Chapter I

THE PROBLEM

Factors Affecting Government Employees’ Motivation in Region XII

Regional Offices During Pandemic

I.1 Background of the study

The success of any organization depends on the ability of its top

management to provide a motivating environment for its employees. The

challenge is for how they can keep the rank and file motivated in the workplace

so they can perform well. The goal is to be able to benefit from a positive

employee behavior in the workplace where everybody is giving their best to

achieving the goals of the organization. Management should be able to know the

behaviors of their employees and know what motivates them to work well. A

workforce that is not motivated will be not able to give their best since they are

working half-heartedly. Such, managers should take steps to maintain a high

level of motivation at any times to maintain the productivity and effectivity of its

workforce.

There are many reasons people wants to work for and in government. The

public sector has offered security of tenure, career and development

opportunities and the pension system as some of its motivating factors. But aside

from this, people wants to work in public service due to an intrinsic motivation to

serve the people and have an impact on society. They wanted to be able to do
their own little share in making the country better. Working in the government has

also enabled them to pursue other commitments like family and schooling.

During this time of pandemic, the many different government regional

offices located in Koronadal City has seen their operations derailed. As most of

the employees came from different parts of the region, the continuing lockdowns

and quarantine has seriously affected their ability to provide service to the public.

Many government employees are uncertain whether to continue reporting for

duty but they still report because of the importance of their work. To ensure that

their personnel continues to be safe despite the pandemic, new policies were

implemented by the different agencies to safeguard them. Some of this policies

includes work from home scheme, a three-day work week, hazard pay and

rotational duty. Some of the agencies also provided protective personal

equipment and shuttle services for their employees. As of May 31, 2019, there

are 73, 969 government employees in Region XII as provided by the Civil Service

Commission with 61 regional offices of national government agencies. These

employees are directly or indirectly affected by the pandemic since the nature of

their work makes them vulnerable to possible contacts with affected people.

It is the aim of this study to determine the different factors that might affect the

motivation of employees whether the different policies implemented by the

government agencies is effective in keeping the level of motivation of their

employees. Keeping the government working effectively has never been

important especially this pandemic. The people needs the government to be

working effectively so that we can weather this difficult times.

1.2 Framework

Theoretical Framework

Motivation is an important aspect in any organization. It is the process that

initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. It is the driving force

behind human actions and understanding is one of the jobs of the managers in

any organization. Hence, it is important to know what motivates an employee and

find ways to maintain a high level of motivation at any times.

Different kinds of motivation are frequently described as extrinsic motivation

and intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivations are those that arise from outside an

individual. Examples of extrinsic motivation are rewards such as trophies, money,

social recognition and praise. Intrinsic motivation on the other hand are those

that arise within the individual. These may arise from the needs of an individual

to do or prove something. It may involve something which he really believes in

and he does it without outside suggestion.

There are many uses for motivation and understanding how it works and the

factors that may impact it is important. Understanding motivation will help

improve the efficiency of the people as they work toward goals, help people take

action, improve well-being and happiness, and help people feel more in control of

their lives, among others.

Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework of the study is presented in figure 1. The

schematic diagram of the conceptual framework shows the relationship between

motivation and the various factors affecting it during pandemic.

The Schematic Diagram of the Conceptual Framework

MOTIVATION ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS

PANDEMIC

I.3 Statement of the Problem:

Main Problem:

What are the factors affecting national government agencies employee

motivation in Region XII regional offices during the pandemic?

Sub-problem:

1. What are the demographic profiles of the government employees from

various agencies in terms of:

a. age
 b. gender; and

c. number of years in service

2. What are the level of acceptance of the government employees

towards the new normal in terms of:

a. Work from Home Schemes

b. Reduced Work Week; and

c. Quarantines/Lockdowns

I.4 Scope and Limitation

The scope of the study is focused government employees who are

currently employed from various national government agencies with regional

offices in Koronadal City as this study aimed to identify and determine the factors

that may affect employee motivation during this pandemic.

This study limits its respondent to the personnel of various national

government agencies within the areas of Koronadal City whether rank and file or

officer.

Problems will be encountered in the conduct of the research, these

includes: the sincerity and/or credibility of the response of the main respondents

to the given questionnaires, the availability of the respondents, and other

problems which may or may not come up.

I.5 Significance of the Study

This study shall be beneficial to the following:

Government. Being able to keep their employees motivated is important

for the government in order for it to achieve their organizational goals. With this

study, they can further think of strategies to keep their employees motivated

especially during times of pandemic.

Government Employees. This study can be an outlet for government

employees to convey their feedback about the actions taken by the government

to motivate them during these times. With these, everybody can share their

opinions on what should be further done to help each other.

Researchers. This paper would be helpful to other researchers pursuing

to further study about motivation especially during pandemics. As pandemics

don’t always happen, their occurrences and implications on people’s actions are

not that well documented.

Public. This study can be beneficial to the public since they will be able to

understand the plight of government employees during these pandemic.

Government employees are also affected with the way things are now and the

public should also understand their plight.

I.6 Definition of Terms

Motivation is the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-

oriented behaviors. It involves the biological, emotional, social and cognitive

forces that activate behavior.

Pandemic   is defined as “an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very

wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number

of people”. The classical definition includes nothing about population immunity,

virology or disease severity.

Extrinsic motivation involves doing something because it's personally

rewarding to you. Extrinsic motivation involves doing something because you

want to earn a reward or avoid punishment.

Intrinsic motivation is the act of doing something without any obvious

external rewards.

Quarantine is a state, period, or place of isolation in which people or

animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or

contagious disease are placed.

Lockdown can be defined as an emergency protocol implemented by the

authorities that prevents people from leaving a given area. A full lockdown will

mean that the people in the given area must stay where they are and must not

exit or enter a building or given area.