Motivating Employees | 激励员工

📚 Motivating Employees | 激励员工

Motivation is the inner drive that pushes an individual to act in a certain way. In business, a motivated workforce is essential because motivated employees tend to work harder, produce more, and stay loyal to the organisation. This article explores the key concepts, financial and non-financial rewards, and major theories of motivation that every IGCSE Business candidate should master.

激励是指推动个体以特定方式行动的内在驱动力。在商业中，员工激励至关重要，因为受到激励的员工往往工作更努力、产出更多，并对组织保持忠诚。本文探讨了IGCSE商务考生必须掌握的关键概念、金钱与非金钱报酬以及主要的激励理论。

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1. What is Motivation? | 什么是激励？

Motivation can be defined as the reason why an individual chooses to behave in a particular way. In a workplace context, it refers to the willingness of employees to work hard and contribute positively to the objectives of the business. A motivated worker is not only more productive but also more creative and committed to the quality of their output.

激励可以定义为个体选择以特定方式行事的原因。在工作场所中，它指的是员工努力工作并为实现企业目标作出积极贡献的意愿。受到激励的员工不仅效率更高，而且在工作中更具创造力和责任心，对产品质量更加投入。

Motivation matters because it directly affects three key business outcomes: the level of output (productivity), the quality of goods or services, and the rate of employee turnover. When staff are motivated, absenteeism falls and customer satisfaction often rises.

激励之所以重要，是因为它直接影响三个关键的企业成果：产出水平（生产率）、商品或服务的质量以及员工流动率。当员工受到激励时，缺勤率下降，客户满意度也往往会提高。

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2. Why Motivation is Important | 激励的重要性

There are several reasons why a business must take motivation seriously. First, motivated employees are more efficient, which lowers unit costs and allows the business to compete on price. Second, satisfied workers are less likely to leave, reducing recruitment and training costs. Third, motivated staff provide better customer service, which builds reputation and repeat sales.

企业必须认真对待激励，原因有几点。第一，受到激励的员工效率更高，这降低了单位成本，使企业在价格上更具竞争力。第二，满意的员工不太可能离开，从而减少招聘和培训成本。第三，受到激励的员工提供更好的客户服务，这有助于建立声誉并带来回头客。

• Higher productivity: motivated workers produce more output per hour.

• Lower absenteeism: engaged employees attend work regularly.

• Lower labour turnover: fewer employees leave, so recruitment costs stay low.

• Better industrial relations: motivation reduces conflict between workers and managers.

• 更高的生产率：受到激励的员工每小时产出更多。

• 更低的缺勤率：敬业的员工按时出勤。

• 更低的员工流动率：离职员工减少，招聘成本保持低位。

• 更好的劳资关系：激励减少了员工与管理层之间的冲突。

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3. Financial Rewards — Wages and Salaries | 金钱报酬——工资与薪金

Financial rewards are payments made to employees in exchange for their work. The two most basic forms are wages and salaries. Wages are usually paid weekly and are based on the number of hours worked (time-based). For example, a factory worker earning £12 per hour for 40 hours receives £480 per week. Salaries are typically paid monthly and are fixed annual amounts, such as a manager earning £35,000 per year.

金钱报酬是员工因工作而获得的付款。最基本的两种形式是工资和薪金。工资通常按周支付，基于工作小时数计算（计时制）。例如，一名工厂工人每小时挣12英镑，工作40小时，每周收入480英镑。薪金通常按月支付，是固定的年薪金额，例如一位经理年薪35,000英镑。

Time-based payment is simple to calculate and gives workers income security, but it does not reward extra effort. A worker who works at double speed is paid the same as one who works slowly. For this reason, many businesses link part of the pay to output or performance.

计时支付计算简单，给工人带来收入保障，但它不对额外努力给予回报。一位工作速度加倍的工人与一位慢速工作的工人拿到的报酬相同。因此，许多企业将部分薪酬与产出或绩效挂钩。

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4. Financial Rewards — Bonus, Commission and Profit Sharing | 金钱报酬——奖金、佣金与利润分享

A bonus is an extra payment made to employees in addition to their normal pay, often linked to achieving a specific target. For example, a salesperson may receive a £1,000 bonus for exceeding their monthly sales quota. Bonuses reward short-term achievement and can be very motivating, but they may also encourage employees to focus only on targets and ignore other duties.

奖金是在员工正常工资之外支付的额外款项，通常与实现特定目标挂钩。例如，销售人员若超过月度销售额度，可能会获得1,000英镑奖金。奖金奖励短期成果，激励效果显著，但也可能使员工只关注目标而忽视其他职责。

Commission is a payment based on the value of sales made by an employee. It is commonly used in retail and insurance. For example, a car salesman earning 2% commission on each sale is directly rewarded for their selling skill. This strongly motivates staff to sell more, but it creates income uncertainty, which some workers dislike.

佣金是基于员工销售额的一定比例支付的报酬，常见于零售和保险行业。例如，汽车销售员从每笔销售中赚取2%的佣金，直接因其销售技能而获得回报。这会强烈激励员工多销售，但也带来了收入的不确定性，一些员工不喜欢这一点。

Profit sharing is a scheme in which employees receive a share of the business’s profits, usually paid as a yearly bonus. It gives workers a sense of ownership and encourages them to think about the overall success of the firm. However, the amount received depends on the company’s performance, so employees cannot rely on it as a stable source of income.

利润分享是一种让员工分享企业利润的方案，通常以年度奖金的形式发放。它让员工产生主人翁意识，鼓励他们关注公司的整体成功。然而，金额取决于公司业绩，员工不能将其视为稳定的收入来源。

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5. Non-Financial Rewards — Job Rotation and Job Enrichment | 非金钱报酬——工作轮换与工作丰富化

Not all motivation comes from money. Non-financial rewards aim to make work more interesting, enjoyable and satisfying. Job rotation involves moving an employee between different tasks or roles to reduce boredom. For example, a hotel employee may spend the morning at reception and the afternoon in event planning. This increases skill variety and gives workers a broader view of the business.

并非所有激励都来自金钱。非金钱报酬旨在让工作更有趣、更愉快、更有满足感。工作轮换是指让员工在不同任务或岗位之间轮动，以减少枯燥感。例如，酒店员工可能上午在前台工作，下午参与活动策划。这增加了技能的多样性，让员工对业务有更全面的了解。

Job enrichment involves giving employees more responsibility, challenge and control over their work. For example, a supermarket floor manager may be allowed to design the shelf layout and decide on weekly promotions without asking a senior manager for approval. Job enrichment taps into a person’s need for achievement and personal growth.

工作丰富化是指赋予员工更多的责任、挑战和对工作的控制权。例如，超市楼层经理可以自行设计货架布局并决定每周促销活动，而无需请示高级经理。工作丰富化满足了个人对成就感和个人成长的需求。

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6. Non-Financial Rewards — Autonomy, Recognition and Feedback | 非金钱报酬——自主权、认可与反馈

Autonomy refers to the freedom employees have to make decisions about how they do their work. A graphic designer who is allowed to choose their own design style and work schedule has high autonomy. Autonomy increases job satisfaction because employees feel trusted and respected, which in turn strengthens their commitment to the business.

自主权是指员工在决定如何完成工作方面所拥有的自由。一位可以自主选择设计风格和工作时间表的平面设计师拥有很高的自主权。自主权能提高工作满意度，因为员工感到被信任和被尊重，进而增强了对企业的忠诚度。

Recognition means giving employees praise or formal acknowledgement for good work. This can be as simple as a “thank you” from the manager or as formal as a “Employee of the Month” award. Recognition fulfils the psychological need for appreciation and encourages employees to maintain high standards.

认可是指对员工的优秀工作给予表扬或正式的肯定。它可以像经理说一声”谢谢”那样简单，也可以像”月度最佳员工”奖那样正式。认可满足了员工被欣赏的心理需求，并鼓励他们保持高标准。

Feedback is regular information about how well an employee is performing. Effective feedback is specific, timely and balanced, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement. When employees understand what they are doing well and where they can grow, they feel more in control of their own development.

反馈是定期向员工提供的关于其表现的信息。有效的反馈应具体、及时且均衡，既要指出优点也要指出改进空间。当员工了解自己哪些做得好、哪些尚待提升时，他们会更掌控自己的职业发展。

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7. Taylor’s Theory of Scientific Management | 泰勒的科学管理理论

Frederick Taylor (1856–1917) is considered the father of scientific management. He observed that workers were motivated primarily by money and described the typical worker as “lazy” and needing close supervision. Taylor believed that if workers were paid according to how much they produced, they would work harder to earn more.

弗雷德里克·泰勒（1856–1917）被称为科学管理之父。他观察到员工主要受金钱驱动，并将典型工人描述为”懒惰”、需要严格监督。泰勒认为，如果按产量支付工人报酬，工人就会更加努力工作以赚取更多收入。

Taylor proposed the piece-rate system, in which workers are paid a fixed amount per unit of output. For example, a garment worker earns £2 for each shirt completed. This directly links effort to reward and encourages maximum output. Taylor also advised that tasks should be broken into small, simple steps and that workers should receive training to perform each step efficiently.

泰勒提出了计件工资制，即工人按每单位产出获得固定报酬。例如，成衣工人每完成一件衬衫赚取2英镑。这直接将努力与报酬挂钩，鼓励最大产出。泰勒还建议将任务分解为小而简单的步骤，并让工人接受培训以高效完成每一步。

Evaluation: Taylor’s theory is effective in repetitive, physical jobs where output can be easily measured, but it ignores social and psychological needs. Modern workers often require more than money to stay motivated.

评价：泰勒理论在产出易于衡量的重复性体力工作中效果显著，但它忽视了社会和心理需求。现代员工往往需要的不仅仅是金钱来保持动力。

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8. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs | 马斯洛的需求层次理论

Abraham Maslow (1908–1970) proposed that humans have five levels of needs, arranged in a pyramid. The lowest levels must be satisfied before a person is motivated by higher levels. The five levels are: physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs and self-actualisation.

亚伯拉罕·马斯洛（1908–1970）提出人类有五个层次的需求，排列成金字塔状。只有当较低层次的需求得到满足后，人们才会被更高层次的需求所激励。这五个层次是：生理需求、安全需求、社交需求、尊重需求和自我实现。

Level | 层次	Need | 需求	Workplace Example | 职场实例
5	Self-actualisation | 自我实现	Challenging projects and career growth | 具有挑战性的项目与职业成长
4	Esteem | 尊重	Promotion, praise, job title | 晋升、表扬、职位头衔
3	Social | 社交	Friendships at work, teamwork | 职场友谊、团队合作
2	Safety | 安全	Job security, safe working conditions | 工作保障、安全工作条件
1	Physiological | 生理	Adequate wages and rest breaks | 足够的工资与休息时间

For managers, the lesson is clear: different employees are at different levels of the hierarchy. A worker struggling to pay rent is motivated by a pay rise, while a well-paid senior employee may be more motivated by recognition and the chance to take on new challenges.

对管理者而言，启示很明确：不同员工处于不同层次。一名为房租发愁的工人会被加薪所激励，而一名高薪的高级员工可能更看重认可和接受新挑战的机会。

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9. Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory | 赫茨伯格的双因素理论

Frederick Herzberg (1923–2000) conducted interviews with accountants and engineers and concluded that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction are caused by different sets of factors. He called the two groups hygiene factors and motivators.

弗雷德里克·赫茨伯格（1923–2000）通过访谈会计师和工程师得出结论：工作满意度和工作不满由不同的因素引起。他将这两类因素称为保健因素和激励因素。

Hygiene factors are the conditions around the job, such as salary, working conditions, company policy and job security. If these are inadequate, workers become dissatisfied. However, improving them does not necessarily motivate employees; it simply prevents dissatisfaction. Herzberg described this as moving from dissatisfaction to “no dissatisfaction”, not to satisfaction.

保健因素是与工作相关的环境条件，如工资、工作条件、公司政策和职业保障。如果这些因素不足，员工会感到不满。然而，改善这些因素并不一定能激励员工，它只是防止不满的产生。赫茨伯格将这描述为从不满意变为”没有不满意”，而不是达到满意。

Motivators are the factors that positively create job satisfaction, such as achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement and personal growth. Herzberg argued that managers should enrich jobs to provide these motivators. For example, allowing a customer service agent to handle complaints independently gives a sense of achievement and responsibility.

激励因素是真正带来工作满意感的积极因素，如成就、认可、责任、晋升和个人成长。赫茨伯格主张管理者应通过工作丰富化来提供这些激励因素。例如，允许客服人员独立处理投诉，能带来成就感和责任感。

Evaluation: Herzberg’s theory is useful because it separates “pay” from “motivation” and reminds managers that money alone cannot inspire loyalty or creativity. However, his research was based on a small, professional sample, and in reality, money is a powerful motivator for many workers, especially those earning low wages.

评价：赫茨伯格理论很有价值，因为它区分了”薪酬”与”激励”，提醒管理者仅靠金钱无法激发忠诚和创造力。然而，他的研究基于较小的专业样本，而实际上金钱对许多员工——尤其是低薪员工——是强有力的激励因素。

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10. Mayo’s Human Relations Theory | 梅奥的人际关系理论

Elton Mayo (1880–1949) conducted the famous Hawthorne experiments at the Western Electric Company in the 1920s and 1930s. He originally set out to study whether better lighting improved productivity, but he discovered something more surprising.

埃尔顿·梅奥（1880–1949）在20世纪20年代和30年代于西方电力公司进行了著名的霍桑实验。他最初旨在研究更好的照明是否能提高生产率，但发现了更令人惊讶的现象。

Mayo found that productivity increased regardless of whether lighting was improved or reduced. He concluded that the workers were responding not to the physical conditions but to the attention they were receiving from the researchers. Being observed made them feel valued and special, which motivated them to work harder.

梅奥发现，无论照明是改善还是减弱，生产率都提高了。他得出结论：工人不是对物理条件作出反应，而是对研究人员给予他们的关注作出反应。被观察让他们感到被重视、很特别，从而激励他们更努力工作。

Two key implications flow from Mayo’s work. First, social factors matter a great deal; workers want to feel part of a group and to have good relationships with colleagues. Second, managers should pay attention to employees, listen to their views and involve them in decisions. Informal groups inside a business can also strongly influence individual behaviour.

梅奥的研究有两个关键启示。第一，社会因素非常重要；员工希望感觉自己是群体的一分子，并与同事保持良好的关系。第二，管理者应关注员工、倾听他们的意见并让他们参与决策。企业内部非正式群体也会强烈影响个人的行为。

Evaluation: Mayo’s theory highlights the limits of purely financial motivation and supports the use of team-building, effective communication and consultative leadership. Yet it is often criticised for being difficult to apply in large factories where individual attention is impossible.

评价：梅奥理论揭示了纯粹靠金钱激励的局限，支持采用团队建设、有效沟通和协商式领导。但它也常被批评在无法进行个别关注的大型工厂中难以实施。

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11. Choosing the Right Motivation Strategy | 选择正确的激励策略

There is no single best way to motivate employees. The right strategy depends on the nature of the work, the culture of the business and the characteristics of the workforce. A business selling electricians’ tools may use sales commission, while a hospital may rely on recognition and professional development to motivate nurses.

没有一种放之四海而皆准的最佳激励方法。正确的策略取决于工作性质、企业文化以及员工队伍的特点。销售电工工具的企业可能使用销售佣金，而医院可能依靠认可和专业发展来激励护士。

Financial methods work best when the output can be measured objectively and employees value money. Non-financial methods work best in jobs that require creativity, teamwork and customer interaction. Many successful businesses use a mix of both, such as a competitive base salary plus profit sharing and regular employee recognition programmes.

当产出可以客观衡量且员工看重金钱时，金钱激励方法效果最佳。非金钱激励在需要创造力、团队合作和客户互动的工作中效果最好。许多成功企业同时使用两种方法，例如具有竞争力的基本工资加上利润分享和定期的员工认可计划。

For the IGCSE examination, you should be able to evaluate a given business scenario and recommend appropriate motivation methods. Ask: Are workers paid well? Is the job dull or varied? Do employees work alone or in teams? What are the stated objectives of the business?

对于IGCSE考试，你应能评估给定的商业情景并推荐合适的激励方法。问自己：员工工资是否足够？工作是单调还是多样？员工是独立工作还是团队合作？企业目标是什么？

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12. Exam Focus and Summary | 考试重点与总结

Motivation is a favourite topic in Cambridge IGCSE Business papers. You may be asked to define motivation, explain a theory, or recommend methods for a particular business. Use the case details given in the question, and always support your recommendations with reasons.

激励是剑桥IGCSE商务考试的热门主题。你可能会被要求定义激励、解释某一理论，或为特定企业推荐激励方法。请利用题目中的案例细节，并始终用理由来支持你的建议。

Complete this summary in your revision notes:

在你的复习笔记中完成以下总结：

• Motivation = the willingness to work hard for a business’s goals.
• Financial rewards: wages, salary, bonus, commission, profit sharing.
• Non-financial rewards: job rotation, job enrichment, autonomy, recognition, feedback.
• Taylor: money is the main motivator → piece-rate pay.
• Maslow: five levels of needs → satisfy lower needs before higher ones.
• Herzberg: hygiene factors prevent dissatisfaction; motivators create satisfaction.
• Mayo: attention and social relationships motivate workers.

• 激励 = 为实现企业目标而努力工作的意愿。
• 金钱报酬：计时工资、薪金、奖金、佣金、利润分享。
• 非金钱报酬：工作轮换、工作丰富化、自主权、认可、反馈。
• 泰勒：金钱是主要激励因素 → 计件工资。
• 马斯洛：五个需求层次 → 先满足低层需求再满足高层需求。
• 赫茨伯格：保健因素防止不满；激励因素创造满意。
• 梅奥：关注和社交关系能激励员工。

Finally, remember that motivation is not a one-time event. Employee needs change over time, and a good manager continuously adapts rewards and job design to keep motivation high. When motivation is managed well, both employees and the business benefit.

最后请记住，激励不是一次性事件。员工的需求会随时间变化，优秀的管理者会不断调整报酬和工作设计以保持高水平的激励。当激励管理得当，员工和企业都能从中受益。

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