LEADERSHIP: 3 Motivational Theories

In these times of pandemic caused by the corona virus disease 2019 or

commonly known as COVID-19, the obvious motivational theory being used by
most companies and employers, the government itself, is the Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Needs Theory. Why? This is due to the fact that all, if not, almost all areas are
under lockdown or enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), which means nobody --
rich or poor, educated or uneducated, known or unknown, etc. -- is allowed to go
out from his/her respective residences and roam around wherever he/she pleases,
unlike the normal times back before the pandemic. Banning of traveling from a
place to another is strictly implemented by various cities, municipalities, and
provinces. Exemptions, of course, are given to the specific health workers and other
authorities who are fighting as frontliners. Given this, even the entry and exit of
goods from any supplier is totally banned. Moreover, a lot of activities are in a halt.
These include personal reporting to work, to school, to outdoor recreations, and the
like. Thus, whether to pay the employees of their respective salaries or wages even
became a big question. Nevertheless, to all, survival still comes first. An instance is
evident during the initial stage of the pandemic. A lot of company workers still
insisted to report to work in person because of “No work, no pay Policy” of their
companies. This is one evidence of people prioritizing pay so they can buy their
basic needs over safety and anything else. For this reason, some companies
provided online works that can be done by their employees at home for the time
being just so they can still pay their employees with the payment they claim they
deserve. These employees are actually demanding for pay from their employers for
the same reason, to satisfy their expenses, primarily on food. Relief goods are
another proof, both public and private institutions and organizations, give out relief
goods especially for the underprivileged ones. Personally, I myself, have
acquaintances who are company owners and they shared on their social media
platforms some photos on how they tend to their employees’ roaring, that is, by
giving them relief goods, even door to door. Along with the photos of the employers
giving out relief goods to their employees were some screenshots of how their
employees were so thankful of the act their companies or employers did for them.
This is a solid proof that the employees are already satisfied by having their
physiological needs secured first, which the owners of companies and employers, as
human beings themselves, know as a fact and so it is what they provided their
employees immediately to stop them from their complaints.

Another motivational theory being applied by companies or employers during

this time is the equity theory which is a process theory. This is true because of the
lockdown and enhanced community quarantine where employees cannot go to work
in person due to the threat of getting infected of the said virus. However, many still
are fighting for their rights to have their monthly salaries as usual. This is
specifically true to employees in private companies, especially that the government
announced a “With pay Policy” even during the pandemic. This could be because of
the unfair feeling that they have. Everyone’s under lockdown or enhanced
community quarantine and yet only the government employees are privileged to
get paid even without reporting to work. If the companies just suspend the works
and end there, their employers would still continually attack them and demand pay
from them. With or without work, the employees would still demand for pay. This
definitely would incur a great loss for the company. Thus, if the employees would
just go wild for their pay from their employers and later on make a bigger issue out
of it, then, the employers might as well give them work to make them deserve the
pay they are fighting for. For this reason, final decisions of many companies are on
making their employees work from home through online platforms, even giving
them their own facilities, therefore, achieving equity between the government
employees and the private employees, on the one hand, and between the
companies and the employees, on the other hand.

An additional great motivational theory being used by some companies and

employers right now is the Expectancy Theory. The fact that some companies have
provided their employees with laptops, monitors, keyboards, and other facilities,
even including Wi-Fi connections, is to help, not only their own companies from
losing big time, but also in protecting their employees from both getting exposed to
and infected with the virus and from spreading the virus further to others (valence).
In providing their employees this way, their employees not only will be able to
work, but would also make their employees not go out anymore to neighbors with
internet connections or internet cafes and just stay at home (expectancy). The
more the employees just work and stay at home, the more chances of not getting
infected and spreading the virus there would be (instrumentality). Another example
of this theory being used nowadays is seen in those engaged with food businesses.
Employers make sure that their employees still observe proper behavior toward the
COVID-19 while doing the business by making sure their employees make use of
masks, gloves, and sanitizers, plus, observing social distancing while giving out
deliveries and making their customers do take-out orders and delivery orders only
to ensure the safety of everyone (valence). If these efforts are observed very
carefully, more likely, employees will be disciplined in the matter of safety against
COVID-19, avoiding possible direct contact with the virus for both the employees
and the customers (expectancy). The more disciplined employees there would be,
the more secured the carrying out of jobs there would be while also securing the
customers’ safety (instrumentality).