Question

Pip has started to slack at work and not work as hard as he has in the past. He does not see a future for himself at his current job and his social life outside of work has also taken a hit. Explain how Maslow and Freud might explain Pip’s current dilemma.

Answer 1

• Maslow stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some needs take precedence over others.Since the employee is slacking at working and not working hard enough he doesnt feels motivated by the job any more.The managers need to create an environment which makes his job more challenging.The key point is that employees desire to work in an environment where they are accepted in the organization and have some interaction with others.(belongingness need)
• Esteem needs are tied to an employee’s image of himself and his desire for the respect and recognition of others.Cross-training, job enrichment, and special assignments are popular methods for making work more rewarding. Further, allowing employee to participate in decision making on operational matters is a powerful method for meeting an employee’s esteem needs. Finally, symbols of accomplishment such as a meaningful job title, job perks, awards, a nice office, business cards, work space, etc. are also important to an employee’s esteem in this case.
• Finally,With self-actualization, the employee will be interested in growth and individual development.If an opportunity would be given to him by the mangers to realise his true potentials by skills training,challenges and autonomy to make his decisions in work it will help him become clear about his role in the job and he might see a future and feel motivated to work hard to achieve that goal.
• In psychoanalysis, people explore hidden reasons that explain negative behavior by talking about their issues with an impartial analyst. The managers need to act like that analyst through performance evaluation.They need to identify the employee's internal conflicts regarding his job,what problems he is facing and provide solutions to it.Employee might consider his manager as an important figure and looks for direction,since he is not motivated enough to work and be on the job,the manager is able to provide feedback to him leaving him clueless and thus causing the internal conflicts of whether to do the job or not.