Employee Motivation and Flexible Work Arrangements: Research Proposal

Introduction: Employee Motivation and Business Performance

Employee motivation is one of the most important factors in maintaining business productivity and a competitive edge in the modern business environment. In addition to maximizing output, highly motivated employees work more efficiently and reduce overhead costs by minimizing employee turnover rates. With every new hire representing significantly higher costs than the cost of retaining a motivated employee, motivation is especially important in connection with reducing long-term employee turnover.

The factors contributing to employee motivation are varied and include operational elements of specific employment responsibilities, employees' perceptions of management, relationships with coworkers and supervisors, and general perceptions about the work environment and the corporate mission statement and values. One of the most overlooked components of employee motivation relates to matters that are not normally direct functions of employment while actually engaged in work — namely, the degree to which employment responsibilities comport with employees' personal and family lives and schedules outside of work.

These are often precisely the aspects of employment that factor most directly into employee satisfaction, and are therefore foremost on the minds of prospective employees before accepting job offers. Paradoxically, they are also the aspects of employment over which employees typically have the least control once hired, yet they contribute substantially to long-term satisfaction and motivation.

The modern professional business environment has incorporated computer technology to such a degree that many traditional job functions are now completely capable of being conducted outside traditional business hours and off premises. Employees whose positions require them to adhere to rigid traditional schedules are likely to be less satisfied in their employment than employees whose positions allow flexibility in this regard.

Because employee satisfaction relates directly to employee motivation, and employee motivation relates directly to business productivity and employment longevity, it would be in the distinct interest of employers to investigate the degree to which their business operations are conducive to improving employee motivation. This could be achieved by incorporating flexibility with respect to work shift hours and by providing the opportunity to conduct business at home where appropriate.