Motivation Theories

I used to work at a BP petrol station, i have resigned a week ago. One content theory that is particularly for me, would be Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Maslow's hierarchy of needs has five stages:

1. Physiological- This is the very basic stage and it looks at the condition a person is working in, if it is poor or good. In my case i was working in good conditions; my work place had clean toilets, a clean staff area where you could sit and eat at break, and it had most of the equipments needed to do the job.

2. Safety- This is where an employee seeks to work safely in his/her working environment, it is also about the safety of securing the job for the future. In my case i was only concerned about the health and safety hazards, rather than securing a place there as i knew i was going to university the following year.

3.Social- This is when the company organises social activities such as staff dinners or staff parties or anything else that would relax the staff and motivate them. In my case the company i wasn't that keen on socialising with the staff and i found that very harsh. It didn't really matter to me because i had made my friend there and we would go out and etc...

4. Ego Esteem- This is where the employee looks to be recognised for the work he/she does. In my case i was never recognised for the work i did apart from a few occasions, and that i believe is very bad. it's like some times they would ask you to do an extra job for them, and they would beg u until u say yes and after they don't really care, because once you say yes u have to work that shift as you have agreed to do so. Sometimes when you stay late doing their (managers) dirty work, they would leave early and they wouldn't even say a little thank you.

5.Self Actualisation- This is when you are at a level where you have a little bit of control, or more control than anyone else (Duty Managers). In my case i wasn't a duty manager, however i have done good enough work to earn a little bit of control and this was the flexibility of my shifts. for example the manager told me that if i cant work any day to tell him one week in advanced. And also when i am on the shop floor, i don't get ordered what to do as i know already and can do it however i want in whatever time i want as long as i finish everything on time, basically i wasn't getting bossed anymore.

MOTIVATION TO GO UNI:
My main motivation to uni was my girlfriend and my family. since i have been with her i had this feeling of responsibility. The responsibility of looking after her and my family. i had realised that the only way to do that was to go university, get a degree and increase my levels of future earnings. i always wanted to be accountant, even though i have heard that the job is boring, i have this feeling that i will enjoy it. In the 2nd and 3rd year my main source of motivation will be my family, girlfriend, and the knowledge that i will safely secure a high earning qualification at the end of my degree. When you compare my motivation to Maslow's hierarchy of needs u will see that i will be on the 2nd and 3rd stage. Safety of securing a high level earning qualification is motivating me as well as social, which would be my family, girlfriend and friends.

DEMOTIVATION:
I remember during my time at BP, my manager used to tell me that i was working very hard and that he was considering to promote me as a duty manager and told me that in order for me to achieve this i will have to be on time do all these works. Back then i was taking a gap year and i thought to myself £1000 monthly was good money if i got promoted, compared to the £350 a month that i was earning. This had motivated me a lot, and i was doing hard and extra work, and started working more hours. but as a few months went past 1 of our duty manager left, and we had a couple of new ones in, and i asked my manager if i was going to get promoted and this is what he replied to me: "your work is not good enough", I went crazy, as i was working on an excellent level and was considered as one of the best staff, but the thing that made me even more angry was the fact that my manager lied to me all along to falsely motivate me in doing more work. From that day onward I was demotivated and until that day I resigned I hated going work and i wasn't working properly. The day I resigned from that place was one of the happiest days of my life.
Comparing my demotivation theory to each theorists theory:

• Maslow's hierarchy of needs: In Maslow's point of view i would be motivated to work for Esteem, i wanted to be recognised for the work i did and to get promoted. however since i was nevar recognised for the work i have done, i got demotivated and therefore wasn't looking to getr recognised anymore but, just doing my work as other employees.
• Aldefer's ERG theory: In Aldefer's theory i would be motivated to work for growth needs, I was working to complete meaningful tasks in order tom impress my manager and grow into a a better person within the company (duty manager).
• Herzberg's two factor theory: In Herzber's point of view i was demotivated by 2 motivator factor, recognition and growth. I was working hard to be praised and promoted, but since none of them happened i got demotivated as i thought that the extra efforts were just a waste.

In conclusion i have found that maslow's theory is most suitable for me as during my time at BP i went up exactly as maslow is suggesting it in his theory. first i was motivated to get the job to improve my living conditions, then to improve my safety, social didn't make any difference, however i was working extra hard for esteem/ recognition and promotion. i have also realised that i find Maslow's theory easy to follow compared to Herzberg's and Aldefer's theory.
But most of all......... I HATE BP!!!!!!!!! And i wouldn,t advise anyone to work there.