What Drives HR Professionals to Stay Motivated? Share Your Personal Motivators!

I discussed it with many HR professionals, seasoned as well as fresh graduates, and most of them have listed that one of their key responsibilities is to “keep employees motivated.” So, my question is: what motivates HR professionals to keep up the good work? What motivates all members of CiteHR? What keeps them going? Kindly share your motivators.

As an HR professional, recognition is the best motivating tool for me. Recognition does not necessarily mean monetary awards, but rather the simple act of patting my back in front of everyone. It brings me a lot of happiness and motivates me to continually improve.

Thanks and Regards,
Seema Saini

As a professional, two things are very important for oneself:

1. Clarity of role (KRA).
2. Next role I am eligible for (Next Level).

As an HR professional, the above two aspects become more crucial since only a motivated person can inspire others. Personally speaking, as an ER person, as long as my new initiatives are gaining recognition and spreading my name, I find myself motivated.

I personally get motivated by the following things:

1. If an opportunity is given to participate in development activities.
2. Receiving positive feedback for any initiative from my boss.
3. Working in an open culture.

Regards,
Sagar Modi

Thank you so much, Mr. Sanjeev, for showing your understanding on this. Well, I hope you enjoyed a lot, but I think you need more clarification from my side and need to take this subject very seriously. I hope this time you won't find it funny.

You have used a statement ("one of their key responsibilities is to 'keep employees motivated'") but seem to have forgotten to understand what you were saying or asking here. But it's okay, now I feel it is really important to clear your doubts here.

Why HR Professionals Feel the Need to Motivate Employees

Why HR professionals feel it's required and necessary to "motivate their employees" and what motivates them to do so is the main thing in your query if you try to understand this. I have tried to convey the same.

As we all know, the right people are critical to the success of the organization. There is no room for driftwood or coasters, and motivated staff work better and harder and play a really important role in achieving our organizational goals and achievements. Just because of this, we always search for the best fits for our organization. Another fact is that we can't always expect the same best performance from our best fits/experts/motivated employees, though we all know they are the best. One day they certainly need to get motivated, and for this purpose, HR professionals feel the need to take the corrective and required action and motivate their employees. Motivation comes from wanting to do what is right for people and the organization, which is a need.

Why Do We Need Motivated Employees?

If I tried to define it, the question is why do we need motivated employees? The answer is survival. Motivated employees are needed in our rapidly changing workplaces, and to be effective, managers need to understand that and do something about it. Again, there comes a need, which motivates managers and professionals to do this.

Purpose, need, and requirement motivate HR professionals to keep up the good work (in your language that you have used above).

I can share more, but I hope and wish this time you can understand the actual thing here.

Regards.

And one more thing, Mr. Sanjeev, what I forgot to tell you is, please do not forget to enjoy your work, reading, and the things around you, which also work as a motivator and a very important thing for you and for all of us if you could understand this. I am here to learn and enjoy my learning. Nice to meet you!!

Regards

Dear Sanjeev, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Role of Human Resources in Organizational Success

The aim of any organization is to achieve continuous maximum output. This requires some kind of machinery or implements on one hand. On the other hand, to utilize these to optimum effect, they need personnel or 'Human Resources'.

While machinery and implements are important and need to be of good quality, they can only produce quality products depending on the quality of the human resources employed. Good implements in the hands of poorly selected, poorly trained, and poorly motivated employees will yield poor output, leading to losses detrimental to the organization.

Employees as Key to Productivity

Hence, it is obvious that employees are 'Key' to the productivity of any organization. While good machinery and implements require money to purchase off the shelf and install, human resources have to be dealt with in greater complexity.

The Role of HR Managers

HR Managers are key figures in hiring the correct employees, integrating them into the culture of the organization, training them, retaining them, and looking after their welfare to keep them motivated to perform at optimum levels. Any compromise on these issues leads to breakdowns or slowdowns, which ultimately result in irreversible downward spirals. Hence, HR Managers, by default, are key to the well-being of any organization. They draw their inspiration from both satisfied employers and satisfied employees.

It is obvious that they need to be acknowledged for their importance and demonstrated competence.

Motivating HR Managers

Hence, the bottom line is that 'It is important to keep HR Managers well-motivated to perform at peak levels'. To achieve this, the primary tool is appreciation and full backing by the organization. The icing on the cake is 'A happy, appreciative, satisfied, loyal, and motivated lot of employees' and 'Optimum Production'!

It is a vicious circle, but fortunately, it is one that works to the advantage of everyone!

With warm winter regards.

Regards,
Colonel Gahlot, Proprietor
'TRURECRUIT'

Salary is the main component. Of course, other components like job profile, present boss, existing team, and social benefits are also required to keep employees motivated.

Your question is good. As an HR professional, my opinion is that only motivated people can inspire others. The following are some factors that motivate HR professionals:

1. Aim and Learning
2. Challenges and New Opportunities
3. New Initiatives
4. Best Work and Appreciation
5. Job Satisfaction and Improved Job Performance

Furthermore, my learning and experience not only satisfy me but also those around me (employees, workers, colleagues, and management, as well as individuals who may not be professionals but are involved in my daily routine). This brings me a great deal of happiness and motivates me to continually strive for improvement. Additionally, my market value (monetary value) serves as a source of motivation for me.

These are my views; I hope you will find them agreeable.

Regards,
Dev
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

The prime motivation in HR for me is dealing with human beings, whether they are uneducated, lowly educated, or highly qualified and experienced. Dealing with each person as a human being in terms of official and personal issues gives me learning and insight into a human perspective, which can see various angles and depths. HR is a truly blessed profession. It has its own irritating moments as well for many, but when you are unbiased, not taking any sides, and do not show any favoritism to anybody, one stands tall and recognized.

Regards,
Sridhar N

Dear Mr. Sanjiv & Fraternity Friends, I believe the discussion has veered away from the initial simple yet challenging question. The role of an HR Manager is demanding as they must navigate the expectations of both the employer and employees. The ability to achieve this balance serves as a motivating factor for me. Furthermore, various factors come into play when determining what motivates individuals, making it challenging to generalize, whether the individual is an HR professional or works in another function.

I hope you concur with my perspective.

Thanks,

Regards, S R Shivrayan

Agreed, and that is the reason why I have emphasized the need and requirement of employees and employers. This falls under the most challenging job of HR professionals in today's modern HR.

The Equation of Job Performance

As we all know, Job performance = f(ability)(motivation) = Employee's best contribution / best fit for the organization, which are the basis of HR/HRM/HRP/HRD and the biggest challenge. We require these to achieve our organizational goals, mission, and vision, as well as society's welfare (beneficial to employees for their needs).

Regards,
S R Shivrayan

If you motivate someone for better performance, retention, to do a good job for the organization, and take care of employees' welfare, which leads to employee satisfaction, and convince management for your proposal for better increments, etc., that is good enough to motivate yourself as an HR professional.

As far as 'Cite HR' is concerned, every day there are new topics to learn and new views to explore, which help us sharpen our skills in the HR field. These are more than enough motivational ways.

VIEW POSITIVE, THINK POSITIVE, AND APPROACH POSITIVE... OVERALL, BE POSITIVE. THIS IS THE BEST 'MANTRA' TO MOTIVATE ONESELF.

Regards,
Ram

In my view, I can work for 15 hours if required by my organization. However, in return, I expect motivating words with a genuine smile from my boss as recognition of my hard work and independent job profile. My work should be uninterrupted by anyone, and whatever the result, I should receive it. This should be followed by monetary benefits and self-esteem needs.

Thank you.

As we all know, managers are responsible for the motivation of employees. However, the question Mr. Sanjeev has raised is: What motivates HR Managers/Professionals to do this work? What motivates them to get the work done by their employees efficiently, and why do they feel it is required?

These are the basic questions we are exploring the answers to, and we want to discuss them here. As individuals or employees, we can express what we want, but as managers, what compels us to motivate employees?

The Role of Human Resources

Human Resources sets the context and provides the tools to manage motivation, but managers have to play their role. We are discussing here the role of a MANAGER.

I would like to thank all the members who have contributed here and Mr. Sanjeev for raising this question, but I want more views on that. Think about the role of a manager: “What Motivates him/her?”

Understanding Motivation in the Workplace

Motivation means energizing a person to do work that may be physically or psychologically demanding. Before that, we need recognition of employees. Physical factors can energize a person for a certain period of time, but psychological factors help to identify employees' interior problems and find solutions for them.

Regards,

What motivates HR professionals?

1. A clear job role.
2. Progression in terms of roles.
3. Management's encouragement of HR professionals by assigning challenging tasks to foster learning.

Thank you.

Dear Mr. Arora, A true professional likes to do a job well. The reward is in the aim achieved. His/her motivations, correctly speaking, should be 'Job Satisfaction,' acknowledgment and appreciation by superiors, and admiration by peers. Such a scenario automatically leads to career progression as well as monetary benefits. A rise in self-esteem will also result in higher motivation levels.

That is how it should be. But to each his own. There will be individuals who may have very different parameters for staying motivated. It would not be appropriate to discuss/list such factors.

I hope I have been able to answer your query.

Warm regards,
Aye.
Colonel Gahlot

When I was studying Marketing and Management, my marketing professor used to say, "THERE ARE TWO MOTIVATING FACTORS FOR HUMANS. ONE IS GREED AND THE OTHER IS FEAR." During my tenure as a marketing manager for 25 years, I observed this to be true, and I also used this to successfully motivate my subordinates.

When I was studying Marketing and Management, my professor of marketing used to say, "THERE ARE TWO MOTIVATING FACTORS FOR HUMANS. ONE IS GREED AND ANOTHER IS FEAR." During my tenure as a marketing manager for 25 years, I observed this to be true, and I also used this to successfully motivate my subordinates.

Hmm, thanks, Mr. Shah. So, what will you use for HR professionals/Managers? What motivates them? It is accepted that employees need motivation, as many people and Mr. Arora have said, but the question is: Why do managers feel that motivation for employees is required and when?

[QUOTE=Mr. India;1757961]Hmm, thanks Mr. Shah. So, what will you use for HR professionals/Managers? What motivates them? It is accepted that employees need motivation, as many people and Mr. Arora have said. But the question is, why do managers feel that motivation for employees is required and when?

Dear Mr. India, there are no ready-made answers to real-life situations. Take it for granted that no single answer will work. Every time, the situation is different, and the person is different. You cannot group all people together. What I have told you is about the basic factors of motivating humans, irrespective of their role in HR, Accounting, Management, or Marketing. How and when to use it will differ from person to person and situation to situation. One has to use his/her brain every time.

I hope this clarification is sufficient for all the readers here.

Here is an article that will truly keep a true HR Manager highly motivated. The article is really worth it. People management is not only a skill today; it's an art to win people.

Incident by One of the Gyan Gurus in TOI - Titled, "They Said Little - Yet Much"

"Once Mother Teresa was invited as the chief guest at a conference of 500 personnel managers, and she was allotted 30 minutes to speak as per the program. She complained to the president of the conference, saying, 'How much time does one require to speak? Perhaps 2-3 minutes.' After her introduction of about 15 minutes, Mother Teresa got up to speak, 'I have not done any courses on personnel management,' she said. 'In fact, all of you here will know far more on this subject than I do. But I just want to ask you two questions. The first, 'Do you know your people (employees)?' 'Really know them, not just superficially?' she said. With a long pause, there was a second question, 'Do you love them, do you really have concern for them?'

With these two questions, she ended her speech, giving profound lessons of HR to the HR community.

All that keeps every organization going with their business is embedded in the words said above.

Thanks to gyan gurus for sharing such good incidents.

Thanks,

Majumdar B K.

Let me take this opportunity to state that members may not be able to answer your question in an open forum with any honesty. I have gone through the responses and find that only two or three have answered your question, and the others have drifted away.

I think it would have been better had you said what motivates you to keep on doing your good work and then asked others' views. Also, it would have been better had you clearly stated what you would do with the responses.

As a non-HR person who has changed jobs during my working life, I would state that what motivated me varied as my circumstances changed. Hence, without knowing the personal circumstances of respondents, the answers gained would be meaningless. Have you noticed that it's the company directors who get a greater percentage increase in pay and benefits than the workers? And it's the same directors and managers who say that people should be motivated by other considerations than money.

Have a nice day.

Regards, Simhan

For me, it is the accomplishment of tasks on time and, yes, recognition for the good job done, even if it is personally given and not in front of other employees.

Regards,
Ruchi

For each individual, motivation factors may have different attractions at different levels. These may include:

- Monetary
- Recognition
- Esprit-de-Corps

The list can be expanded. For some, it is the sheer joy of doing what they like best. For others, like a renowned Army General who, when asked why he works so hard, replied, "If I do not work hard, what will my juniors say?"

One has to find their own motivational factor. I am sure you will find yours. Hope it makes sense.

Regards,
Col. Suresh Rathi

Basically, it's a management theory that the basics are the same for everyone, and every professional goes through the following:

1. Monetary (Position doesn't matter).
2. Recognition/Position (Money doesn't matter).
3. Monetary & Recognition/Position.

The above three are phases that one goes through. It is in a different chronological order for different people. You analyze where you are. Just my opinion.

Have a nice day! 

Best Regards,
Renoy R.K.

According to me, the important motivational factor is when you are praised for the work you have done. Subsequently, based on your work and performance, one can be promoted.

The most important motivational factor for me is getting praised for the good work done and accordingly getting promoted.

The following points motivate me in any organization:

1. Democratic set-up
2. Two-way feedback
3. Open for discussion and criticism
4. Recognition
5. Freedom and flexibility
6. Proper performance evaluation and pay for performance
7. Career planning for me in that organization

Regards,
Govind

1. Be generous with praise. Everyone wants it, and it's one of the easiest things to give.

2. Remove the project lead or supervisor and empower your staff to work together as a team.

3. Make your ideas theirs. "I'd like you to do it this way" turns into "Do you think it's a good idea if we do it this way?"

4. Was that the best way to approach the problem? Why not? Have any ideas on what you could have done differently?

5. Highlight your top performers' strengths and let them know that because of their excellence.

6. Give recognition and small rewards.

7. Throw company parties. Doing things as a group can go a long way. Have a company picnic. Organize birthday parties. Hold a happy hour. Don't just wait until the holidays to do a company activity; organize events throughout the year to remind your staff that you're all in it together. This can motivate any employee of the organization.

I feel that even though performance is good and employees receive incentives for the same, bosses should also acknowledge and appreciate their efforts. It is important for bosses to show recognition and appreciation to employees, as simply receiving incentives may not be sufficient. If bosses believe that an employee is not performing well just because they think another team member deserves recognition, even if that employee is not eligible as per the norms, it can lead to dissatisfaction despite the incentives given.

Regards,
Sonali

Having read so many responses, I recognized one thing: all these answers are from the perspective of an employee and none from the point of view of business, market, or profit. Anything that an employee does should be marketable and should add to the revenue and profit of the organization. Otherwise, every effort and every amount of hard work is a waste of time and resources.

Motivation: The Power of Self-Motivation

My belief is that no motivation is better than self-motivation. When we get something, we complain about things that we don't get. The more we get, the more we want. Things that motivate a person and keep them motivated for their entire life are: purpose of life, dreams to chase, search for excellence, and betterment of performance. You are not here to satisfy the expectations of someone or measure up to someone else's criteria but your own.

Thanks,

It's a good question to do research activity. Being an HR professional, points to be considered are:

1. It is the responsibility of every employee to take initiative in all aspects.

2. Managers should closely monitor the performance of all the employees, the current project they are handling, how the work is done (whether individually or as a team), how satisfied they are, what their perspectives or views are, how many are showing curiosity, and if anyone is not showing interest or performing poorly, discussions should be held to determine if the issue is genuine, due to irresponsible attitude, or another reason. Managers need to delve deep into this.

I truly appreciate that managers should have good communication relations with their employees and make efforts to conduct employee surveys as it significantly helps.

Secondly, regarding citehr, I personally find it very helpful for learning, sharing ideas, receiving suggestions, interacting with people from different fields, and expanding knowledge and thoughts.

Thanks,

Kalpana

My motivation comes from knowing that I have made life easier or better for even one person. I am in the service industry, and HR here goes beyond specific interactions. There is a lot of interaction with admin to help them understand the impact on staff, and the more I am able to facilitate both managerial level and employee level with their work, the more motivated I get. 

Of course, a person gets motivated when positive reinforcement is applied. Your employer should recognize your efforts. However, we should always strive to build unconscious competencies within ourselves regarding our job at all stages. We should develop ourselves in any circumstances. The insights within me to develop myself are my motivation.

I try to improve whatever systems/procedures I come across. I strive to be productive and encourage others to also enhance their performance, rather than being content with the status quo. I recall an instance when an American General was asked about his motivation to work so diligently. He responded that he puts in the effort because he ponders how his subordinates would perceive him if he were to take it easy. Each individual has their own motivators. Therefore, discover what resonates with you and pursue it. Some common motivators include rewards, awards, recognition, and self-satisfaction.

Regards,
Col. Rathi