The Situation
Workers at the company of Kroger do not appear motivated since the outbreak of COVID-19 has increased their workload. They are grumbling about not getting paid more even though more is now expected of them. They are stocking shelves more, cleaning the store more, disinfecting carts, and generally working non-stop from start time to finish, whereas they are used to having some down time and things being more leisurely at work. Management is beginning to notice that employee morale is sinking and workers are beginning to slack. Management wonders what it can do to motivate employees.

Two Lenses

Maslow’s (1943) theory of human motivation and the hierarchy of needs stipulates that people are motivated and become self-actualizing when all their needs are met. These needs include the basic human needs of food, shelter, safety, love and affection, a sense of belonging and esteem, and at the top of the pyramid is self-actualization wherein all lower level needs are satisfied and the person is self-motivated out of a sense of self-worth and a desire to do good and be successful.

Rogers’ (1951) theory of congruence is based on the idea that there is a self-image and an ideal self conception that people have. Rogers (1951) states that congruence occurs when the self-image (how one sees oneself) is brought into alignment with one’s self-ideal (what one wants to be). This in turn creates a fulfilled, motivated individual. To reach that point requires some exploration: Rogers (1951) states that “psychological maladjustment…[is the result of a person] denying awareness of significant sensory and visceral experiences” and that “the best vantage point for understanding behavior is from the internal frame of reference of the individual” (p. 495). Thus one has to get inside the head of the individual to understand how they see themselves and what their ideal self looks like.

Practical Implementation of the Intervention

The best way to understand the needs of the workers is for managers to get engaged by interviewing and surveying them. Requesting feedback from workers will always deliver positive results because it makes workers feel like they are engaged and that their views are valued (Kotter, 2012). The responses will also give managers a better idea of what the workers’ needs are and how to satisfy them. Once basic and lower level needs are satisfied, it will be easier for workers to reach the level of self-actualization where they want to pitch in for the common good.

Discussion

Pros and Cons

The pros of the intervention are that it provides managers with greater ability to connect with workers, understand them and create a bond, which is good for transforming the workers into a motivated force and for improving morale. Workers will feel valued and dignified because managers are showing concern for them. The cons are that this is an intensive intervention and requires a great deal of engagement on the part of managers. However, the benefits are that if managers get engaged with their workers to this high degree the rewards can be great because managers are showing the love to workers and workers will in turn pay it forward to co-workers and to consumers who are shopping there.