There is no single best answer to what motivates employees in a workplace because each individual’s values and expectations vary greatly. Rather than generalizing a motivator to all employees, it is more beneficial to try to determine what would best motivate employees individually.
Money is an example of something often used as a motivator in the workplace and is expected to be effective, but this is not always the case. Money is important and essential to well-being, but studies have shown that after a person receives enough money to live comfortably, it is no longer a significant motivator to them. Once their basic needs are satisfied, employees may value autonomy, challenge, diversity of work, or recognition, to name a few, over monetary rewards (Lee).

This question becomes even more difficult to answer when the changes in values of employees over time are taken into consideration. What motivated an employee ten years ago does not necessarily do the same job today. In the article “What motivates employees according to over 40 years of motivation surveys” (1997), author Carolyn Wiley discusses the change in motivators over the course of approximately four decades. As the world changes and the norms of workplaces are developed, motivators for employees evolve with it. This article was published twenty years ago, but because of the ever-evolving concept of motivation, it is still applicable to modern day scenarios.

     In order to provide successful motivators to their employees, employers must constantly reevaluate the expectations of individual employees and learn how to use what they value most as motivation in the workplace.

Bibliography:

     Wiley, Carolyn. “What Motivates Employees According To Over 40 Years Of Motivation Surveys: International Journal Of Manpower: Vol 18, No 3”. Emeraldinsight.com. N.p., 1997. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.