Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is based on the pyramid structure, with the most basic needs at the bottom of the structure, working upward to the most critical needs in terms of a person being motivated in the workplace or elsewhere in a productive setting. The Hierarchy of Needs

Humans are in fact beings who want things and need things, Maslow explains. A "need" is a very personal requirement, but when it transcends into a component that is part of a productive process (such as a workplace environment), it falls into Maslow's strategy.

At the most basic level, according to Maslow, a person has physiological needs. These are the things "…we require to survive," including water, food, shelter, clothing and rest (Pride, et al., 2011). Humans are motivated to obtain physiological needs in order to survive and thrive.

The next step on Maslow's hierarchy scale is safety needs. These are human requirements for physical and emotional security, and Pride notes that safety needs can be satisfied a number of ways: job security, health insurance, and pension...

The issue of health insurance is a tricky one these days for employers, and so it is not always possible for an employee to achieve health insurance through his workplace. This reduction in health insurance coverage "…is a threat to employees' need for safety" (Pride, 282). Needless to say all workers are motivated to find permanent employment in a place that offers health insurance and a good pension plan as well.
Social needs are next on the Maslow scale, and that category includes love, affection (through family and friends) and a sense of belonging to something important. Work relationships also provide certain important social needs, and Pride mentions the Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain makes sure that the social needs of employees are met. Each year the company sponsors a retreat for all employees. Not that the company expects its workers to find love and affection at a retreat, but clearly workers know the company cares about them, and hence, certain social needs that workers are motivated to see are in fact met. Author Harold Koontz refers…