Motivation

This situation presented by the ancient story is similar to that of a comparative glass of water. Some people look at the glass optimistically as half full and others tend to look at it pessimistically as the glass half empty. I believe it is safe to say that people tend to look at many aspects of their lives in this aspect from uncontrollable events to family happenings to work situations.

                Several employees could all be presented with the same situation and perceive them very differently. As a unit clerk in a hospital, we sometimes would get “floated” to different hospital units because they were short staffed and needed help more than our regular unit. One unit that was not particularly pleasant to work in was B Unit. While I would get “bummed out” because I knew the day would be long and stressful, others would be thankful that they were able to just stay at work instead of getting sent home and not getting paid or having no option but to use vacation hours. When working at the bagel store, there were various jobs to be completed throughout the work day. Some of those tasks included washing dishes, seeding bagels, working the counter, and working the grill. Some people hated washing the dishes because they were alone while I loved the opportunity to have a short time to my own thoughts. While some looked at working the grill as an annoyance because it was repetitive and hot, others looked at it as an opportunity to not run around the store or as I did, make a challenge out of the task to make the best looking egg sandwiches and impress the boss because it gave me satisfaction to know she thought I was doing a good job.

                Many times, coworkers at the bagel store would get disgruntled because they were frustrated with their jobs. They did not enjoy working with an “annoying coworker” or repeat a task they had completed. Some would get annoyed when a customer wanted a lunch sandwich after the slicer was cleaned or a cream cheesed bagel after they wiped off the counter. While it didn’t always work, I tried to encourage my coworkers to think of it as a challenge with speed bumps to get work finished in time and the bagel store cleaned so we could get out on time after closing. I try getting them to realize that they have a job when others don’t and doing a repetitive procedure is better than not having anything to do.

                While these employees portrayed job dissatisfaction traits as described by Herzberg’s two-factor theory, I attempted to shed light on reasons to look at the job satisfaction traits. Co-worker relations were definitely an issue that was strongly felt amongst the staff and many felt that working conditions were not as high as desired; I was satisfied with my achievement and recognition by my boss. I know that all my coworkers would receive the same recognition if they made the effort to get the attention of the boss in a positive way.