WHAT MOTIVATES AN EMPLOYEE

TO WORK?

Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management

Project
Professor – Dr. Swaroop K R

Section – BBA (B)

Team 3:
Abhinav Bardia
Karthik Gupta – AC10
Neel Mehta – AC19
Shrimanth Vuppala – AC34
S. Yashasvi – AC50

1
 CONTENTS
S.no Topic Page
No.
1 Introduction 3
2 Scope and Objective 5
3 About the company -Nutanix 6
4 Organizational structure of the company 7
5 Questionnaire 9
6 Analysis of Questions in the Questionnaire 15
7 Overall Analysis 27
8 Suggestions 29
9 Conclusion 31
10 Work Distribution 32

2
 Introduction
Any organisation existing in the current market has multiple goals and objectives to achieve
like profit and sales maximisation, wealth maximisation, increasing productivity, improved
performance etc. Human resources contribute significantly in achieving the said objectives.
Employees ensure smooth operation and growth of an organisation, making them an important
asset to the organisation. Therefore, the success of any organisation is directly related with the
employee performance and satisfaction levels this is determined and influenced by the
relationship established between the organisation and employees.
One way any organisation can ensure highly productive and determined workforce is through
motivation. “Employee motivation describes how committed an employee is to his job, how
engaged he feels with the company's goals and how empowered he feels in his daily work.” To
understand motivation one needs to understand the human nature itself, motivation is
subjective. Motivation can be extrinsic or intrinsic, meaning an employee's motivating factors
can come from internal or external sources it changes from one employee to another. Senior
executives need to evaluate needs of employees in order to understand employee behaviour
and increase performance via motivation.
Goals of an organisation can be achieved with simultaneous co-ordination and co-operation
amongst the employees which can be effectively done through motivation. Stability of
workforce is very important from the point of view of reputation and goodwill of a concern.
There are multiple other factors that the company can reap benefits of when the employees in
the organisation are motivated and yielding productivity one among them being reduction of
costs and higher decentralisation.
When the employees speak well of the company, the company’s reputation automatically
increases. Heightened goodwill is a long-term goal for any organisation. Satisfied employees
when efficiently and effectively motivated are assets to an organisation. Many
organisations/companies exclude considering investment in human resources, but recent
studies have shown this is a mistake and can lead to damage to the organisation, as employees
are the heart of the organisation and they help achieve success.

➢ More About The Topic:

• The term motivation is derived from the Latin word movere, meaning “to move”.
Motivation can be referred as a combination of motive and action
• Employee motivation constitutes of two types intrinsic and extrinsic.
• Intrinsic employee motivation refers to the behaviour of employees, which is influenced
by internal rewards provided by the organisation. Intrinsic motivation can be a healthy
alternative to performance-linked incentives.
• Team building, security, flexible working hours, recognition etc. are few examples of
internal motivation
• The exact opposite is extrinsic employee motivation; external rewards, punishment
rather than internal yearning affect the behaviour of employees here.
• Tangible rewards or usually monetary rewards fall under the broad spectrum of
extrinsic motivation a few examples of these could be bonuses, commission, pay raise
etc.

3
➢ Theories regarding motivation and its importance:
• According to a study conducted by Grant (2008), motivation imposes employee
outcomes for instance performance and productivity. He also established that
motivated employees are more oriented towards autonomy and are more self-driven
in contrast to less motivated employees. Further, motivated employees are highly
engaged and involved in their work and jobs and are more willing to take
responsibilities (Kuvaas & Dysvik, 2009)
• According to Maslow, Alderfer, McClelland, Hackman and Hertzberg; the growth
is most influential motivator for individuals that exploit the potential of employees. It
is found that an undeniable link exists among employee motivation and their
satisfaction with the jobs and also to organizational commitment (Basset-Jones and
Lloyd, 2005; Chen et al., 2004).
• The scope of employee motivation leading to satisfaction and increased performance is
unimaginable and vast it is a necessity despite the size of the organisation. It starts from
the minute an employee is hired right up till work with organisation terminates.

4
 Objective and Scope
Employee motivation affects any organisation and its functioning and it is the primary
responsibility of any manager to ensure effective implementation of measures which induce
motivation. Based on the above discussion there are multiple elements and factors falling under
the umbrella of motivation which impact employee performance, quality of work, retention etc.
To assess the influence of these elements on an organisation specific question have been
inculcated in the questionnaire circulated to employees.
• The objective of the study is to scrutinize; what motivates an employee to work in their
organisation
• Which motivational factor is used by their organisation to influence the employee to
perform at their level best.
• The data collected covers:
o Non-monetary incentives such as recognition, effective training, job security,
the 5 components of Maslow’s need hierarchy theory, workshops and feedback.
o monetary motivational elements such as financial perks, promotions etc.
• The purpose of study also pondered upon how absenteeism, achievement of goals,
productivity of work was affected by the motivational incentives provided by the
organisation based on employee response.

Scope of study;
Employee motivation, at its core, entails determining what motivates individuals to work
towards achieving their personal and professional goals within the context of their work
environment. Job design, compensation and benefits, leadership, communication, work-life
balance, and organisational culture are all factors to consider.
Employee motivation strategies that are effective can help increase productivity, decrease
absenteeism and turnover, and improve overall job satisfaction. Recognition and rewards
programmes, professional development opportunities, flexible work arrangements, and
meaningful job design are examples of these strategies. This has wide acceptability across
various types of organisation.
Overall, the scope of employee motivation is broad and multifaceted, requiring an
understanding of and response to the various factors that contribute to employee engagement.

5
 About the Company – ‘Nutanix’

Nutanix, Inc. is a cloud computing company with its headquarters in the United States that sells
software, cloud services (including desktops as a service, recovery from disasters as a service,
and cloud monitoring), and software-defined storage.
Nutanix's HCI solutions combine storage, computing, and virtualization into a single system,
allowing businesses to simplify their IT infrastructure and reduce costs. The company's
software runs on commodity hardware, which enables customers to scale their systems as
needed without the high costs associated with traditional data centre infrastructure.
Nutanix offers a range of solutions to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, from small and
medium-sized businesses to large enterprises. The company's products include Nutanix
Enterprise Cloud, Nutanix Xi IoT, and Nutanix Frame, among others. Nutanix's solutions are
used by companies in a variety of industries, including healthcare, financial services,
government, and education.
Nutanix is publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol NTNX.
The company has a global presence, with offices and operations in North America, Europe,
Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East.

More about the company

Traded as Nasdaq: NTNX
Russell 1000 Component
Founded 2009
Founder Dheeraj Pandey
Mohit Aron
Ajeet Singh
Headquarters San Jose, California, United States
Key People Rajiv Ramaswami (President and CEO)
Products Enterprise Cloud Platform
Business Software
IOT
Revenue US $ 1.394 Billion (as on July 31, 2021)
Total Assets US $ 2.277 Billion (as on July 31, 2021)
Total Equity US $ 1.012 Billion (as on July 31, 2021)
Number of Employees 6100 (May 2020)
Website www.nutanix.com

6
 Organisational Structure of the company
An organizational structure is a system that outlines how certain conditioning are
directed in order to achieve the pretensions of an association. This conditioning can
include rules, places, and liabilities. The organizational structure also determines how
information flows between situations within the company. For illustration, in a
centralized structure, opinions flow from the top down, while in a decentralized
structure, decision-making power is distributed among colourful situations of the
association. Having an organizational structure in place allows companies to remain
effective and focused.
As of September 2021, Nutanix had an employee structure that included approximately 7,600
employees worldwide. The company's workforce is made up of employees from various
departments, including engineering, product management, sales, marketing, finance, and
customer support.

7
The Organisational Structure is as shown below:

8
 Questionnaire Analysis
➢ Information of the respondents:
1. Employees from the company – ‘Nutanix’.
2. Any kind of identifiable personal information was not collected to maintain
anonymity.
3. Primary data was collected with the circulation of a questionnaire consisting of
a total of 19 questions related to motivation.

Questionnaire Design for Demographic Questions

Q. No Questions Response Scale
A. Demographic Questions
1 Age Group Nominal Scale
18-21 years
22-25 years
26-30 years
31-35 years
36 years and above
2 Gender Nominal Scale
Male
Female
3 Years of Experience Nominal Scale
Less than one
1 – 3 years
3 – 5 years
>= 6 years
4 Department Nominal Scale
IT
Finance
Marketing
HR
Legal
Sales
Operations
5 Employment Status Nominal Scale
Full time
Part-Time
Other

9
 Condensed Information of the Respondents
S.no About/Information of the respondents Response
1 Company Nutanix

2 Age Range 18-30

3 Gender Male (72.7%)

Female (27.3%)
4 Range of years of experience in Nutanix 0-5 Years

5 Department IT (68.2%)
HR (22.7%)
Finance (4.55%)
Marketing (4.55%)
6 Employment Status Full time

Presentation of Responses received in the questionnaire

10
11
 Questionnaire Design for Respondents to collect data on
motivational factors.
Q. No Question Response Type
B. Questions on Motivational Factors
1 What drives you to work every day? Nominal Scale
o Monetary benefits
o Challenges/Responsibilities
o Love your work
o High levels of satisfaction
2 What do you enjoy the most about your job? Nominal Scale
o Work-life balance
o Salary and appraisals
o Managed workload
o Flexible working hours
o All of the above
3 What do you find most challenging about your Nominal scale
job? o Work itself
o Maintaining a good relationship with
your team members
o Aligning yourself to your company’s
requirements
o Others
4 Do you feel that the work you do is meaningful? Likert scale
o Strongly agree
o Agree
o Neutral
o Disagree
o Strongly disagree
5 How do you feel about your company culture? Nominal scale
o Great
o Good
o Okay
o Could be better
6 Do you think your supervisor’s Likert scale
advice/appraisals/recognizing you/for you greatly o Strongly agree
affects the effectiveness of your work ? o Agree
o Neutral
o Disagree
o Strongly disagree
7 Are you recognized for your hard work? Likert scale
o Never
o Rarely
o Sometimes
o Often
o Always
8 Do you feel being recognized for the work you Likert scale
have done is important? o Strongly agree
o Agree

12
 o Neutral
o Disagree
o Strongly disagree
9 If you were the CEO of your company, what would Nominal Scale
you like to add to the motivation factor for your o Opportunities for growth and
employees? development
o Financial benefits
o Work environment
o Effective leadership
10 How does the company support your professional Nominal Scale
development? o Coaching and mentoring
o Training
o Workshops/conferences
o Peer mentoring/knowledge sharing
o Skill development courses
11 What would you say is the most important thing Nominal scale
for you in a workplace environment? o Workplace environment
o Job security
o Relationships at work
o Recognition and reward
o Opportunities at work
12 Work-life balance is an important motivating Likert Scale
factor for you to work in your organisation? o Strongly agree
o Agree
o Neutral
o Disagree
o Strongly disagree
13 Is mental health respected in your company? Likert scale
o Always
o Often
o Sometimes
o Rarely
o Never
14 Do you think the company should introduce Likert scale
programs/activities that will help its employees o Strongly agree
reduce their stress levels? o Agree
o Neutral
o Disagree
o Strongly disagree
15 Does your company provide opportunities for Nominal scale
employee feedback and input? o Yes
o No
16 Your job contributes to your personal goals? Likert scale
o Strongly agree
o Agree
o Neutral
o Disagree
o Strongly disagree
17 Does toxicity affect your performance at work? Likert scale
o Strongly agree

13
 o Agree
o Neutral
o Disagree
o Strongly disagree
18 Mr. XYZ loves the work he is doing in his Likert scale
company, but he is aware he is being underpaid. o Strongly agree
Do you think he should quit his job? o Agree
o Neutral
o Disagree
o Strongly disagree
19 Will the willingness of your manager to approve Likert scale
your leave request affect your zeal to work in your o Strongly agree
company in the long run? o Agree
o Neutral
o Disagree
o Strongly disagree

14
 Analysis of the questions in the questionnaire
Question 1

Question 1 This question targets at understanding the push/motivating factors underlying in

employees mind to show up to work every day. On the basis of concepts of motivation brought
forth above, we understood motivation is of two types: intrinsic and extrinsic.
It is evident that challenges and responsibilities play an important role, it is highly significant
as 18 employees (85.7%) have mentioned it as their motivation to work every day. Monetary
benefits hold a less significant share with 7 employees deriving motivation to work from it at
33.3%. This shows that though using externally motivating variables is easier for the company,
true motivation and dedication to work comes from within that is, intrinsic motivation.
Therefore, Nutanix would project upward productivity graphs by creating a space wherein their
employees can be bestowed upon with responsibilities and be included in decision making
processes. The basic human behaviour being that an employee would be motivated to be
wanting to satisfy his wants of recognition and reward at the workplace.

Question 2

Question 2 The data here highlights some factors that employees enjoy most about their job.
As witnessed, the responses statistics in percentages are spread across the various factors that
organisations use for motivating their employees.

15
Through the responses collected we notice that Nutanix has proven to be offering a balance
among such performance catalyst factors. Flexible working hours and managed workload
internally motivating few employees and the rest are externally pushed to perform via monetary
incentives by the firm. Since motivation is subjective and differs from employee to employee
a mix of different techniques would lead to high employee satisfaction and in turn provide
benefits to the organisation.

Question 3

Question 3 Here, we have tried to comprehend the barriers that may affect an employee to
perform at their best levels. Challenges faced in their jobs can be mitigated by the company.
Addressing work related problems can assist in bilateral benefits, employee trust the company
more and are motivated better. The firm gains benefits of better performance. The employees,
61.9% of them at Nutanix feel managing work relations is the hardest. Since an organization
consists of a workforce with a diversified mindset it really becomes challenging to cope with
their thoughts and team up. However, other factor such as goal alignment cannot be ignored as
it has 9 employees finding it challenging. Clear mentioning of organisational goals and an
attempt to analyse employees’ goals for their calibration is important.

Question 4

16
Question 4 The Likert scale analysis in this question seems to decode if the work employees
are performing in the company is meaningful to them or not.
38.1% of the employees have voted for Agree and 33.3% strongly agree. But the rest 28.6%
employees have marked neutral to disagree which is not a positive indicator for the company.
The inconsistency between job roles and job expectations can produce sluggish employees with
lack of motivation. When an employee finds his work relevant to his skills and abilities, he/she
is more likely to dedicatedly work towards achieving organisational goals. The organisation
should keep the same in mind and come up with strategies to address the issue pertaining to
jobs in the minds of employees.

Question 5

Question 5 We seek to deduce the perspective of the employees toward their employee culture.
38.1% of the respondents feel great about it and 28.6% of the employees feel good and just
manageable. Employees work culture is a major factor for their motivation, an employee
satisfied with the organisations work culture will focus on less on complaints and more on
results. Companies need to work on its improvement.

Question 6

17
Question 6 highlights the point that the recognition, advice, or appraisals that the supervisor
provides actually affect the efficiency of the work. A significant percentage of employees have
agreed that there is a direct relation between the effectiveness of work and recognition. One of
the major motivating factors is the need for recognition. Nutanix should keep in mind that the
organisation is one living soul and recognition from the higher levels for an employee’s work
will boost their zeal to work. It will pull them in the right direction which is beneficial for the
organisation as they will try to work better, again and again, to get recognized.
Therefore, the need for recognition is very strong among the employees.

Question 7

Question 7 One of the very well identified variable of motivation is recognition and rewards.
It is considered as a factor persuading employees for optimum functionality internally. When
an employee is recognized for their contribution at an organisation by superior authorities, they
feel enthusiasm to work better. At Nutanix 66.7% employees feel they are appreciated
“sometimes” and the other majority lies at “rarely” or “never”.
The data here compels one to ponder if recognition at every stage is truly beneficial because
frequent recognition may lead to normalising of hard work and recognition or appreciation may
not seem like an incentive anymore. However, the management should make sure that the
employees are appreciated for truly commendable work done by them. When recognition is
awarded as prize for significant work it not only motivates the employee to whom such prize
of recognition is awarded but also to the others, they then strive to achieve appreciation and
recognition for their work.

18
 Question 8

Question 8 In reference to the above question, here we analyse if recognition is that big of a
motivating factor for employees in the organisation. While 42.9% and 28.6% of employees
agree and strongly agree to the importance of recognition respectively; the remaining
employees might be motivated with other techniques to achieve motivation employed by the
organisation. Here, one school of thought might say that these employees should be identified
by the organisation and could be provided with performance-linked incentive methods which
are external factors such as bonuses, pay raise, monetary incentive etc. Subjective targeting in
an attempt to understand employee needs can be of key importance here.

Question 9

Question 9 The above questions till now have seemed to analyse the pre-existing ways/methods
used by the organisation and its effectiveness to increase performance amongst employees.
This question seems to enlighten the minds on prospective factors which may be inculcated by
Nutanix, 61.9% employees feel opportunities, responsibilities, and challenges scenario in the
company can be worked upon and 52.4% view the lack of basic work environment elements
(respect, team work, communication, opportunities etc.) if the company can plan around the

19
lines of providing higher weightage to factors mentioned by employees it could achieve higher
rates of productivity.

Question 10

Professional development can help employees gain better perspective of what their job entails
specifically of; a better interpretation of what their role demands of them and producing such
work that the senior executives wish for can lead to heightened motivation amongst employees.
Nutanix understood this need and has provided plethora of options to their employees.
Professional development has been majorly achieved by training and skill development
courses. However, the company can look into other lucrative options to enhance skills of
employees, perform an assessment of benefits reaped by these plans/ programs and
subsequently implement the ones with most prospective results of job understanding,
motivation and development.

Question 11

20
 Question 11. This question is in accordance with the theory introduced by Abraham
Maslow in the year 1943; has multiple level of needs that if satisfied in an employee’s
life can provide intrinsic motivation and improve the quality of work. The 5 levels of
this theory are:
• Level 1: Physiological needs
• Level 2: Security and Safety needs
• Level 3: Social needs
• Level 4: Esteem needs
• Level 5: Self-actualization needs
Based on the responses from employees, inducing motivation within employees dangles at the
extreme ends of these 5 levels. Satisfaction of basic physiological needs and self-actualisation
can heavily influence performance as stated by 57.1% employees. Therefore, an organisation
should strategize its operations in gratifying such needs to create better motivated environments
for heightened execution of work by employees. The company should provide opportunities at
work and involve the employees in decision making process to fully exploit their talents and
potentialities. In these recent times of laying off employees, data shows 52.4% might record
promising work if provided job security by the organisation heads.

Question 12

Question 12 argues that the work-life balance is an important motivating factor for employees.
28.6% of employees strongly agree and 38.1% employees agree to this as an important aspect
of motivating factors. Though work-life balance is not entirely controlled by an organisation
and it highly depends on the employee managing his duties at work and back home, from the
perspective of Nutanix an open communication channel can be created for employees to reach
out if work pressure seems much. The company should understand the importance of balance
in employee’s life and how lowered stress can increase motivation. Organisation should
allocate work accordingly whilst not compromising on organisational objectives.

21
 Question 13

Question 13 aims to ask employees if mental health (i.e. their emotional labor, work
exhaustion, anxiousness, boredom, disinterest, dissatisfaction, and stress) is considered a topic
of priority in their company.
The majority of the respondents have stated that it is always/often respected, while the other
part (38.1%) have stated it is sometimes/rarely respected. Now, here the question arises – even
though they are working in the same company, how are their answers varied.
The possible reasons can be differences in the attitude/response of team leaders/managers in
different departments towards their team members’ expression of negative emotions. Another
reason could be that the workload is not equally distributed among the employees. This can be
seen in question 2, where a very less number of employees have agreed that there are happy
with the work load they have.

Question 14

In the before question, a majority of employees agreed that mental health is respected in their
company, but in this question, they have agreed by a landslide that many more stress-reducing
programs/activities should be introduced in their company. The existing programs may not be
enough to significantly reduce their stress levels.
22
We have to remember that the employees’ work efficiency is indirectly proportional to their
stress levels. The lower their stress levels are the better the outcome.
Therefore, the company should not see the introduction of stress-reducing programs as an
expense but an investment for a better outcome.

Question 15

The above question simply aims to ask about the opportunities given to employees for feedback
and input.
Here, again we see a 20% of employees have answered for no, 10% for maybe while the other
has agreed. Even though there are a smaller percent on the dissatisfied and negative side, their
concerns should not be ignored. The company has to find out the reasons for their
dissatisfaction.
Unequal work distribution, the attitude of the higher manager, etc. can be one of the reasons
when we try to analyse the possible causes of dissatisfaction.

Question 16

23
Internal motivation is the best type of motivation factor when it comes to bringing out true
work efficiency. Motivation aroused from extrinsic factors is very beneficial for the completion
of a short-term target, but it’s the intrinsic motivation that lasts longer.
When an employee’s personal goals are in alignment with their professional goals, there are
fewer chances of burnout due to differences between personal goals and organisational required
goals. There is increased performance and active participation from the employee.
40% of respondents feel that their goals are in alignment with professional goals while the rest
stay neutral and disagree. 30% of employees have chosen neutral which means some part of
the organisational goal is in alignment with their goals while the other is not. If this difference
is because of extrinsic factors such as salary, opportunities, and policies of the company then
the company should try to fill up that gap. In doing so they will be able to bring in more loyal
employees and there is a sense favour in the minds of the employee which will help them stay
longer and loyal to the organization. Therefore, changing the neutral category’s opinion would
be a great chance for the company.

Question 17

Human beings are very sensitive to negative emotions than positive ones. Negativity spreads
faster than positivity. It becomes much more significant when people are working in a team.
Be it favouritism, unequal distribution of work, not being recognized for the work they have
done, cornering of people, lack of communication among teammates, intentional ways of
disrupting other’s work, etc. all drastically bring down the performance of the employee and
team as a whole. The employee who is greatly affected by toxicity loses the motivation to work.
Since it’s common among people to interfere with or bring down someone’s work to shine
themselves or get recognized in a team, the manager plays a very important role here. He should
be able to clearly identify areas of problem in his team and should try to avoid his personal bias
as much as possible.
According to the responses, a whopping 60% of the respondents are affected by toxicity in their
team. If proper measures are not taken to control and avoid negativity, then the team as a whole
will have to face repercussions in the future.

24
 Question 18

Question 18 is a hypothetical situation (third-man perspective) that aims to ask the employee
in a disguised form, whether they are willing to work in the organization while being paid less
for their work.
50% of the respondents have agreed that the person should leave the organisation, this shows
that being paid appropriately will help in retaining the employees. A very less part of employees
do not work for money and work for the work they do.
This question can also help us answer if in the future the company faces a crisis because of
which the employees are being paid less, then how many may potentially leave their job
because of the pay scale and how many will still believe in the company or be loyal to them.

Question 19

Getting leaves approved is a difficult task in most organizations. When the employee states his
leave request is for reasons other than medical or emergency, there is very less possibility of it
getting approved.

25
As human beings facing challenges physically, emotionally, and mentally every day is
exhausting, and taking a break is required once in a while. When managers understand this
need of their employees and do an act as small as approving a leave request, the employees are
already happy to hear that someone understands them, there is this feeling of belongingness
among them. This factor helps greatly in increasing their work performance and their attitude
towards their manager and the organisation. It greatly increases their loyalty and respect for
the organisation and helps them in the long-term retention.
This is justified by the responses given by the employees have given where more than 50% feel
accepting leave requests increases their zeal to work in their company in the long term.

26
 Overall Analysis of Data
From the above questions, the mindset of the employees pulls attention to the Theory put forth
by McClelland’s theory of needs. This is a content-based theory and it affirms that humans
have three motivational drivers, regardless of age or gender. One of the three drivers may be
dominant in every human being, depending on their life experiences. One of the drivers which
are used in the above context is an achievement as people who strive for achievement may have
a powerful urge to set and achieve goals and take calculated risks during the process. The
employees want challenges and responsibilities which in return they want to accomplish. This
factor motivates them to work daily and be excited about the new roles in an organization.
Affiliation is another factor that employees must keep in their mind. People who thrive on
affiliation favour collaboration and may prefer to work in a group. They would want team
members and colleagues to like them and may side with the majority to do what a larger portion
of the group insists on. And this is the factor which employees find difficult. During the survey,
61.9% of the respondents voted for it. According to McClelland, Employees who thrive on
affiliation may not be effective managers as they may struggle with tough decisions while
trying to cater to the interests of all concerned parties. Power is another factor that is also
mentioned by McClelland in his theory. People who thrive on power may show tendencies to
control and influence others and win arguments. They may be highly competitive and may
enjoy status and recognition. This is the major factor that each and every employee wants and
it actually works for many organizations. According to him, Employees who enjoy power may
become good leaders, mentors, and supervisors. But this is the factor which lacks in this
organization as 28% of the employees have voted and feels organizations don’t consider it.
Another theory that pulls attention is the theory of incentive. This is the theory that every
organization needs to consider and plays a significant role in employee motivation. The
incentive theory suggests that management can invoke motivation by reinforcement, and
recognition, through incentives and rewards. The incentive theory also proposes that people
display certain behaviours to achieve a specific result, incite a particular action or receive a
reward. Here are a few examples of incentives in the workplace:
1. Bonus: A bonus is a monetary reward that a company may give an employee based on
their performance.
2. Praise: Praise can be useful for one-on-one situations, such as quarterly employee
reviews. Praising and appreciating an employee by giving positive feedback about their
performance helps build trust and significantly reduce attrition.
3. Training and education: Providing opportunities such as paid training or continuing
education may give a team an incentive to increase their knowledge in a specific field
or develop a skill set.
4. Promotion: Providing an opportunity for career advancement is often one of the most
influential incentives a manager can offer because it can give an employee a feeling of
importance and growth. A promotion may include an advanced role, a new job title,
and a salary increase.
5. Salary or wage hike: Management teams find that offering a pay raise or a salary
increase can be effective motivators. For optimal results, managers use salary or wage
incentives for individual employees, rather than for all employees and departments
within a business.

27
 6. Paid vacation or time off: Consider offering employees compensation for taking days
off or giving them additional vacation days every quarter or year. Employees may value
this incentive if they plan for a family vacation or desire some extra time to rest at home.
Thus, the above factors are the boosting factors for the employee and organizations need to
take care of them. From the above survey, 38% of the employees have voted neutral and don’t
feel their organization is working on that. Managers can use incentive theories to help
employees to work on tough or challenging tasks that many professionals avoid. Some popular
incentives are cash, products, experiences, gift cards, and tickets to popular sporting and
entertainment events. It is important that a manager uses these incentives as rewards only for
achieving goals and not without reason.
Another theory that needs to be considered by every organization is Herzberg’s two-factor
theory. Herzberg's two-factor theory is a content-based theory. It describes two sets of factors
that may lead to either satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Two factors that Herzberg points out are
Hygiene and motivating factors which lead to employee satisfaction and dissatisfaction. It is
evident that the place where you work should be hygienic which improves the employee’s
performance. From the above context, 57% of the employees feel the workplace environment
is the most important point to be considered and it is highly significant. Management can
implement Herzberg's two-factor theory by reforming company policies, offering competitive
wages and providing effective supervision, job security, and more autonomy. Administrative
professionals can take a proactive role in employee welfare initiatives. A company can reduce
dissatisfaction by offering professionals ways to find a sense of purpose, both professionally
and personally.
Analysis of the data brings to light the importance of motivation in an organisation and how
deliberate implementation of strategies and various techniques can boost productivity of the
organisation.

28
 Suggestions
Based on research Nutanix should focus on intrinsic motivation as it is a better driver than
external incentives through external seems like a viable option.
Assigning the right role to the right person so that they find their job meaningful.
According to Herzberg’s two-factor theory, an important point that has to be considered is
hygiene. This factor hasn’t been neglected in this organization but the employees have voted
neutral. This factor needs to be worked on. Other motivating factors have been worked on well
but still, employees are not satisfied with them. Management can implement Herzberg's two-
factor theory by reforming company policies, offering competitive wages, and providing
effective supervision, job security, and more autonomy.
Some of the components can be understood from Vroom’s expectancy theory. Expectancy is
an individual's belief that the harder they work, their chances of success increase. Employees
should be recognized for their hard work. This point is not much encouraged and the
organization needs to work on this.
Also, the workplace environment is the key factor to increase employee performance. The
employees weren’t seen satisfied with it and it is a point to be considered.
The following are suggestions of some changes company could make to keep its employees
motivated1. Create a welcoming workspace-
➢ Build a pleasant and enjoyable workplace -
Employees are underwhelmed working in a typical workplace environment which in
turn reduces their motivation and drive to work. A welcoming and enjoyable workplace,
breaking the monotony at work helps keep your employees motivated. Arriving at work
in a dreary, uninteresting environment saps creativity and leaves individuals feeling
lousy. Consider designing an open, well-lit, and visually beautiful workplace area
where your staff can easily work, engage with one another, and be inspired.
➢ Flexible work schedules –
Many employees find flexibility to be motivating. It allows people to do their jobs while
simultaneously taking care of their personal lives. 38.1% employees chose flexibility
in working among various other factors mentioned in the questionnaire, thus
highlighting its importance. Keeping working hours reasonable and balance work-load
helps improves their efficiency of work and helps to maintain work-life balance.
➢ Activities/programs for employees –
Keeping a day off for employees and engaging in team building activities helps build
employee relations as well as reduce stress levels at work this would ease the 61.9%
employees finding difficulties maintaining relations at work. Another perspective
would state that the best way to develop employees professionally and subsequently
aligning their personal goals with that of the organization would be to introduce
programs regarding skill-development. 52.4% employees rationalize the mentioned
argument.
➢ Provide leadership and growth opportunities –
Offering opportunities for leadership would help to encourage the employees,
satisfying their self actualization needs and in turn inducing dedicated performance.

29
Most employees Knowing that they can rise to a higher-paying position can drive
people to work harder in their current positions. Possibilities for leadership and
advancement can include paying for an employee to obtain industry licensure or
certifications, providing an employee a promotion, or assigning a specific assignment
to your employees to complete.

30
 Conclusion
Motivation is a key factor impacting any organization in multiple ways, if carefully
implemented motivation might yield positive outcomes. Though, many organizations still don’t
pay enough attention to the levels of employee motivation in their organization, based on the
above data collected from the employees at Nutanix carefully scrutiny of the same draws us to
a few observations and conclusions. Motivation in an organization is critical to maintain
efficiency and smooth operational workflow of a company. There could be plethora of benefits
which can be gained by implementing various techniques to boost employee motivation some
of which would be:
Increased productivity- Motivating variables such as promotions motivate individuals to
work to the best of their ability. As a result, inspiration in an organization will lead to an
increase in an individual's productivity, who will contribute more than a discouraged
individual.
Ensured organizational efficiency- Motivators can also assist in improving an organization's
work culture. Employees will be more devoted to their job and driven to meet their goals This
can improve overall job productivity and an organization's mindset.
High levels employee loyalty: Motivating your employees to achieve their best and praising
their efforts may also contribute to developing a sense of loyalty towards the organization. A
well-motivated staff is more loyal and morale and is more devoted to the organization and its
goals. Keeping your employees engaged can also contribute to reducing employee turnover.
Motivated employees can also positively impact the organization, Companies may use a variety
of measures to keep their employees motivated. Organizations that have motivated employees
can boost the quality and amount of work they generate. A positive work environment will
encourage employee interactions and employees would want to come to work. They would feel
motivated and more comfortable.Companies that keep their staff motivated can drastically
minimize attrition. Organizations can bring out the best in their workers and keep them engaged
with their culture by using the correct incentive technique. As a result, employees tend to
change jobs less frequently.Employee motivation drives the quality of work and boosts
performance in an organization. When organizations keep their employees motivated,
production can be done without interruption. Therefore, organizations achieve great harmony
in the whole workflow, influencing productivity positively.

To conclude, keeping your employees motivated has a great impact on the organization’s
productivity and efficiency of work in a company. From the Nutanix data collected we have
seen that having a welcoming place where employees feel comfortable and motivated to work.
Providing them growth opportunities means that the employee would maintain flow of work
and set goals to achieve higher positions in an organization. It also helps in reducing employee
turnover and save acquisition costs. Providing employees vacations and flexible work timing
keeps them energetic and helps keep flow of competition of set goals.

31
 Work Distribution
S.no Work Done Name
1 Preparation of Questionnaire Abhinav, Yashasvi
2 Circulation of Questionnaire Abhinav, Yashasvi
3 Introduction and Objective Abhinav
4 About the Company Shrimanth
5 Organizational Structure Shrimanth, Yashasvi
6 Questionnaire Yashasvi, Abhinav
7 Analysis of questions Abhinav, Yashasvi
8 Overall Analysis Karthik
9 Suggestions Karthik, Neel
10 Conclusion Neel

32