Your motivation at work: Money?

What are the main reasons for working? Asking people this question (and I’ve asked thousands of candidates in my career as an HR consultant) will trigger many different types of responses, from financial benefits or sheer survival, satisfaction, recognition, status, power, challenges, social interaction. , fun, interest, curiosity and personal development, to a meaningful contribution, helping others, service and “making the world a better place”. It is obvious that we all have reasons to invest our time, ideas, thoughts (and sometimes physical strength) to achieve something, to obtain a certain feeling or to obtain other benefits.

So what do we really want from work? Can the answers be narrowed down to a general set of key factors?

I’ve worked in executive search in Europe and Asia Pacific for years, and as different as the cultures are, the same applies to people’s mindsets. In some markets, and here we need to generalize a bit to reach a conclusion, monetary aspects are by far the number 1 stated reason, while in other cultures they feel compelled to serve a greater purpose or to develop a better society. . are the most mentioned reasons for working.

I have had good mentors throughout my career and have learned to go deeper in discovering the true drivers, the core motivation for action. In the vast majority of cases, key factors are hidden on purpose (situation: job interview) or not even apparent to the interviewee.

Now what is the end result?

With very few exceptions (opinion leaders, Nobel Peace Prize winners, artists, discoverers, semi-professionals in sports, researchers, Doctors Without Borders, etc.) people work for a single dominant cause: to make money. If possible – a fortune. Sometimes people even risk their lives or existence for money.

In the context of work, money, a simple word, today can be broken down into compensation, benefits, company car, housing allowances, stock options, partnership, executive bonuses, severance pay, and many others. However, even when other reasons and interests play an increasing role in making a decision for a certain job, people rarely change jobs for the same compensation package or less. However, he does see candidates moving from A to B agreeing to a less spectacular title, less power, or a company with lower anticipated status, if the money is right. It is still the most important reason to work.

Most likely, modern HR consultants and psychologists will not agree with the statements made; And yes, I do intend to challenge the contrary opinion a bit here! You’ll find a wide variety of proven psychological, behavioral, or values ​​assessment tools widely used in the HR and recruiting industry. But one thing is common to most evaluations: Financial security or increased compensation is taken for granted, left out of the equation. In most cases, the evaluations do not consider the option “if I had to live on a 25% lower budget…”. Only a few would agree to start a long path of professional development by putting personal goals and non-monetary achievements first, with financial success projected into the distant future.

Recent opinion polls show that the trend of valuing recognition and other personal reasons over money has gained some momentum. But again, opinion polls don’t reveal the true core, as they don’t dig deep.

Both companies and consultants tend to “reinvent the wheel” for various reasons. Of course there are exceptions to the rule. When it comes to motivation, most companies would love to have a team of employees who value hard work, productivity, loyalty, and company goals (monetary?) above compensation and benefits. Many have tried very hard, but only a few have succeeded in creating a value proposition that exceeds the potential for high income.

I would place myself somewhere in the middle. Recognition, status, accomplishment and contribution are some of the reasons I put great effort into my work. The combination with a very decent compensation is the perfect combination. This is what entrepreneurs are looking for.

Ask yourself: What is your motivation?