Human Resources - Motivation Employee Term Paper

Modern business has now fully integrated computer technology and Internet connectivity within the professional business environment, but has been comparatively slow to adapt the new reality that many professional business functions are fully capable of being conducted from the home, for at least some significant portion of the typical office employee's work week.

Research Question:

Is it possible to increase employee motivation by providing increased employee input into factors that normally are not subject to employee preference in the professional business environment? Specifically:

To what extent would greater autonomy and individual choice of work shift hours and structure (length of shift, work hours, etc.) improve employee motivation while at work?

To what extent would the opportunity to work from home improve employee satisfaction and therefore, motivation at work?

To what extent is the prospect of improving employee motivation through implementation of greater autonomy in relation to work shift structure and working from home underutilized by professional business corporations? Research Methodology:

The proposed research questions lend themselves particularly well to the collection of relevant research data through anonymous questionnaires distributed to employees. Ideally, the proposed inquiry into employee preference should also include a different inquiry into the perspective of supervisors to determine whether employee preference in this regard is a viable option in terms of its effect on overall integrated business operations. Specifically, the data collection mechanism should include the following types of questions:

What percentage of your typical employment responsibilities do you think could be accomplished equally effectively outside of normal business hours?

What percentage of your typical employment responsibilities do you think could be accomplished equally effectively of premises or at home?

How much would your job satisfaction increase by virtue of the opportunity to adjust your work shift to suit your life away from work?

How much would your job satisfaction increase by virtue of the opportunity to perform at least some of your duties from home instead of the office?

Significance of Study:

The significance of the study is that the complete integration of computer technology into the modern business environment has already made it possible, in a practical sense, for much of routine professional business to be conducted outside of traditional business hours and off premises. Naturally, certain employment functions absolutely require hands-on, on-premises attention and others are too dependent on face- to-face interactions among employees or between employees and customers.

However, to the extent specific vocational performance requirements or particular responsibilities and tasks are capable of being conducted outside of traditional work hours or off premises, affording employees those opportunities can be expected to increase job satisfaction rates significantly. Generally, higher measures of job satisfaction correspond directly to improved employee motivation. Therefore, implementing autonomous employee choice in these areas can be expected to increase employee motivation, improve productivity, and reduce employee turnover, thereby conserving valuable resources and effort in the process necessary to advertise, interview, hire, and train new employees.