Essays

IELTS Task 2 Example-Job Motivation(C2)

Some people believe that the best motivator for employees is the salary. Others think that the job itself is more important. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Use specific details and examples to explain your view.

You should write at least 250 words.

Nowadays, with technology relentlessly advancing and the labor market becoming increasingly more in demand, corporations and companies alike have been desperately searching for new methods to fuel the need in making employees work harder, better, and more efficiently. The obvious answer of higher pay comes to mind, however, some argue that factors other than monetary rewards should also be considered effective motivators. The ultimate solution for the dilemma still remains up for debate.

On the one hand, money is straightforward, powerful, and widely accepted. A bonus often makes for a simple but rewarding motivator for employees. There are careers renowned for their salary commonly expected to be highly sought after, sometimes disproportionately more so when compared to other occupations that belong to the same professional field, for instance, doctors versus paramedics. A lucrative salary is also one of the first and predominant factor working conditions for employees to consider when applying for their jobs in the first place or switching jobs if the previous one proved unsatisfactory.

Still, studies have shown that money does not make up for other requirements essential for better work motivation – namely job satisfaction, work environment, career development, sense of purpose, and more. Monetary rewards such as bonuses or performance-related pay are primarily determined by goals and achievements but bear little in relation to the intrinsic drive needed for better work satisfaction.

On the other hand, several well-known international corporations, for example, Google and Microsoft, have undergone experiments that lasted for years in which the company's management shifted their focus from traditional extrinsic incentives to more novel approaches for employees, aiming to create better results in work productivity with intrinsic motivation, even if a few initiatives included, such as four-day workweeks, seemingly defies logic at first glance. Not only did the experiment show promising results in easier management and increased productivity, but it also brought about other benefits to the workplace. When being interviewed, employees reported having experienced a significant decrease in stress, a healthier work-life balance, improved meeting practices, and a better working experience in general.

However, it is highly implausible to assume that every employee's performance would equally progress under the same benefits under a given time period, since motivation greatly varies from one person to another and is difficult to be measured in figures or statistics compared to setting goals and rankings. Moreover, changes on such a grand scale require time and effort to prepare, and even then immediate progress is not likely to take place. For the most part, companies will opt for the simple route even if they have enough time and resources to spare.

In my opinion, I fully agree with the statement that the qualities of the job itself are of utmost importance for what I view as more genuine work motivation compared to a higher salary, especially since it has been shown to reap far more benefits in the long run, both for the personnel and management of a company. Expecting better performance from overusing monetary rewards and handing out bonuses at the end of the year has long been the norm for most companies, however, I believe changes should be made to companies and corporations from the ground up for maximum effect.