Assessment of the company’s motivation system in the employees’ perception – case study

Published: 15 March 2019 Nowadays, organizations through the appropriate motivational activities create employee behavior. They should apply available material and non-material incentives in a sustainable manner. Therefore, it is necessary to create such a motivation system within the organization’s activity that will generate employees’ right attitudes, beneficial for them and for the entire organization as well.


Introduction
Managing organizations and their success depends mainly on the human factor that is a direct participant in this process. Effective management will depend on bringing out the human being's best traits and skills by motivating them to work properly, as well as on skillful management of their behavior [1, p. 7]. Therefore, the key to the organization's success is the appropriate motivating of employees by creating a relevant motivation system. According to Borkowska for Tomaszuk [2], this is the right motivating that will affect the increase in the value and competitive advantage of a company. Organizations with numerous motivational tools and instruments at their disposal ought to strive for mutual benefits. Such tools should be used that will trigger appropriate attitudes and behaviors of employees, as a result of which the organization will achieve success.
The article discusses the issues related to motivating employees who had the highest positions in the organizational structure. The aim of the research was to determine the subjective feelings of employees regarding the motivational actions and incentive instruments used in the company, and to indicate which motivating tools are of key importance to employees. The implementation of the work objective was made possible through the application of a survey as the research technique.

Motivating and motivation system
Management means all activities related to decision making, coordination of other people's activities, motivating them to better work and checking the results of work [3, pp. 25-7]. In management, motivating employees is gaining importance, which increases with the perception of a huge potential that lies in people. Motivating manifests itself in a wide scientific interest, and individual authors expose its various aspects [4; 5; 6, p. 11; 7; 8, pp. 128-37; 9; 10; 11, pp. 107-39; 12, p. 7]. Many authors believe that motivating is a management process related to influencing people's behavior [2]. Motivating should be a process that would result in the creation of appropriate conditions and incentives aimed at ensuring that subordinates would act in accordance with the manager's will, while maintaining the ability to take independent and personal decisions. It also involves recognizing needs in order to stimulate action, which results from the will of a leader as well as leads to satisfying the needs [13, p. 205]. According to Jasinski [14, p. 16], motivating is influencing employees through various forms and means so that their behaviors are consistent with the will of a manager. On the other hand, Oleksyn [13, p. 205] believes that motivating means an impact on employees, which boils down to the development of their appropriate attitudes and behaviors expected by managers. It has a personal character, which means that someone is motivated to something. Motivating is also a set of measures that make a person behave in a strictly defined way. This is a deliberate impact on an individual according to the direction set by a motivator [15, p. 114]. Therefore, it should be recognized that motivating is a difficult process requiring the reconciliation of employee and employer interests through the use of a number of tools and instruments of action. The ways of motivating as the complexity of human nature was learned were subject to evolution [16, pp. 21-40]. Thus, this raises the question that many business owners are bothering about: What motivational actions will trigger employees' right attitudes for the good and success of the organization? [17].
Motivational tools include measures of coercion, encouragement and persuasion [16; 18, p. 332]. Coercive measures are of control and repair nature and are related to the observance of laws, procedures, instructions and rules. The incentive tools are, above all, the rewards that an employee receives for completing certain tasks. Listwan [19, pp. 167-84] believes that the means of persuasion are the most durable way to stimulate people to act properly, since they influence awareness, perception, attitude to work, duties, colleagues and superiors through the proper style of targeting.
Effective motivating of people is determined by material (cash, non-cash) and nonmaterial factors. Among the material incentives, the highest importance is attributed to the remuneration for work [1]. Employees must know that the non-cash form (insurance, passes, language courses, integration trips, holiday vouchers) are an addition to their remuneration and are not obligatory.
A motivation system has been the subject of psychological research for a long time. At the end of the 20 th century, it penetrated the area of management and economics. The motivation system is a collection of motivational tools and factors that are related and form a whole. Its aim is to create appropriate conditions that encourage employees to behave in an expected way in relation to the company's goals [20, p. 59]. A similar approach to the motivational system is represented by other authors that believe that it is created by intentionally selected sets of tools for motivating [16; 18; 21; 22, p. 203]. According to Kopertynska [16], appropriate employee motivation systems, including both rewards and punishments, may lead to better performance and proper employee attitudes. Employees want to get awards and avoid penalties. The behavior of employees can be modified by applying skillfully the system of awards and penalties.
A properly constructed motivation system should boil down to the following tasks: -acquiring and maintaining valuable employees, -ensuring effective work at the workplace, -motivating to be active, innovative, creative and entrepreneurial, -encouraging greater responsibility, -encouraging group and team work, -encouraging the development of competences and promotion, -encouraging honesty and loyalty towards the employer, -achieving the company's goals [23].
The effectiveness of the motivation system depends on the recognition which factor is the most important for an employee, as it will affect his/her attitudes and behaviors most. The adjustment of motivational factors to the specificity and organizational culture is also crucial [24].
The motivation system must be adapted to the company and create a whole, it must be a system aimed at achieving goals of the staff, including each employee, satisfying their expectations and needs with taking into account material and non-material factors. In practice, there is a great number of employee motivation systems. The basis is the balanced participation of material and non-material incentives, considering the criteria and rules for their application [16].
The creation of modern innovative motivation systems should be based on inducements. According to Listwan [19], this is "the most effective strategy for acquiring, retaining and developing employees in an organization, it is associated with an increase in human values and the humanization of labor relations".
Among numerous motivational tools, appropriate remuneration in line with the employees' expectations most frequently becomes the most popular form, at the same time being the payment for the work provided by the employee, which allows for meeting his/her needs.

Sources of materials and research methodology
The research was carried out in 2014. It covered 50 employees of the EnergiaPro S.A. administrative division in Wroclaw. The respondents were selected in a purposive and random manner. A survey was the research tool. It was anonymous and consisted of two parts. The first basic part contained 14 questions, most of which were closed. The questions concerned the cash incentives (bonus, cash reward, long service pay, functional allowance, co-financing of holiday, discounts in fees) and non-cash (a company phone, car and laptop, promotion opportunity, training, integration trips, health care) used in the company, and preferences of employees. The second part of the survey was the particulars. It contained general data on respondents; gender, age, education, work experience and average earnings.
The following questions were posed: -Does motivating affect employees' attitudes? -What cash and non-cash tools motivate employees most? -Is the applied motivation system correct in the perception of employees?
The results of the research are presented in the form of tables and graphs and subject to analysis.

The analysis of research results
Women, who accounted for 84% of the research sample, constituted the majority of the population covered by the research, while men accounted for 16%. The result of such a sex distribution in the sample is a high feminization rate in the company. As for the age structure, most of the surveyed were people aged between 40 and 50, which constituted 35%. People between the ages of 20 and 30, as well as 51 and 60, constituted the next group -27% of the tested sample. Young people, with new ideas, full of energy, bringing new ideas, which may contribute to the improvement of activities in the company, were an important age group in the employment structure. Young employees have higher requirements in relation to the company. Employee skills and competences are demonstrated by the level of education. The surveyed group was dominated by people with secondary education, constituting 54% of the examined group, those with higher education amounted for 27% of and with undergraduate ed-ucation -16%. It can be considered that it is a group that meets the eligibility requirements in terms of education.
The first questions included in the survey concerned the concept of motivating. The respondents associated it with recognition for work, stimulation for better and more productive work, both through financial gratifications and other forms such as training to improve professional competences, integration trips or the possibility of professional career through promotion. According to the surveyed group, motivating boils down to activities that mobilize them to take on new, more difficult tasks.
Most of the respondents indicate that the motivational instruments used have an impact on the operation of the entire enterprise. This affects their greater involvement in work. This view is taken by 76% of the surveyed group, while 24% is of the opposite opinion. In turn, 68% claim that the company uses a motivation system, however for 32% it does not exist. Remuneration being the basic factor of cash material motivation does not meet the employees' expectations. 57% believe that the system of cash payment is not correct and the amount of remuneration is not compatible with their skills and education (70%). Employees know their potential, which is why their claims seem to be justified. The remaining part of the respondents, i.e. 43% express opinions about the correctness of the pay system in use, and 30% think that the remuneration is consistent with their education (Table 1). People who receive a salary in line with their expectations do not have any objections. Respondents negatively refer to the awarding of prizes. 76% think that they are granted unfairly. It is difficult to clearly determine what prompted respondents to express such an opinion, as almost half of them benefited from this type of motivation tool. Awarding money prizes and their justness has always evoked controversy, which results from many factors. Therefore, it can be concluded that employees are not satisfied with the method of rewarding. From among the motivational tools, employees prefer and value the material (cash) system more. Recognition of and appreciation for the employee for the performance at work in the form of salary supplements is another motivating element, manifested by being satisfied and committed to work. The most important ones include cash in the form of bonuses (28%), co-financing for holiday for employees and their family members (21%) and cash prizes for achieving high results at work (21%). Allowances in kind are of the lowest significance among the cash incentives, only 2% of the respondents are in favor of this form (Fig. 1).
Non-cash material motivation in the form of trainings, additional health care (medical examinations), a company phone, a company car, additional insurance, integration trips, trips, additional leaves or flexible working time is also important. Social benefits, as stated by 22% of the respondents, additional leave (16%) and training (14%) are the most appropriate forms of non-cash motivation. Pension funds, medical examinations and trips are of lesser significance for the surveyed group. Among all forms of non-cash incentives, having a telephone and a company car is the least preferred (6%). The low preference of these subjects could be determined by their possession and usefulness at work (Fig. 2).
Assessment of the company's motivation system in the employees' perception -case study Based on the respondents' statements regarding the preferred forms of cash and noncash incentives, it can be considered that the company uses both of the forms, which are accepted by employees.
There are various forms of remuneration in an enterprise. Regardless of the form which enterprise takes in its payroll system: time, bonus-time, piecework or other, its duty is to calculate remuneration. The salary is determined depending on the work performed. Employees prefer different forms of remuneration. The most preferred by them are time-bonus (59%) and time (24%) ones. There are also opinions on the piecework and commission forms, however these forms did not enjoy the employees' interest (Fig. 3).

Fig 3. Forms of remuneration preferred by the employees [%]
Source: Own elaboration.

Conclusions
Nowadays, one of the basic tasks of any organization is to influence the employees' attitudes and behavior. Appropriate motivating and motivation system should have positive effects for both an employee and a company. Activities should focus on the appropriate selection of the right system and its components so that employees are more involved and feel job satisfaction. Proper motivation of the staff requires the use of various motivational forms, both material and non-material. Satisfied employees more identify with the company's goals, seeing the possibility of implementing their professional plans. They have faith in the success of the company, are more loyal to it, care for its interests through greater involvement in their daily duties and tasks.
The research carried out at EnergiaPro S.A. made it possible to indicate the functioning of various motivational forms, both cash and non-cash ones. From among the forms used, employees prefer a system of cash material motivation. They particularly appreciate bonuses, believing that it motivates them for more effective work. Not without significance is non-cash motivation. They value mainly social packages, training and the use of additional vacation leave. They have different feelings about the correctness of applying cash incentives, and their dissatisfaction concerns the award criteria, which the company should pay more attention to. The most appropriate form of remunera-tion is the time-bonus form. They also expect a steady increase in wages, as in this way their needs will be better met. The respondents acknowledged that involvement in work depends on motivating.
The results of the study coincide with the analysis of literature. The incentive measures of a prize nature are the most suitable for employees. Therefore, an organization in its activities should focus on creating an inducement-based motivation system.

Biographical note
Hanna Adamska -Assistant Professor at the Institute of Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Environmental and Life Sciences in Wroclaw. Author of over 60 articles published in collective works and scientific journals. Her scientific interests focus on rural areas and human resources. Member of the Polish Economic Society, the Association of Agricultural and Agribusiness Economists and the Polish Association of Environmental and Resources Economists.