strategy. Organizations must learn to align reward policies and types in line with employee’s aspirations in other to maximize employee productivity.

INTRODUCTION

Reward system is an important tool that management can use to channel employee motivation in desired ways. In other words, reward systems seek to attract people to join  the organization to keep them coming to work, and motivate them to perform to high levels. The reward system consists of all organization components – including people processes rules and decision making activities involved in the allocate of compensation and benefits to employees in exchange for their contribution to the organization.

In order for an organization to meet its obligations toshareholders, employees and society, its top management must develop a relationship between the organization and employees that will fulfill the continually changing needs of both parties. At a minimum the organization expects employees to perform reliably the tasks assigned to them and at the standards set for them, and to follow the rules that have been established to govern the workplace. Management often expects more: that employees take initiative, supervise themselves, continue to learn new skills, and be responsive to business needs. At a minimum, employees expect their organization to provide fair pay, safe working conditions, and fair treatment. Like management, employees often expect more, depending on the strength of their needs for security, status, involvement, challenge, power, and responsibility. Just how ambitious the expectations of each party are, vary from organization to organization. For organizations to address these expectations an understanding of employee motivation is required (Beer, Spector, Lawrence, Mills, & Walton, 1984). Baron (1983) defines motivation as “a set of processes concerned with the force that energizes behavior and directs it towards attaining some goal.” Kreitner and Kinicki (1992) 1 postulate that motivation represents “those psychological processes that cause the arousal, direction and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal directed.” If it is the role of managers to successfully guide employees toward accomplishing organizational objectives, it is imperative that they understand these psychological processes. Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn (1991) conceptualizes motivation as based on content and process approaches. The content theories of motivation emphasize the reasons for motivated behavior and/or what causes it. These theories specify the correlates of motivated behavior that is states, feelings or attitudes associated with motivated behavior, and help to represent physiological or psychological deficiencies that an individual feels some compulsion to eliminate. Establishing this balance and meeting this need is one of the first reasons, according to Deeprose (1994) to reward and recognize employees. Formal reward programme which denote financial rewards such as salary, fringe benefits, bonuses, promotions or share

 

CHAPTER 1

 

1.1         BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Increasingly, organizations are realizing that they have to establish an equitable balance between the employee’s contribution to the organization and the organization’s contribution to the employee. Establishing this balance is one of the main reasons to reward employees. Organizations that follow a strategic approach to creating this balance focus on the three main components of a reward system, which includes, compensation, benefits and recognition. Studies that have been conducted on the topic indicates that the most common problem in organizations today is that they miss the important component of Reward, which isthe low-cost, high-return ingredient to a well-balanced reward system. A key focus of recognition is to make employees feel appreciated and valued. Research has proven that employees whoget recognized tend to have higher self-esteem, more confidence, more willingness to take onnew challenges and more eagerness to be innovative.

The research intends to investigate the effect of reward system on the motivational level of employees

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

        The problem confronting this research is to appraise the effect of reward system on the motivational level of employees; with a case study of selected investment companies in Lagos Metropolis.

1.3     RESEARCH    QUESTION

1      What is the nature of reward system?

2      What is employee motivation?

3      What is the effect of reward system on the motivational level of employees?

4      What   is  the nature of reward system of selected investment companies in Lagos Metropolis?

1.4   OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

1      To appraise the nature of reward system

2      To appraise the nature of employee motivation

3    To determine the effect of reward system on the motivational level of  employees

4    To determine the effect of reward system on the motivational level of employees of selected investment companies in lagos metropolis.

             The study shall project the importance of reward system on the motivational level of employees and shall serve as a source of information for managers, human resource experts,etc.

1.5              STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESIS

1      H0   Motivational level of employees in selected investment                     companies in Lagos is low

        H1    Motivational  level of employees in selected investment                   companies in Lagos is high

2      H0    Reward system in selected investment companies in                       Lagos is low

H1   Reward system in selected investment companies in Lagos is high

3              H0    The effect of  reward system on employee motivational                    level  in selected investment companies in Lagos is low

         H1  The effect of reward system on employee motivational                     level in selected investment companies in Lagos is high.

1.7        SCOPE OF THE STUDY

       The study is an investigation into the effect of reward system on the motivational level of employees with a case study of selected investment companies in Lagos metropolis

1.8      DEFINITION OF TERMS

REWARD  SYSTEM  

Reward system is an important tool that management can use to channel employee motivation in desired ways. In other words, reward systems seek to attract people to join  the organization to keep them coming to work, and motivate them to perform to high levels. The reward system consists of all organization components – including people processes rules and decision making activities involved in the allocate of compensation and benefits to employees in exchange for their contribution to the

organization.

MOTIVATION

(Beer, Spector,Lawrence, Mills, & Walton, 1984). Baron (1983) defines motivation as “a set of processes concerned with the force that energizes behavior and directs it towards attaining some goal.” Kreitner and Kinicki (1992) 1 postulate that motivation represents “those psychological processes that cause the arousal, direction and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal directed.” If it is the role of managers to successfully guide employees toward accomplishing organizational objectives, it is imperative that they understand these psychological processes. Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn (1991) conceptualizes motivation as based on content and process approaches. The content theories of motivation emphasize the reasons for motivated behavior and/or what causes it.

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