There is a strong link between motivation and productivity

Money is not a prime motivator in the workplace.

• Across all industries and regions, the biggest motivators are “the work that I do”, followed by work/life balance.
• Salary and incentives came in third, followed by employment security and “the people I work with”.

• Healthcare and social assistance workers report that their employer does an outstanding job providing important and motivating work. They think their employer is also strong at delivering work/life balance and employment security. It is no surprise this group is well represented in the Super achievers.
• Professional and technical workers are the most satisfied workers and believe their employers perform well on human capital -  “the people I work with” factor
• Employers do not always expect ringing approval for salaries and bonuses, but manufacturing workers are least impressed, followed by retail and wholesale trade.
• However, retail and wholesale trade workers report the second highest motivation levels after healthcare and social assistance, and the second highest satisfaction level in the workplace
• Manufacturing workers are the least satisfied with their workplace.

Greater focus required on innovation

• More productive workers believe that innovation is vital to productivity
• These people agreed with the statement: “Good ideas get implemented in my organisation” and “there is a culture of continuous improvement in my organisation”
• The Solid Contributors – 45% of the workforce – are convinced that further innovation will enable them to be more productive in the next 12 months
• Half the workforce believe productivity would improve if their organisation became more innovative
• Only 44% agree their organisation gives innovation the right level of focus and attention

Technology remains underutilised

• Over two-thirds of New Zealand workers believe technology is important to their role
• Fifty-nine percent believe improved technology would make them more productive
• Less than two-thirds agree with the statement “I have access to the right technology to do my job effectively”
• Public Sector workers use technology the least in a typical working day (4.74 hours a day), but also wasted the most time on technology issues (2.63 hours a week).

Contacts

• Braden Dickson
  New Zealand Performance Improvement Leader
  Tel: +64 9 308 1064