Motivation and Rewarding Employees - Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory

Motivation and Rewarding Employees - Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory

In this issue, the pilots and flight attendants urge for an increase in salary, cancel the new policy about shifting working schedule and long-haul flight and the payment method of salary. However, Cathay Pacific could not fulfill their requirement hence they went on a strike. In order to have a deeper understanding about flight attendants, we have conducted a personal interview with a current flight attendant.

According to the Herzberg's Two-factor theory, it proposes that intrinsic factors are related to job satisfaction and extrinsic factors are associated with job dissatisfaction. Hygiene factors include company policy, salary, security, working conditions, etc. Hygiene factors can eliminate job satisfaction but don't motivate.

From the personal interview, we obtain some information about the motivators and hygiene factors.

For the part of motivators, the interviewee has attained her own goal, which could fulfill her achievement needs. Also, she thinks that she has learnt something useful for her own personal development and career development, and it satisfy her personal growth. However, she thinks there is a lack of recognition by others in the job position. Also, the other flight attendants think that they are not be recognized by the company, because the company proposed to change the shifting schedule without consulting with the union. Besides, the advancement opportunity provided to the flight attendants is very limited, as she agrees that the job is not a perspective enough.

For the part of hygiene factors, we find that the relationship with peers is quite good in this job. The flight attendants satisfy the current company policy, such as working shift arrangement and salary policy, but they think that some of the new company policies are not good, such as the new working shift arrangement (only those who work over 70hours have the right to shift the work), as well as the reduction of the staying time at Italy from 48 hours to 28 hours.

On the other hand, we also find out that the interviewee feel dissatisfy with the working conditions, because she complains that some aircrafts are getting old and the facilities are turning out, the safety of flight attendants is being threatened. Moreover, the flight attendants do not feel satisfied with the salary and the status of them. They argue that their allowances are insufficient .Also, they worry about their job security, as Cathay Pacific hired various foreign flight attendants that hire with lower salary to make a flight to Australia and Japan, etc. So, they worry that Cathay Pacific will hire more foreigner to replace them, they felt threatened and their job security would be harm.

Since only a few motivators can be fulfilled, such as achievement, growth, the flight attendants feel little satisfaction in this job. Besides, lots of hygiene factors, which are proposed company policy, new conditions, security, salary and status, cannot be fulfilled. Thus, they feel high level of dissatisfaction in this job and strike is taken in order to force the management board to square the problem.

Motivation and Rewarding Employees - Equity Theory

According to our interview with flight attendant, we generalized two points that make the monthly-paid employees feel unfair. The first inequity is the salary policy. It is certain that the interviewee who is hourly-paid employees feel satisfied with salary offered by Cathay Pacific. The Cathay Pacific claimed that this kind of policy can help the hourly-paid employees maintain their basic living standard. It is unfair that the hourly employees who work less than 70 hours monthly, they can also receive the basic salary of 70 hours under the company's salary policy. Most monthly employees now know that their amount of salary that they work per hour is relatively lower than the hourly employees. In other words, they would perceive and compare others with the outcome that they receive. The inequity they have result from the undesirable outcome.

The second inequity is the working shift problem. The news point out that there is a big loophole that about 5% of the hourly-paid staffs always shift their work so that they work less than 70 hours monthly. Some even work