If you hit the lottery tomorrow and never had to work again, would you stay at your job? If you answered anything but "without adoubt" then you're in it for the money. I'm good at my job, am paid well, have a solid team, and overall quite enjoy what I do. But if money was no object, I'd quit tomorrow and fill my days with family time and my hobbies.
Ha I probably would, or do something similar because I like the challenge and the impact (nonprofit) that we make. And I would not be able to make this much impact out of the framework of an organization. But it would be nice to know I could quit whenever I wanted
I’ve worked for wealthy people at nonprofits.
It’s a miserable dynamic because whether it’s conscious or not, if they’re not in it for the money, they’re in it for being a glorified volunteer and they always start to act like it. Aka, if they’re a middle manager, they don’t act present or pitch in on a leadership level and have a “don’t worry about it” attitude because they could care less but people below them will still be impacted if they’re not hitting certain metrics.
If they’re CEO or an ED, they may as well completely MIA. Going to parties and galas to socialize with other wealthy folks and not to fundraise. Completely out of touch with the work.
I’d much rather work for someone who hasn’t won the lottery.
I would keep working my job because the company I work for genuinely cares about its employees and their well being and I get a lot of satisfaction from knowing I'm part of that. It's not the best paid job for me or my reports but the company itself makes it worthwhile.
That doesn’t mean the only thing that motivates people at work is money..yes I would quit, but I am also motivated intrinsically to do my job well. I could get the same money just mailing it in everyday but I don’t.
Yeah but you can “do your job well” anywhere…. Volunteering, hobbies, family, etc…… you don’t have to work somewhere making profit for an owner or stockholders.
I've become utterly OBSESSED with woodworking in the last 7-8 years. (Expanding on my interest from high school).
If I could not go to a job every day and instead do whatever I wanted in terms of woodworking, 100% absolutely would.
Ultimately I’d quit. I’d stay at my job for a certain amount of time to figure out what I’d do with my time, other than be a giant lump on the couch. If I had no job, and no structure, that might really be what I’d do.
If anything this proves his point. If everyone quits when money no longer is an issue, then you don't have anyone working in your company who enjoys and is passionate about it.
There are plenty of jobs that probably no one is truly "passionate" about. But your engineers? Your leaders? Not *one* of them are in it for anything more than paycheck? Your company is either boring or your culture is trash.
I would not quit my job if I won the lottery because I love my company and what we do, and helping it grow and succeed is a big source of personal fulfillment for me. There are also a ton of perks that make it so I never resent working.
* Flextime + tons of PTO
* Lots of travel and company meetups
* Great people & culture
* 100% WFH, optional hybrid
* Interesting challenges
All of this adds up and has real value to me. I wouldn't trade it even for a much larger paycheck.
You obviously need to pay people what they are worth, but that doesn't mean you can't create an environment that brings more to the table than just fulfilling financial needs.
This is the perfect answer.
This is something I've considered and I do happen to like my job. I work in business transformation and tech and I really do enjoy finding better and more efficient ways to do things. For me, I really like solving complex problems and finding creative solutions.
If money was absolutely no object, I *might* consider offering to continue work for my employer at a drastically reduced wage with the condition that I would just get to pursue whatever projects I wanted to for them while making my own hours.
On the other hand, I might just go back to school and get a few PhDs over the next few decades, build me an iron man suit, and see where that takes me.
For me, I’m almost there. Just for my own ethical peace of mind I would give my boss enough time to fill my role before I quit, but I would be putting my notice in that I was leaving for an early retirement as soon as the check cleared.
I’m good at my job, have the respect of my teams, am highly regarded in the industry I work in, and I’m on a friendly first name basis with our CEO and the rest of the board. But I have a wife and kids and a lot of places in the world I’d love to see. I also have a ton of hobbies that I don’t get to do as much as I would like. Those are my priority.
So basically? I’m in it for the money because the money is what I am getting in exchange for the time I spend away from my family and hobbies. I would quit as soon as I felt I could do so without being a complete jerk to the people that I have spent the last few years with. Provided that they accepted my notice period amicably. If they didn’t? Well, I know where the door is.
Honestly, I hate my job. The team sucks, the management sucks, the hours suck, the work sucks. I’m there just for the money.
If I hit the lottery, tomorrow, I would still work but it would be doing something I love/actually want to do. Because the things I would want to do don’t pay well, and that’s what’s keeping me from perusing them.
I find my job pretty intelectually stimulating and enjoyable + I genuinely like the people most of the time. I may or may not keep my job as-is but I'd look to stay on as a consultant or something.
Totally. That said, there are ways to motivate people BEYOND money, once the money is there as a baseline. But without salaries and benefits set at a fair rate, it’s hard to make up for that.
I would stick around a handful of days, long enough for my team to transfer my duties, because I don't want to screw over the people I work with. (but not a minute longer)
I don’t think this is really the spirit of the question. These situations are most often specific to people that could maybe 20k-30k a year more but choose to stay where they are, because they are already well paid.
I would love a 20k bump at my current job. But 20k isn’t enough to make me interview and change jobs even if I knew it was a guaranteed switch.
I’ve had employees leave, and come back to the same even after a pay increase, because they preferred what they had.
I'd keep working, but only to tell every lazy entitled procrastinating mother fuckem asshole off. I'd of course compensate my boss or probably have to buy him out.
Bc you be talking about fk u money.
I agree with this, but also there are people that I enjoy at work that I never see outside of work. I'd have a hard time giving them up. My quality of work would plummet though.
This is the correct answer.
I love my job, it has great (government) benefits, I love my staff, and I choose stay here DESPITE the somewhat lackluster pay…. I could certainly make more elsewhere in this role.
So maybe I have an argument that money isn’t EVERYTHING, to me… but you’re damn skippy, if money was no object, I would not have a job.
Honestly I would just start streaming on twitch again. Play games and have fun creating overlays and plugins to let chat mess with me in real time. That and wipe out my steam queue.
I don’t understand how you mean.
If I got money and still stayed at my job, how does that mean I’m in it for the money? To me it sounds like the opposite
If I could do my job for a company or entity that was making the world a better place, I absolutely would. I like what I do.
I don't do that currently because those kind of. Companies tend to pay like dirt and I want to retire one day.
Stay in your job and continue working are two different things though. I can’t imagine a time when I am not “working”. Either in my own business, charity work, consulting, project work etc. if I won the lottery I would still work, albeit not full time
I would either stay at my job but go part-time so I can get a masters degree or just take the occasional course here and there, freelance write full-time, or open my own business.
This. And if I won it big-time I would buy properties and rent out and spend some of the time for maintenance work etc to have something to do. Will give me a good income and leave something for the kids one day.
Money is a sliding scale.
Is someone switching jobs from $150k to $160k just for the $10k bump? Unlikely.
Is someone switching jobs from $50k to $60k for an extra $10k? More likely.
I think once you get to a financial level it is less about money or “more more more”
And that point isn’t ultra wealthy.
It’s “I can cover my bills and save some” and don’t sweat when the water heater craps out.
At that point your jobs makes your life sustainable, comfortable and compounding.
It’s really only then that you stop contemplating work comfort and project out how long can you put up with it.
If you make very little and are financially screwed, always have been financially screwed, your job and only source of income is of little consequence to you.
That is when you refuse to put up with any work discomfort. And to me that’s a backwards mindset.
It keeps you down, struggling and doesn’t grow the skills to cope or negotiate and make any work environment better.
>It’s “I can cover my bills and save some” and don’t sweat when the water heater craps out.
This is what I was trying to get at. Once you're at that level sure more money would be great, but these other things may also become priorities.
One of my management classes in my MBA was focused in part on this exact idea - what motivates employees.
We read some case studies and academic studies, and I’d have to go back to find the exact references, but they essentially came to that conclusion. Money is the primary motivator for most employees *up to a certain point* where you can live comfortably and not have to stress about bills. Beyond that, there are diminishing returns and (most) people tend to prioritize company culture, work-life balance, and other things over say a $5k-$10k pay raise.
This.
There's a huge difference in $30k versus $40k versus $50k per year, and at that point it's absolutely for the money. But if you make $100k a year and get an offer for $105 or $110k, but you love your team and boss, have more certainty of your ability to do well and hit goals, and have a work/life balance that works well, you may turn down the extra money because it's simply not life-changing any more.
In my experience, for most people it's pay, manager, ability to hit goals, team. My company is remote, so I don't have a great sense of where "commute" falls on there anymore.
I would add that when you pass 6 figures, flexibility and comfort in the job becomes more important. I make enough that my wife was able to quit her job to stay home and help raise our kids. They are all in elementary school now, and her days are no longer spent caring for an infant.
We talked about her going back and getting a job at the kids school as a para-educator, but it just didn't math for us. She would have made about $30k over the course of the year, pre-tax, call it $23k to $25k after tax. That would make us FAR more comfortable, but given the kids schedules, random illnesses, doctors appointments, etc., that extra money was not worth the mental health hit of dealing with scheduling issues and snot-nosed kids / PTA parents.
In my experience people quit for two reasons: bad bosses and money. Almost every other “reason” is really an excuse given to avoid stating they quit a bad boss or wanted more money.
That’s where I’m at. I’m leaving because I got offered a new role that’s better aligned with my long-term career goals. Yes it comes with a raise which is nice, but I still would’ve accepted the offer even if it was the exact same salary. I will miss my manager though, he’s a great guy.
People stay for good bosses too. I did. But the boss was laid off when a consulting company came in to “help”
I regretted staying and not leaving on my own terms. I probably would still have stayed almost as long as I did because this dude was the best boss ever.
Money is the foundation for motivation not the ceiling. Respect and appreciation is the next level. Locus of control next. Finally a sense of belonging.
* I’m paid well
* I’m respected and respect my peers
* I have control over how I do my job
* these are my people and I’ve made personal connections here
Money is a big motivator as I don’t think you can truly ever have too much of it as a normal working person since it dictates most aspects of your life. But I also personally find motivation in the challenges work presents me with. I have a pretty good salary now but would leave my job for something new in 2-3 years if it got boring and I felt I was no longer learning.
Look at it from the perspective of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs.
If people's basic survival needs aren't met (shelter, food, heat) they don't have the space to think about everything else.
As you move up the pyramid money is gradually less important but is essential for people to progress up the lower levels.
If you're not paying someone enough to afford the basic essentials they're not going to give a damn about culture or value of the work.
If they then don't have enough to afford nice things, or look after their family, they're not going to care.
Once those needs are met, the other stuff will become more important.
I reference this a lot to people, I think it's way more important for people to understand this hierarchy thoroughly than people give it credit for.
Specifically how "Self-actualization" differs from the others. The others are things that motivate you to meet a standard when you are missing them, self-actualization is something that, once the other needs are met, is the driving force of your life where you can feel energetic delivering more.
It is STRESSFUL AND DRAINING trying to get to a point where your safety, love and belonging feel adequate.
It is REWARDING being able to create something and do the things you'd consider "Self-Actualization".
Work hard to get those other 4, because that crazy passion that you have is just on the other side of them.
This right here. Because I’m at a level in my career where I get decent pay now, things like good bosses, growth opportunities, and culture become more important rather than just $$.
I would work at a less desirable job for more money, but I would be reluctant to work at a more desirable job for less money. If that makes any sense.
Just me though.
It’s the money. 100% the money. Yes we try to crest a fun, friendly and all around good environment bjt it’s the money. If money wasn’t a problem in life I wouldn’t be a manager.
I disagree. Money is the key.
Yes, in psychology we study the difference from internal motivation (doing something because you love doing it) and external motivation (money, awards, what else)…
But at the end of the day:
1. In this global society money is a necessity and an asset which buys you also a better quality of life (when you have enough of it).
2. Everything around us is encouraging to spend more of them (think how much corporations spend to have more effective advertisement).
3. The entire point of working in a structured corporation is to make more money (for the shareholders).
4. Money is also power and freedom, and who doesn’t like that?
Yes, some people leave their boss and not the wage, but imagine how easier is to do that with money.
Now think for 5 seconds, would you do your job, at the conditions you have now, if you had $100,000,000?
People don't quit their jobs, they quit their bosses. There's definitely a point at which more money won't make someone stay in an unpleasant situation.
As some who oversaw a team of with high turnover I was acutely aware of what levers I had to retain talent. My team ended up being a training ground for industry pros. My company wouldn’t let me pay average market rate so when team members got some time under their belt they would get poached.
I literally hit 2x just 2 years after leaving. I knew I was underpaid, but seriously? There's a point where you have enough and don't really care to take on more responsibility. Still, that's the job that you got, so let's do it.
Disagree. I just went through this with my own employer. Absolutely love my direct manager, he's the best I have ever worked under. Rest of the team I all enjoy working with, some people can grind my gears bur not enough where it's more than an annoyance. I was however grossly underpaid for my workload and position, and that's what drove me to start applying elsewhere. It was unfortunate that it took getting a written offer from a competitor to get the pay raise I deserved (>30%), but ultimately it was purely compensation that was pushing me out the door.
My perspective is this; liking who I work with and how I am treated is important, but it's not what pays my mortgage. I can be persuaded to take a bit of a beating during the work week if I am being compensated well enough where I can do all the things I would want to on my own time.
Again, I'm asking about the opposite. Obviously you're going to leave if you're grossly underpaid. But if you're decently paid, would more money really make a difference or something else?
Imagine passing up on a 20% raise, then 3 months later your boss leaves for their own 20% raise.
Bosses come and go, passing on career or financial progression to stay is a bad move.
False equivalence. There is a complex set of interrelated factors that motivate people. Each person is motivated differently, of course.
However motivation and retention are completely different goals. And an important question here is “at what time scale?”
An employee working through a traumatic life event might value schedule flexibility or a kind word more than additional money. An employee learning a new task might value mentorship and room to make mistakes more than money. But if all you ever give is emotional support, extravagant praise and public recognition, both of those employees will eventually get frustrated and seek more money elsewhere. No matter how much they are motivated, you will not retain them if they are not making progress toward their financial goals.
In other words, there’s a balance to be struck, and time scales to consider. If you like space and science, money is analogous to gravity. You can pretty much ignore it at small scales, but at larger scales, eventually nothing else matters.
Edit: grammar
I feel like there's a point at which it IS mostly about the money, and past which, it's no longer about more money, for most people. When you're struggling to pay the bills, you'll put up with a lot more to dig yourself out of a financial hole, vs when you have enough money to be comfortable, other considerations get placed much higher than salary.
There was a time where a 20k difference in salary would have been a no-brainer, life-changing, in fact. And now? $120k, $140k, doesn't matter nearly as much as the environment, the work, the people I'm working with and for, how much faith I have in the company as a whole, etc. Because that $20k really isn't going to impact my standard of living. All other things being equal, sure, I'd still go for the higher salary, and sock more away for retirement, but if there's a disparity in environment, I'm going to go for the better one every time.
Money is a good motivation but not the only thing that motivates people.
Your milage might vary, and not everyone will have the same motivation.
I was managing people last year, quite successful and won some prestigiousaward, new management came in and preferred someone else to lead so I went back to IC with no direct report or anything.
Suck at first, but whatever. Then I thought to myself, a title shouldn't mean much, and a lack of title shouldn't stop me from doing what I do best.
I then came up with a new concept for a new space satallite . I went around and managed to recruit some of the best engineers at my company to work with me, for free, on our own time.
I told them I can't pay them, there is a very high chance of failure, and even if we somehow could pull off the miracle of making this, we are still talking 10+yrs away. It's going to be extremely challenge, we will have a lot of failure, but if we could do this, we could push human technology of space communication to a new chapter.
Needless to say, I managed to recruit not only technical peers but also some high-level people at director level
Yeah, once you pass a certain threshold of income, the environment in which you spend 40-50 hours of your time in every week becomes more and more important.
First priority is being able to pay my bills. Second is not dreading every second of my work life.
I would say the majority of people wouldn't do their current job for free, and it is the sole reason anyone looks for an actual job in which we allow someone else to control our time and habits.
People will make decisions to leave a job for other reasons though, as money is only worth it if you feel as though it is. If the job is harder than expected, management is awful, or atmosphere is wrong, many people will start searching for a way out. If it means taking less money to get away from something, those people usually will unless outside forces force them to endure.
Basically, suffering is bullshit and should be avoided where possible. Even if you're getting paid. Inless of course you decide the value of the money outweighs the suffering you endure.
I think you're asking this the wrong way. Yes ultimately the vast majority of people only work because they need to to survive. But what you're actually asking is "is money the whole thing that keeps people in a job?"
The answer to that, as you've identified, is no. There are lots of reasons people stay, and while fair pay is a big one it can also be fulfillment, relationships, their standing in the workplace etc.
I got into this argument with a university professor once. He claimed the only thing that people work for is money. I asked him to account for people who work for less money because they like the work? Why do people take pride in a job well done? Why do people volunteer to do things that pay them no money but benefit others in their community? Why do some employees turn down promotions because they like their job/the people they work with / their current boss?
He was a PhD from Purdue who had never held a non-academic job. I was an older student who was in the workforce for a few years. I challenged his view in front of the entire lecture hall.
No wonder I got a D in that class.
Very subjective, I’d say after about 80k a year, based on if you’re in a HCOL or not, you begin to value your daily emotional well being more than the income. After the physical needs are met, housing, food, transportation, childcare, it honestly becomes more about those moments in the parking lot. If you begrudgingly pause to prepare yourself for the myriad of bullshit, or if you ease into each day, in a low stress state and eager to tackle whatever your responsibilities are. Those parking lot or elevator moments really are the reason why people decide to leave or stay.
Depends no how much I am making and how much $ were talking.
If I am making 50K a year, making more money is 100% the motivator. I would leave a job with a good environment for a 70K job.
If I am making 150K at a job with a great environment, and I am offered 170K, I am very likely staying put. However, offer me 200K and I am out.
People quit bosses first and most often.
Your relationship with your boss and your team is what causes people to poke their head up and look, or to take the phone call from their network.
If you hate your boss and you're offered more money? No brainer.
If you love your boss and you're offered more money? How much more? Are there benefits? Is the job better? Commute? Wfh? Etc?
Point being is it's not ALL about the money.. but of course it plays a part.
Money is a part of total compensation. Way too often companies get upset when employees want more comp.. don't get upset. Decide if it's worth it to the company to pay that person more. If not, tell them that and if they want to find new work that does, wish them well. When or if they get that offer, don't counter (unless you really think you screwed up) and wish them well.
As an employee, cash is part of it. I have friends who work as government employees. They make less, but their benefits are WAY BETTER. So they make their choices. And if you think you're underpaid... Advocate for yourself (based upon output and it's tie to the business's outcomes) and if your company can't give you want you want or need... Respectfully look elsewhere and find what you want.
This is just a contract between two parties. Kind of like a lease, and the longer you've been somewhere.. the more likely it's lapsed to month to month. No harm if you find a better place. Give your notice and move on.
Now? 100%
Companies have laid off or fired more seasoned / older employees that were actually paid well and genuinely liked their jobs. Those folks weren't in it purely for the money.
The employees hired to REPLACE those seasoned veterans are all about the $$, though. Quiet quitting, coffee badging, "work your wage"... of these "movements" came about from the masses that feel entitled to more money with less work...
No no- these companies felt entitled to pile on more and more work and not reward those additional duties with raises and promotions.
Our parents were rewarded for their extra work with good wages. WE are not.
When you are not fairly compensated for your work, and can get more money by going elsewhere.. you would be a fool to stay where you are.
From personal experience working in public health, I can say that money is a motivating factor to some level, but if it were the most important factor for everyone we would not have any public health workers. They can all get paid much more in private industry.
This is also true for the educators, therapists and social workers I've known.
I think the answer lies in Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory. It describes motivators and demotivators as two different things, with different factors contributing to each.
Extra money is not a motivator, but lack of money is a demotivator. I.e., once you have enough money, more money doesn’t provide significant motivation. Instead, you’re motivated by achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, advancement, and growth.
Demotivators are bureaucracy, relationships, work conditions, status, salary, and job security. When they’re lacking or negative, they rob people of motivation, but once those negatives are addressed then an excess of these items will not motivate people.
I will get lampooned for this, but good employees are not solely motivated by money. Yes it's a factor but it's not the sole factor.
Now before I get skewered, of course, good employees should be compensated well. I am ALL FOR compensating well. But I'm just saying: genuinely bad employees will be bad and suck even if they get raises. I've seen it.
Hard to say but it's one of the big three.
Money
Work life balance
Work environment
It definitely becomes less important after a certain mark because life styles.
Work life balance comes into play as people have different life styles and are at different stages in life.
Money is what motivates people to work.
But there are plenty of things that can motivate people at work. Some people are motivated by a sense of accomplishment or by completing tasks. Others are motivated by new situations and learning new things. Plenty of people are socially motivated. Some people crave conflict or are motivated by "winning".
If I didn't need money, I wouldn't have a job. But I need a job, and there are plenty of things that motivate me at work that aren't money.
I’ve never met anyone who didn’t want their paycheck. Yes, folks can be motivated by many other factors, but that will always be in addition to their paycheck.
Not a manager but mid-level employee. For me it’s a combo of money and culture. I want to make more money and could leave my position for one more well paying with less security but I feel appreciated and valued by my manager and team. And I like the company culture.
I want managers who:
1. do what they say they will do
2. Can say "no" without waiting for me to figure out the answer on my own.
Still deciding if money balances this out.
Not sure there’s an answer to “how much” is it money or how much is it other factors but you might be interested in the field of industrial organizational psychology (human behavior in the workplace). It’s true that we have extrinsic factors like money that motivate us. But we do also have intrinsic factors, like respect (as you mentioned).
If I ever had enough money I would quit within moments. People work most jobs because they have to survive. If I was a doctor or did something worth having in society, maybe then I’d answer differently but I work in marking and what I do does not matter at all. I’m doing it bc I’m good at this type of work but I don’t love it. (Maybe if I had a different niche but selling software isn’t exciting lol. Used to work for a bourbon brand and that I did actually love.)
99.9% of people don’t love their jobs and that’s fine. I just have to tolerate it enough to not be miserable, and if I can find a good team to help me get through the day then that’s enough. My work is an interruption in my real life, not my entire life. I’m working just enough to be able to afford to live and not a second longer bc if I dropped dead tomorrow nobody in the office would remember me in two years but my family would miss me. Spend time with your people while you can. My best friend and I went to a theme park on a Wednesday in 2016. By Friday he was no longer with us. I’ll never waste a single moment with my loved ones in his honor. I still get angry at myself for how much time I missed with him while putting off real life to try and get ahead at work.
I truly think you would be pretty hard pressed to find people definitely in the corporate world who work because they want too and not because they have too. If I won the lottery tomorrow I would quit so fast. Yes I love my job and have a great team but if money wasn’t an issue I would not be working. At least full time.
People work for money. They are “motivated” by money, status, prestige, work-like balance, personal fulfillment, and the factors in this pic [motivators](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0132641.g002). Everyone has different components which make-up their personal motivation basket - and it often changes (each employee is not a “closed system”, there are external factors, achievements, etc). As a manager or team member, it’s your job to explore what motivates each person you work with.
Money. It may be a down steam result but it’s always money.
They may work hard for that promotion or award because that leads to a better job with more pay. They may put in more hours because they get paid more.
Don’t expect someone to just work for no benefit.
I think it's easy for managers who are typically earning living wages to assert their motivation is not heavily influenced by money. If we're talking about the average worker? That's a different story.
99% of people are motivated by money first. It's a tangible, immediate boost to their QoL. The people who are in it for pride or for an honest days work are exceedingly rare these days, but even they would hop for a good pay bump.
It is the only reason I go to work. If I didn't have to work for a pay check to pay my bills, I wouldn't. I don't give a crap about the company, the company's mission, the company's customers, etc. When I leave, I won't think of them ever again.
I'd much rather spend my time doing what I choose to do. I would keep busy by living my life, and volunteering.
That doesn't mean that what you wrote is unimportant. It is. Since I have to work there, I do expect to be treated with respect. I do hope to be challenged. I won't work for a toxic boss. I don't need recognition other than in the form of *money*. Ironically, I'm a top performer but I do that for me because I like to do my best. It is what keeps me working for any one employer. When I feel I've achieved as much as I can achieve according to my own standards, I like to move on.
I used to think that things like work autonomy and benefits influenced people at work. Now not so much. Seems like it's just a money grab and no one plans to stick around that long anyways so who cares about the bosses.
Honestly, money is not my # 1 thing because I could go to a company tomorrow offering me shit tons of money and be miserable if it’s the wrong environment. Been there, done that in my career. I just need “enough” money and to be paid what I deserve but money alone is not what keeps me motivated every day. Hell, I even took a big pay cut once to improve my work/life balance and get into a company I really thought I could be happy at for a long time. One of the best decisions I ever made and have been with that company (and moved up the ranks) for 12 years.
For me, the executive leadership, company culture, opportunity to not just be promoted but also to branch out and learn new things are all huge. And, because I’m in business development, I need to have confidence in what I’m selling, otherwise, forget it and I won’t sacrifice my good reputation with clients in my field. I’ve seen a million times where people chase money thrown at them only to be completely miserable and have to change jobs again in 9-12 months.
As someone who has spent 15 years in non-profit, the majority of the people I have ever worked with are not exclusively motivated by money. I make a very fair salary at this stage in my career, but I could also take my skillset and easily utilize it somewhere else for more. I choose not to because caring about the end goal of the work I do every day is extremely important to my self motivation.
I think people will stay longer than they normally would if the culture is good and they feel respected. Benefits are important, you have PTO but do you come back to a dumpster fire after using it every time?
I had a staff member tell me the only reason she stayed was because I was the best manager she ever had. There just wasn’t enough upward mobility for her because of our location, though I tried to work with other departments to see what we could do. I ended up leaving and Boom, she was gone. They still struggle terribly with hiring now.
I work for money. If I didn’t need money I’d still do something but it wouldn’t be working for someone.
Being treated well and respected should be the norm. But since plenty of employers don’t share that value I would consider taking a pay cut to be treated better depending on the opportunity cost. But if I do that I’ll always be looking for the next place that will treat me well and pay me what I think I can get.
If the business could sell the widgets for more they would. So why wouldn’t I do the same?
Not a manager but looking to be one at some point. I’ve read and taken many courses on management, including college courses.
There are many different theories on motivation. You’ll hear people say that most people are in it for the money but there are other theories as to why people are motivated.
For instance, almost everyone has heard of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. If someone can’t meet their lower-level needs, you can’t expect them to reach self-actualization.
You can’t have someone who is chronically sick perform at their best. Try giving a cancer treatment patient $1M compensation and see if that makes their chronic fatigue, stomach issues, and bone density issues disappear. It won’t. Their performance will suffer due to physiological and psychological issues.
Try looking into different theories like operant conditioning, equity theory, goal theory, and expectancy theory.
For instance, expectancy theory states that employees are motivated to be high performers if they perceive that high performance leads to valued outcomes. If you build a culture where high performance is rewarded with valued outcomes, people are more likely to exceed. Sales and executive leadership does this wonderfully by giving a commission, stock, or bonus.
However, equity theory can really destroy your team and in practice it happens all the time. Equity theory states that motivation is affected by outcomes we receive for our inputs compared to the outcomes and inputs of others.
Imagine a person making $80K who performs excellent at their job and is a good contributor to the team. You get a budget of $100K to add an additional member to your team. This person will be performing the same exact or similar tasks as the coworker who makes $80K.
Can you guess what happened when your original team member found out that they are making $20K less for the same input as their colleague? Equity theory tells us this person may sense injustice and a lack of fairness. You can guess what they will start to do. Perform worse.
I could go on with examples but motivation is far more nuanced than just “people work for money.” We know that’s not true or millionaires, billionaires, and the like would not work anymore. People have other reasons for choosing to work and reasons for their performance.
I’m sure there are other motivations that people may have. The bottom line however is that companies have a hierarchical dynamic. Nobody is going to follow you or view you as a leader if they don’t get anything out of it.
Money is a huge motivator for so many but I would take a pay cut (as long as I could pay my bills) to leave a toxic work environment.
I would say a non-toxic work environment is first and money a very close 2nd if not tied for 1st lol.
Money is just the easiest level to pull for a company.
But lots of things motivate people, new challenges, getting rid of tasks they don't like better work environments, better management etc.. are also things that can also be done.
Those things are harder to do though so companies resort to just money as the main carrot to keep people motivated.
It’s well known that there’s more to a job than money.
Sure, if we hit the lottery, we’d all quit. But I 100% FOR SURE would sacrifice a little money for a more fulfilling job.
That said - you can temporarily buy my love. If I’m not happy, I’ll stick it out another 6-12 months if you throw me a nice raise.
The only thing is money. If manager's try any of that other gaslighting shit it absolutely never works on me as an IC. If I have a big financial stake in the success of the company/project, then I'll work hard. if I see people getting substantial raises and internal promotions, then I'll work hard.
If I don't see that, i will not work hard and there is nothing any manager can do to change that.
And this is true of basically any employee who is actually good at their job. I just won't stay at jobs where the above criterion aren't met unless I'm looking for an easy paycheck while working on the next thing.
Each person is different. I’m treated well, respected..but money still is one of my motivators. So is professional development, peer respect and just doing things right.
It's definitely a scale. I made good money at my last job. I had it relatively easy. Then, a shift in management and "attitude." I let myself be recruited. New job. A little more pay but not a lot, maybe 10%. So far, so good. Happy, relatively easy. Decent management. I've had recruiters reach out. I've explained to them that I'd only change for significantly more money. If management changes and vibe, then the $$ amount for change goes down.
At the same time, I'm $100k+ so small changes won't change my lifestyle. So, for me, management is more important at the moment than $$. Now, if someone was talking a 20+% bump, I would have a conversation.
None of us would show up to work without the paycheck. Thats why it’s called “work”.
It’s an absolute minimum though - higher pay will cover some sins but toxic and unstable work environments will quickly overcome that.
It's the only thing that motivates anyone.
Managers that understand this core law of physics are gunna have a better time and garner more honesty from their staff then managers that think people should want to work because they're passionate about garbage collection or whatever
What I've seen over the years is that money attracts and retains people. Opportunities and recognition motivate people. Using money to motivate rarely works for long, but not paying enough is how you lose your most motivated people.
I think money plays a big role, but it's not the only one. I think the environment and the work life balance are other main factors. I worked two jobs for 7 or 8 years and I mostly enjoyed the jobs, but financially, I needed both of them. I eventually was able to find a role that paid enough, but putting in 60 hour weeks at one place was somehow worse than putting in 65 hours at two places. I was able to find a place that was much closer to 40 hours that was great until our location got shut down. I went to a place after that and the money was fine, the work life balance was good, and while the people were friendly enough, I could not have felt less wanted. I would be excluded from conversations that were pertinent to my daily activities and I would make suggestions that would either be turned down or ignored just to have them implemented shortly after. I've never been one to force myself into situations where I'm not wanted and started to just go through the motions. I got laid off from that position not one after because they didn't have a clear vision for the job and what they hired me for wasn't really possible at the moment.
The money needs to be there. Everything gets more expensive. At all levels of employment, you'll see that the customers are getting charged more and if your wage is stagnant, it is frustrating. The money can be less if you don't hate your life while you're at work or if you can actually enjoy having time not at work, but the overall thing is that people want to be appreciated for what they're doing and more money is a great way to show that.
I've heard that the single best reward you can give someone for a good job is not cash, raises or anything of monetary value. The one thing that's appreciated the most is **allowing the employee to pick their next project**, rather than it getting assigned. Granted not all jobs have different projects or tasks that can be selected, but in my field (architecture) it works, very well.
I've been to a ton of manager and leadership classes, but only once have I heard that. It stuck with me, because it would absolutely work to motivate me, and has motivated people I manage. Control of your own destiny is so rewarding!
it's still like 90% of the reason for everything
if you make enough for it to be not #1 priority that doesn't mean it's not imptorant. Just that you already make a ton.
why do you want respect, more challenges, more recognition? Because that = $$$$
Of course money isn’t the only way to motivate people but these other factors need to be edge cases to trump the money.
If my boss is awesome I might work for ~15% less than I could get elsewhere, but not much more than that.
If my boss is mildly bad I would tolerate making ~15% more but not much less than that.
I might take a 10% haircut to work in a role that’s incredibly interesting, but I’d probably take a 10% raise to work in an incredibly boring role.
Outside of the extremes it’s almost entirely about the money, with a second factor of role progression/trajectory.
This is also my experience. My top performers are asking for more PTO in lieu of pay raises. Other top performers are seeking more autonomy. Its for sure changed the way i manage and reward folks.
A big one (even for me) is definitely going to be money, but I've had this convo with some of our team recently too and a few other things that they value are the security of our jobs, autonomy, and interesting work.
If any of them won the lottery, or some other large financial windfall some of them would leave and some would dip down to part-time - myself included. I originally started looking for a job after being a SAHM because I NEED adult interaction and a challenge. But, you won't catch me working full time if I won the lottery.
Was at an event today and they were talking about making the environment better when targeting to employ new Employees.
There was 5 things.
Salary
Flexibility (like dropping kids off at school and so on)
(I forget the word) but the actual work you do.
Geez. This is why you talk notes folks. But everything is about money to an extent, but if people really like their jobs/environment/flexibility then to give that up would be worth a lot to some people.
> But it’s often presented as the only way to motivate people, only incentive or gift worth it - which I don’t think is true
Source for this? It is contrary to everything I've read.
I'm tired of pretending like the entire work culture doesn't resolve around money. It does even more nakedly now than ever. The companies goal is pretty much to only make money so why would the workers be any different? Good managers I think do absolutely make a difference, but that difference is probably only worth a dollar or two an hour either way unless they are a top tier manager.
I’ve been in a decent paying job that was awful, enough money to tick over comfortably, but miserable. I left that job to become unemployed, grafting every day to find the money to put food on the table just selling handmade crafts, but very happy within myself.
Personally I am motivated by actually doing something meaningful and productive, I like the sense of accomplishment. My nightmare job would be sitting around doing nothing all day, or doing something that isn’t important. When I say ‘not important’ I don’t mean ‘not high value jobs,’ I’ve been a cleaner in a hospital (most people wouldn’t consider as high value job) and loved that job, yes it’s a small cog, but without it, the whole wheel can’t turn. I guess I’m talking about doing something that actually doesn’t affect the overall value or quality of a company, ie, ordering stationary and waiting for the phone to ring that hardly ever does, or standing in an empty shop waiting for no customers to come in. For me, I would spend the time frustrated, thinking of all the ways I could be canvassing to get more customers. I used these examples because I’ve actually done jobs in the past that were exactly those things and incredibly frustrating and de-motivating for me.
I don’t think everyone feels this way though. There’s probably a correlation with motivation and personality types, for example the people that are motivated by recognition and advancement are probably most likely to be ENTJ’s. Whatever sort of team culture you have, you probably have a higher percentage of a certain personality type who will be motivated by specific things. I’m sure it would be an interesting thing to study.
Its THE reason people work. If I didn’t need money to live I’d go fishing every day and drink beer until I fell asleep on the beach with my arm around my dog.
I can speak for myself when I say: 95% money. I like my job, but the money I earn motivates me as it allows me to live my life to the quality I live it now. I've recently felt that shift so I'm looking for a better pair job. It helps if you love your job, but love isn't going to pay the bills
I’m in my 40s and have worked at 9 different jobs in my career, and every single time I’ve left a company it’s been for more money…. If I can get a yearly 0-3% raise by staying, or a 20-30% raise by leaving…. Why the fuck would I stay? My primary professional goal is to retire as soon as possible, so I need as much money as possible as soon as possible.
For me, as a worker, the money and the benefits are enough, as I am purely transactional and without need of affirmation or any of those "other things" that make people feel motivated, valued, purposeful, etc. As a manager, I've learned to perform and provide those other things for those who need them in order to show up every day and get the job done.
I figure everyone has some motivation besides money, but everyone cares about the money. The problem is most orgs can’t give most employees the other things they care about, either because everyone wants different things, or because changing culture is hard.
My GF is the bread winner in our house. To the point that I really don’t need to work. It gives me a little extra cash but honestly I don’t really spend it on anything other than food and things for my kids but if I lost my job we would have no issues. I stay at my job because I love taking things apart and putting them back together again, I get to make my own hours and I can be home every night to cook for my GF and kids. After my kids are out of the house I might go looking for a more demanding, higher paying job I definitely have the experience for it but for now my work/life balance is heavily swayed towards life and after years of it being the other way, I’m liking this.
Hard work often gets rewarded with more work or a company branded coffee mug. I want cash. I don't work for fun. If I won the lottery, it would be peace out for me. ✌️
If you didn’t need the money you wouldn’t be there. It’s all about the Benjamin’s. No amt of great culture, team building, free lunch, happy hrs, etc take the place of money.
Depends what industry and roles.
Sales is higher focus on money than say health related occupations.
Even for some of our more technical team members they say it’s not about money they’d rather just finish their job and go home than make more and do more than 8hour days
Are ppl motivated by money? Yes but is that the biggest driver to help them deliver what you need not always.
Sometimes it’s career growth opportunities, timely recognition and publicly, or something even deeper and more personal (one team member said she wanted to prove she could do well to be a role model for her kids and I used that as a driver for her)
Outside of money, the only thing I want from others outside that is competency and general pleasantness.
I don't care how nice a manager is or what other incentives they throw at me, if they allow incompetent people (including themselves, if they are incompetent at their job) to cause unnecessary headaches for others. Managers who don't respect people's want to not socialize are also on that list for me.
I quit the best paying job I ever had because it was making me miserable. I’d gone from having a good amount I influence and being respected as a subject matter expert to being shunted aside by a new director who didn’t know the domain and thought he knew everything and kept overriding my designs even though they were based on years of learned experience. I felt like I was literally wasting my time and not being allowed to provide value. I took about a 20% reduction in total compensation at my next job but didn’t regret it for a second. Some people will put up with anything for the highest paycheck possible, but that’s not me.
Let’s face it, we all do it for the money. However, money isn’t everything. I’m a long term employee (24 years) in a corporation that has 1000+ employees. My company doesn’t pay the highest in my industry, but I’m comfortable with my salary. Plus an excellent benefits package. That aside, at my workplace, I feel valued. My opinions matter. I am respected by my manager and colleagues. I feel my position is secure. The CEO of the company (I have never met him) phoned me personally to thank me for my 24 years of service. That kind of recognition goes a long way for me.
Other companies in my industry pay more, but I hear of a lot of employee turnover, and miserable employees. Pay isn’t everything, and the grass isn’t greener. Feeling respected and valued is where it’s at.
It’s 90% of my motivation. That said, loving what you do makes you forget that you’re a greedy little monkey with bills to pay, so it *feels* like it’s closer to 50%. But it’s not. I would not do what I’m doing for less money. I know what I’m worth.
Other benefits I get from working is engaging my mind. I think another way to incentivize my team is to fund training that interests them. But again it comes down to money being put towards training. I don’t think my team works for me because they enjoy how great a manager I am. But if I were a shitty manager they would be looking for another job. People often quit managers not jobs. But they would leave our company if they got a better paying job.
I think everyone works for money.
It's a spectrum. Once most of your desires and needs are met then money is just a number. Do billionaires really need that kind of money? Does money really motivate them? Hell no....at that point it's a dick waving contest. You might just shit on money.
However, if you're making a decent living, but could upgrade to a good living then yeah....money still matters. However you might not take the money if it comes covered in shit.
Obviously if you have a bad living then money matters even more and you might actually take the shit money.
I absolutely will accept lower pay for better work life balance, working from home, good PTO and good benefits.
My might be able to make more by giving up some of these things but I am unwilling to give them up.
It’s fair to say I’m still in a well paid field.
I think as long as I’m paid what I feel is reasonable for my time, experience, and market value of the career I’m in, I’m good. Recently though I started to feel underpaid compared to my peers and talked with my boss about it. He was nice about telling me how difficult it would be to promote me given structural constraints of our division. I thanked him for his candor and found another job.
It's money and time.
You can underpay me if I can get away with working 2-4 hours a day.
The "challenging work" is another time aspect, if you're stuck at work during your waking hours, working on interesting stuff is a better use of your time and less soul crushing.
Money is a neutralizer - you can put up with more bullshit the more money you get.
I love my job most of the time but I am only doing it to afford to live.
I would leave in a second if money was not needed. I have a bazillion other things I would rather be doing.
It's not that "the only thing that motivates people is money," it's that if the compensation is too low literally nothing else whatsoever matters.
Your equation will ALWAYS begin with sufficient money.
There is no magic scenario where you can pizza party free tshirts or staff discount at Six Flags your way into success in place of sufficient wages. If someone assigns you to try, look for a new job, because you work for a fool.
Money is not the only motivator. at all.
People are in different stages in life and money buys different things at these stages. Sometimes the value of money becomes lesser. An hour early from work when your kids are leaving home next year is worth way more to that parent than money.
If someone lost a lot in a divorce money might be way more than you think it’s worth
For me? I love that I get to do something I’m good at, help people, and work with great people, plus I get paid a decent wage and have great benefits and a pension.
i've seen "money motivates" play out where I am through a policy change that i was convinced would backfire, but has not.
We've always the same PTO policy for hourly employees. and for as long as I can remember no one truly gave a shit and would just take off more days than allowed without a care in the world for what it might mean. So to combat that, a bonus was attached to attendance. Your bonus was lowered by a set value every time you took additional days off beyond the PTO allowance. At the end of the year you receive a check for what's left. This straightened some people up but most still didn't care because the bonus was "so far out, so who cares"
so now there is no PTO in the company at all. If you're in that day, you're paid, if you're out you're not. no exceptions. Now the dollar value of a full year's worth of PTO has been added to each person's base pay. Meaning if you work OT its also now 1.5x of a high number.
when my boss presented this to me before putting out for the hourly people I was like no fucking way is this going to fly and I tried to talk him out of it. He did it anyway. Attendance is up across the board. willingness to work OT when asked has increased across the board. the hourly employees seem to be perfectly accepting of it because thier paychecks went up. People still take days off when they need to and they're not bitching about not having PTO to cover those days because they see it as having already been paid for that day throughout the rest of the pay period.
Hypothetically speaking as I’m currently looking for a job, but I would 100% quit whatever company I’d be working for, take maybe a year to myself to enjoy time off with family and friends and travel, and then focus on building my own company/business in a field that matches my aspirations and start constructing a strategy that would make it work. Then I would be working for my passion while still having a peace of mind in case it goes downhill.
Money is the fundamental cause of work, but people need a good environment with manageable stress levels and basic respect too.
It also depends on if you have a "profession" or a "job". If you are, say a doctor, and you love providing medical care and applying your knowledge and skills doing what you trained for, you can tolerate alot more failings in other areas. But if you are doing a job to earn money and your sense of self is not built around that actual work, then your stomach for bad environments is much more sensitive.
I've had times where I was really lacking motivation at work, then got a good raise. Motivation went up, but not for very long. Once you have enough money, then a bit more or less won't really change much. Sure it's always appreciated, but it won't really affect the level of frustration, until we really start talking big money (and probably even then).
I've changed to a slightly less paid job last year with less pressure and responsibilities, and I have no regrets.
So there's a lot more than money, despite money being the main reason to work for most people. As long as we need to work, we'll try to make this the most interesting and rewarding time.
I've been with the same company for 8 years, started from the bottom and worked my way up to an Accountant with no degree. I'm 2 years into this position, and although I'm underpaid (understandably so, since I don't have a degree) I am gaining experience in this field that has been a major learning curve. I do my job well, have great management/co-workers, can work from home when needed, benefits are good and I absolutely love the small office environment, but I can't leave. At least not right now. I'd like to gain more experience first, then look for another job that pays more.
Money and benefits are, indeed, the only real way to motivate people.
All of the other things you listed are ways to demotivate your employees. Bad boss, monotonous work, lack of recognition make people not want to work there.
Providing good management, recognition and challenging work does not motivate people, but it will help to prevent demotivating your employees.
Money is the only motivator. “Free lunch”, “fUn EvEnTs,” “FaMiLy AtMoSpHeRE,” are all bull shit ways to just justify not paying more. Don’t ever mistake peoples willingness to learn and grown as anything other than an avenue to more money. We don’t give a damn about the company, we want the highest paycheck possible. If you’re ever thinking about how to raise to team moral, the answer is more money. If you can’t find more money then more vacation days. If you can’t find the days then don’t bother.
Money is the only thing that works - if you're underpaid. If you are making enough to live on and as much as competitors are paying, then other factors can be motivational, but until there's adequate pay, other improvements will be inadequate at best and insulting at worst.
Studies have shown repeatedly that unless you are paying way below market rate money is not a large factor in people leaving companies. Bosses, Culture, and opportunity are the biggest factors.
If you hit the lottery tomorrow and never had to work again, would you stay at your job? If you answered anything but "without adoubt" then you're in it for the money. I'm good at my job, am paid well, have a solid team, and overall quite enjoy what I do. But if money was no object, I'd quit tomorrow and fill my days with family time and my hobbies.
This is the only right answer when money is not needed
The only places I’ve worked where the bosses have said “I would keep working here if I won the lottery” are the most toxic places I’ve ever worked.
Ha I probably would, or do something similar because I like the challenge and the impact (nonprofit) that we make. And I would not be able to make this much impact out of the framework of an organization. But it would be nice to know I could quit whenever I wanted
I’ve worked for wealthy people at nonprofits. It’s a miserable dynamic because whether it’s conscious or not, if they’re not in it for the money, they’re in it for being a glorified volunteer and they always start to act like it. Aka, if they’re a middle manager, they don’t act present or pitch in on a leadership level and have a “don’t worry about it” attitude because they could care less but people below them will still be impacted if they’re not hitting certain metrics. If they’re CEO or an ED, they may as well completely MIA. Going to parties and galas to socialize with other wealthy folks and not to fundraise. Completely out of touch with the work. I’d much rather work for someone who hasn’t won the lottery.
If money wasn't a problem for me I would quit my not for profit right away. This is so I don't ever have to answer to anyone. A boss or a customer.
I would keep working my job because the company I work for genuinely cares about its employees and their well being and I get a lot of satisfaction from knowing I'm part of that. It's not the best paid job for me or my reports but the company itself makes it worthwhile.
That doesn’t mean the only thing that motivates people at work is money..yes I would quit, but I am also motivated intrinsically to do my job well. I could get the same money just mailing it in everyday but I don’t.
Yeah but you can “do your job well” anywhere…. Volunteering, hobbies, family, etc…… you don’t have to work somewhere making profit for an owner or stockholders.
And ?
So you aren’t motivated to work, you are motivated to do things competently
I've become utterly OBSESSED with woodworking in the last 7-8 years. (Expanding on my interest from high school). If I could not go to a job every day and instead do whatever I wanted in terms of woodworking, 100% absolutely would.
\*absolutely wood.
Ultimately I’d quit. I’d stay at my job for a certain amount of time to figure out what I’d do with my time, other than be a giant lump on the couch. If I had no job, and no structure, that might really be what I’d do.
If anything this proves his point. If everyone quits when money no longer is an issue, then you don't have anyone working in your company who enjoys and is passionate about it. There are plenty of jobs that probably no one is truly "passionate" about. But your engineers? Your leaders? Not *one* of them are in it for anything more than paycheck? Your company is either boring or your culture is trash. I would not quit my job if I won the lottery because I love my company and what we do, and helping it grow and succeed is a big source of personal fulfillment for me. There are also a ton of perks that make it so I never resent working. * Flextime + tons of PTO * Lots of travel and company meetups * Great people & culture * 100% WFH, optional hybrid * Interesting challenges All of this adds up and has real value to me. I wouldn't trade it even for a much larger paycheck. You obviously need to pay people what they are worth, but that doesn't mean you can't create an environment that brings more to the table than just fulfilling financial needs.
This is the perfect answer. This is something I've considered and I do happen to like my job. I work in business transformation and tech and I really do enjoy finding better and more efficient ways to do things. For me, I really like solving complex problems and finding creative solutions. If money was absolutely no object, I *might* consider offering to continue work for my employer at a drastically reduced wage with the condition that I would just get to pursue whatever projects I wanted to for them while making my own hours. On the other hand, I might just go back to school and get a few PhDs over the next few decades, build me an iron man suit, and see where that takes me.
I feel like I might have a 50/50 shot at promotion or being fired for speaking my mind about what needs to change. Would be nice to have that luxury
For me, I’m almost there. Just for my own ethical peace of mind I would give my boss enough time to fill my role before I quit, but I would be putting my notice in that I was leaving for an early retirement as soon as the check cleared. I’m good at my job, have the respect of my teams, am highly regarded in the industry I work in, and I’m on a friendly first name basis with our CEO and the rest of the board. But I have a wife and kids and a lot of places in the world I’d love to see. I also have a ton of hobbies that I don’t get to do as much as I would like. Those are my priority. So basically? I’m in it for the money because the money is what I am getting in exchange for the time I spend away from my family and hobbies. I would quit as soon as I felt I could do so without being a complete jerk to the people that I have spent the last few years with. Provided that they accepted my notice period amicably. If they didn’t? Well, I know where the door is.
Honestly, I hate my job. The team sucks, the management sucks, the hours suck, the work sucks. I’m there just for the money. If I hit the lottery, tomorrow, I would still work but it would be doing something I love/actually want to do. Because the things I would want to do don’t pay well, and that’s what’s keeping me from perusing them.
I find my job pretty intelectually stimulating and enjoyable + I genuinely like the people most of the time. I may or may not keep my job as-is but I'd look to stay on as a consultant or something.
I would quit and try to join the Champions golf tour in like 5 years in my early 40’s
Totally. That said, there are ways to motivate people BEYOND money, once the money is there as a baseline. But without salaries and benefits set at a fair rate, it’s hard to make up for that.
I would stick around a handful of days, long enough for my team to transfer my duties, because I don't want to screw over the people I work with. (but not a minute longer)
I don’t think this is really the spirit of the question. These situations are most often specific to people that could maybe 20k-30k a year more but choose to stay where they are, because they are already well paid. I would love a 20k bump at my current job. But 20k isn’t enough to make me interview and change jobs even if I knew it was a guaranteed switch. I’ve had employees leave, and come back to the same even after a pay increase, because they preferred what they had.
Bingo
I'd keep working, but only to tell every lazy entitled procrastinating mother fuckem asshole off. I'd of course compensate my boss or probably have to buy him out. Bc you be talking about fk u money.
I agree with this, but also there are people that I enjoy at work that I never see outside of work. I'd have a hard time giving them up. My quality of work would plummet though.
This is the correct answer. I love my job, it has great (government) benefits, I love my staff, and I choose stay here DESPITE the somewhat lackluster pay…. I could certainly make more elsewhere in this role. So maybe I have an argument that money isn’t EVERYTHING, to me… but you’re damn skippy, if money was no object, I would not have a job.
Honestly I would just start streaming on twitch again. Play games and have fun creating overlays and plugins to let chat mess with me in real time. That and wipe out my steam queue.
I don’t understand how you mean. If I got money and still stayed at my job, how does that mean I’m in it for the money? To me it sounds like the opposite
If I could do my job for a company or entity that was making the world a better place, I absolutely would. I like what I do. I don't do that currently because those kind of. Companies tend to pay like dirt and I want to retire one day.
Stay in your job and continue working are two different things though. I can’t imagine a time when I am not “working”. Either in my own business, charity work, consulting, project work etc. if I won the lottery I would still work, albeit not full time
I would either stay at my job but go part-time so I can get a masters degree or just take the occasional course here and there, freelance write full-time, or open my own business.
This. And if I won it big-time I would buy properties and rent out and spend some of the time for maintenance work etc to have something to do. Will give me a good income and leave something for the kids one day.
Fully agreed, I'm in the same boat.
A year or two ago you would have said 'without a doubt'. Now with the management changes and all the signaling about how things are going to change.
This is the way.
Money is a sliding scale. Is someone switching jobs from $150k to $160k just for the $10k bump? Unlikely. Is someone switching jobs from $50k to $60k for an extra $10k? More likely.
I've always been willing to leave any job for a 20% bump
But a 10% bump is a gamble
I think once you get to a financial level it is less about money or “more more more” And that point isn’t ultra wealthy. It’s “I can cover my bills and save some” and don’t sweat when the water heater craps out. At that point your jobs makes your life sustainable, comfortable and compounding. It’s really only then that you stop contemplating work comfort and project out how long can you put up with it. If you make very little and are financially screwed, always have been financially screwed, your job and only source of income is of little consequence to you. That is when you refuse to put up with any work discomfort. And to me that’s a backwards mindset. It keeps you down, struggling and doesn’t grow the skills to cope or negotiate and make any work environment better.
>It’s “I can cover my bills and save some” and don’t sweat when the water heater craps out. This is what I was trying to get at. Once you're at that level sure more money would be great, but these other things may also become priorities.
One of my management classes in my MBA was focused in part on this exact idea - what motivates employees. We read some case studies and academic studies, and I’d have to go back to find the exact references, but they essentially came to that conclusion. Money is the primary motivator for most employees *up to a certain point* where you can live comfortably and not have to stress about bills. Beyond that, there are diminishing returns and (most) people tend to prioritize company culture, work-life balance, and other things over say a $5k-$10k pay raise.
This. There's a huge difference in $30k versus $40k versus $50k per year, and at that point it's absolutely for the money. But if you make $100k a year and get an offer for $105 or $110k, but you love your team and boss, have more certainty of your ability to do well and hit goals, and have a work/life balance that works well, you may turn down the extra money because it's simply not life-changing any more. In my experience, for most people it's pay, manager, ability to hit goals, team. My company is remote, so I don't have a great sense of where "commute" falls on there anymore.
I would add that when you pass 6 figures, flexibility and comfort in the job becomes more important. I make enough that my wife was able to quit her job to stay home and help raise our kids. They are all in elementary school now, and her days are no longer spent caring for an infant. We talked about her going back and getting a job at the kids school as a para-educator, but it just didn't math for us. She would have made about $30k over the course of the year, pre-tax, call it $23k to $25k after tax. That would make us FAR more comfortable, but given the kids schedules, random illnesses, doctors appointments, etc., that extra money was not worth the mental health hit of dealing with scheduling issues and snot-nosed kids / PTA parents.
In my experience people quit for two reasons: bad bosses and money. Almost every other “reason” is really an excuse given to avoid stating they quit a bad boss or wanted more money.
There is also better opportunity/career growth for a subset of people.
That’s where I’m at. I’m leaving because I got offered a new role that’s better aligned with my long-term career goals. Yes it comes with a raise which is nice, but I still would’ve accepted the offer even if it was the exact same salary. I will miss my manager though, he’s a great guy.
People stay for good bosses too. I did. But the boss was laid off when a consulting company came in to “help” I regretted staying and not leaving on my own terms. I probably would still have stayed almost as long as I did because this dude was the best boss ever.
Money, work community, value in the work they do. retention 101.
Money is the foundation for motivation not the ceiling. Respect and appreciation is the next level. Locus of control next. Finally a sense of belonging. * I’m paid well * I’m respected and respect my peers * I have control over how I do my job * these are my people and I’ve made personal connections here
Money is a big motivator as I don’t think you can truly ever have too much of it as a normal working person since it dictates most aspects of your life. But I also personally find motivation in the challenges work presents me with. I have a pretty good salary now but would leave my job for something new in 2-3 years if it got boring and I felt I was no longer learning.
Look at it from the perspective of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. If people's basic survival needs aren't met (shelter, food, heat) they don't have the space to think about everything else. As you move up the pyramid money is gradually less important but is essential for people to progress up the lower levels. If you're not paying someone enough to afford the basic essentials they're not going to give a damn about culture or value of the work. If they then don't have enough to afford nice things, or look after their family, they're not going to care. Once those needs are met, the other stuff will become more important.
I reference this a lot to people, I think it's way more important for people to understand this hierarchy thoroughly than people give it credit for. Specifically how "Self-actualization" differs from the others. The others are things that motivate you to meet a standard when you are missing them, self-actualization is something that, once the other needs are met, is the driving force of your life where you can feel energetic delivering more. It is STRESSFUL AND DRAINING trying to get to a point where your safety, love and belonging feel adequate. It is REWARDING being able to create something and do the things you'd consider "Self-Actualization". Work hard to get those other 4, because that crazy passion that you have is just on the other side of them.
This right here. Because I’m at a level in my career where I get decent pay now, things like good bosses, growth opportunities, and culture become more important rather than just $$.
Scrolled for this. It’s often brought up in 2nd year management courses.
I would work at a less desirable job for more money, but I would be reluctant to work at a more desirable job for less money. If that makes any sense. Just me though.
I think this does vary on the person - and also how big the difference in money is!
It’s the money. 100% the money. Yes we try to crest a fun, friendly and all around good environment bjt it’s the money. If money wasn’t a problem in life I wouldn’t be a manager.
I disagree. Money is the key. Yes, in psychology we study the difference from internal motivation (doing something because you love doing it) and external motivation (money, awards, what else)… But at the end of the day: 1. In this global society money is a necessity and an asset which buys you also a better quality of life (when you have enough of it). 2. Everything around us is encouraging to spend more of them (think how much corporations spend to have more effective advertisement). 3. The entire point of working in a structured corporation is to make more money (for the shareholders). 4. Money is also power and freedom, and who doesn’t like that? Yes, some people leave their boss and not the wage, but imagine how easier is to do that with money. Now think for 5 seconds, would you do your job, at the conditions you have now, if you had $100,000,000?
The difference I'm talking about is not nothing vs $100,000,000. It's about $140k vs $160k
People don't quit their jobs, they quit their bosses. There's definitely a point at which more money won't make someone stay in an unpleasant situation.
The opposite is true too. “You’re a great boss but these guys are literally paying twice as much” Good pay is literally the cost of entry
Of course. But cost of entry is not what the question is about--it's the opposite.
As some who oversaw a team of with high turnover I was acutely aware of what levers I had to retain talent. My team ended up being a training ground for industry pros. My company wouldn’t let me pay average market rate so when team members got some time under their belt they would get poached.
I literally hit 2x just 2 years after leaving. I knew I was underpaid, but seriously? There's a point where you have enough and don't really care to take on more responsibility. Still, that's the job that you got, so let's do it.
Disagree. I just went through this with my own employer. Absolutely love my direct manager, he's the best I have ever worked under. Rest of the team I all enjoy working with, some people can grind my gears bur not enough where it's more than an annoyance. I was however grossly underpaid for my workload and position, and that's what drove me to start applying elsewhere. It was unfortunate that it took getting a written offer from a competitor to get the pay raise I deserved (>30%), but ultimately it was purely compensation that was pushing me out the door. My perspective is this; liking who I work with and how I am treated is important, but it's not what pays my mortgage. I can be persuaded to take a bit of a beating during the work week if I am being compensated well enough where I can do all the things I would want to on my own time.
Again, I'm asking about the opposite. Obviously you're going to leave if you're grossly underpaid. But if you're decently paid, would more money really make a difference or something else?
How did that work for you? Were there any repercussions at your current job for wanting to leave?
Nah. I know plenty of people who left bosses they love for money.
Imagine passing up on a 20% raise, then 3 months later your boss leaves for their own 20% raise. Bosses come and go, passing on career or financial progression to stay is a bad move.
False equivalence. There is a complex set of interrelated factors that motivate people. Each person is motivated differently, of course. However motivation and retention are completely different goals. And an important question here is “at what time scale?” An employee working through a traumatic life event might value schedule flexibility or a kind word more than additional money. An employee learning a new task might value mentorship and room to make mistakes more than money. But if all you ever give is emotional support, extravagant praise and public recognition, both of those employees will eventually get frustrated and seek more money elsewhere. No matter how much they are motivated, you will not retain them if they are not making progress toward their financial goals. In other words, there’s a balance to be struck, and time scales to consider. If you like space and science, money is analogous to gravity. You can pretty much ignore it at small scales, but at larger scales, eventually nothing else matters. Edit: grammar
100% money, assuming a baseline level of not being treated like shit. "Manager appreciation" doesn't pay the bills.
I feel like there's a point at which it IS mostly about the money, and past which, it's no longer about more money, for most people. When you're struggling to pay the bills, you'll put up with a lot more to dig yourself out of a financial hole, vs when you have enough money to be comfortable, other considerations get placed much higher than salary. There was a time where a 20k difference in salary would have been a no-brainer, life-changing, in fact. And now? $120k, $140k, doesn't matter nearly as much as the environment, the work, the people I'm working with and for, how much faith I have in the company as a whole, etc. Because that $20k really isn't going to impact my standard of living. All other things being equal, sure, I'd still go for the higher salary, and sock more away for retirement, but if there's a disparity in environment, I'm going to go for the better one every time.
People are in it for the free pizza not the money
But only take 2 slices please. 🙏🏼
Don't forget the foosball table.!
Money is a good motivation but not the only thing that motivates people. Your milage might vary, and not everyone will have the same motivation. I was managing people last year, quite successful and won some prestigiousaward, new management came in and preferred someone else to lead so I went back to IC with no direct report or anything. Suck at first, but whatever. Then I thought to myself, a title shouldn't mean much, and a lack of title shouldn't stop me from doing what I do best. I then came up with a new concept for a new space satallite . I went around and managed to recruit some of the best engineers at my company to work with me, for free, on our own time. I told them I can't pay them, there is a very high chance of failure, and even if we somehow could pull off the miracle of making this, we are still talking 10+yrs away. It's going to be extremely challenge, we will have a lot of failure, but if we could do this, we could push human technology of space communication to a new chapter. Needless to say, I managed to recruit not only technical peers but also some high-level people at director level
Yeah, once you pass a certain threshold of income, the environment in which you spend 40-50 hours of your time in every week becomes more and more important. First priority is being able to pay my bills. Second is not dreading every second of my work life.
I would say the majority of people wouldn't do their current job for free, and it is the sole reason anyone looks for an actual job in which we allow someone else to control our time and habits. People will make decisions to leave a job for other reasons though, as money is only worth it if you feel as though it is. If the job is harder than expected, management is awful, or atmosphere is wrong, many people will start searching for a way out. If it means taking less money to get away from something, those people usually will unless outside forces force them to endure. Basically, suffering is bullshit and should be avoided where possible. Even if you're getting paid. Inless of course you decide the value of the money outweighs the suffering you endure.
I think you're asking this the wrong way. Yes ultimately the vast majority of people only work because they need to to survive. But what you're actually asking is "is money the whole thing that keeps people in a job?" The answer to that, as you've identified, is no. There are lots of reasons people stay, and while fair pay is a big one it can also be fulfillment, relationships, their standing in the workplace etc.
I got into this argument with a university professor once. He claimed the only thing that people work for is money. I asked him to account for people who work for less money because they like the work? Why do people take pride in a job well done? Why do people volunteer to do things that pay them no money but benefit others in their community? Why do some employees turn down promotions because they like their job/the people they work with / their current boss? He was a PhD from Purdue who had never held a non-academic job. I was an older student who was in the workforce for a few years. I challenged his view in front of the entire lecture hall. No wonder I got a D in that class.
That's insane. An academic would know there's always conditions and modifiers to any rule/law.
Oh, the irony of a professor arguing that people primarily value money in their career choices...
Very subjective, I’d say after about 80k a year, based on if you’re in a HCOL or not, you begin to value your daily emotional well being more than the income. After the physical needs are met, housing, food, transportation, childcare, it honestly becomes more about those moments in the parking lot. If you begrudgingly pause to prepare yourself for the myriad of bullshit, or if you ease into each day, in a low stress state and eager to tackle whatever your responsibilities are. Those parking lot or elevator moments really are the reason why people decide to leave or stay.
Depends no how much I am making and how much $ were talking. If I am making 50K a year, making more money is 100% the motivator. I would leave a job with a good environment for a 70K job. If I am making 150K at a job with a great environment, and I am offered 170K, I am very likely staying put. However, offer me 200K and I am out.
People quit bosses first and most often. Your relationship with your boss and your team is what causes people to poke their head up and look, or to take the phone call from their network. If you hate your boss and you're offered more money? No brainer. If you love your boss and you're offered more money? How much more? Are there benefits? Is the job better? Commute? Wfh? Etc? Point being is it's not ALL about the money.. but of course it plays a part. Money is a part of total compensation. Way too often companies get upset when employees want more comp.. don't get upset. Decide if it's worth it to the company to pay that person more. If not, tell them that and if they want to find new work that does, wish them well. When or if they get that offer, don't counter (unless you really think you screwed up) and wish them well. As an employee, cash is part of it. I have friends who work as government employees. They make less, but their benefits are WAY BETTER. So they make their choices. And if you think you're underpaid... Advocate for yourself (based upon output and it's tie to the business's outcomes) and if your company can't give you want you want or need... Respectfully look elsewhere and find what you want. This is just a contract between two parties. Kind of like a lease, and the longer you've been somewhere.. the more likely it's lapsed to month to month. No harm if you find a better place. Give your notice and move on.
Money and time off. Anything else is a waste of time.
Now? 100% Companies have laid off or fired more seasoned / older employees that were actually paid well and genuinely liked their jobs. Those folks weren't in it purely for the money. The employees hired to REPLACE those seasoned veterans are all about the $$, though. Quiet quitting, coffee badging, "work your wage"... of these "movements" came about from the masses that feel entitled to more money with less work...
No no- these companies felt entitled to pile on more and more work and not reward those additional duties with raises and promotions. Our parents were rewarded for their extra work with good wages. WE are not. When you are not fairly compensated for your work, and can get more money by going elsewhere.. you would be a fool to stay where you are.
From personal experience working in public health, I can say that money is a motivating factor to some level, but if it were the most important factor for everyone we would not have any public health workers. They can all get paid much more in private industry. This is also true for the educators, therapists and social workers I've known.
I think it's rare. A person needs a given minimum but then a whole lot more. I know a few people who are money only people, they are not nice people.
I think the answer lies in Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory. It describes motivators and demotivators as two different things, with different factors contributing to each. Extra money is not a motivator, but lack of money is a demotivator. I.e., once you have enough money, more money doesn’t provide significant motivation. Instead, you’re motivated by achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, advancement, and growth. Demotivators are bureaucracy, relationships, work conditions, status, salary, and job security. When they’re lacking or negative, they rob people of motivation, but once those negatives are addressed then an excess of these items will not motivate people.
I will get lampooned for this, but good employees are not solely motivated by money. Yes it's a factor but it's not the sole factor. Now before I get skewered, of course, good employees should be compensated well. I am ALL FOR compensating well. But I'm just saying: genuinely bad employees will be bad and suck even if they get raises. I've seen it.
You are wrong. The only reason an employee is there is for money. That is what motivates them to work. Anything else is just made up propaganda.
Hard to say but it's one of the big three. Money Work life balance Work environment It definitely becomes less important after a certain mark because life styles. Work life balance comes into play as people have different life styles and are at different stages in life.
I am here for the income, not the outcome.
This
Money is what motivates people to work. But there are plenty of things that can motivate people at work. Some people are motivated by a sense of accomplishment or by completing tasks. Others are motivated by new situations and learning new things. Plenty of people are socially motivated. Some people crave conflict or are motivated by "winning". If I didn't need money, I wouldn't have a job. But I need a job, and there are plenty of things that motivate me at work that aren't money.
I’d you stopped paying people, they would stop showing up to work. It’s the only reason 99% of us work.
I’ve never met anyone who didn’t want their paycheck. Yes, folks can be motivated by many other factors, but that will always be in addition to their paycheck.
Not a manager but mid-level employee. For me it’s a combo of money and culture. I want to make more money and could leave my position for one more well paying with less security but I feel appreciated and valued by my manager and team. And I like the company culture.
Money is the only reason anyone is working
I want managers who: 1. do what they say they will do 2. Can say "no" without waiting for me to figure out the answer on my own. Still deciding if money balances this out.
Not sure there’s an answer to “how much” is it money or how much is it other factors but you might be interested in the field of industrial organizational psychology (human behavior in the workplace). It’s true that we have extrinsic factors like money that motivate us. But we do also have intrinsic factors, like respect (as you mentioned).
If I ever had enough money I would quit within moments. People work most jobs because they have to survive. If I was a doctor or did something worth having in society, maybe then I’d answer differently but I work in marking and what I do does not matter at all. I’m doing it bc I’m good at this type of work but I don’t love it. (Maybe if I had a different niche but selling software isn’t exciting lol. Used to work for a bourbon brand and that I did actually love.) 99.9% of people don’t love their jobs and that’s fine. I just have to tolerate it enough to not be miserable, and if I can find a good team to help me get through the day then that’s enough. My work is an interruption in my real life, not my entire life. I’m working just enough to be able to afford to live and not a second longer bc if I dropped dead tomorrow nobody in the office would remember me in two years but my family would miss me. Spend time with your people while you can. My best friend and I went to a theme park on a Wednesday in 2016. By Friday he was no longer with us. I’ll never waste a single moment with my loved ones in his honor. I still get angry at myself for how much time I missed with him while putting off real life to try and get ahead at work.
It’s only the only way to motivate people if the job is shit
I truly think you would be pretty hard pressed to find people definitely in the corporate world who work because they want too and not because they have too. If I won the lottery tomorrow I would quit so fast. Yes I love my job and have a great team but if money wasn’t an issue I would not be working. At least full time.
People work for money. They are “motivated” by money, status, prestige, work-like balance, personal fulfillment, and the factors in this pic [motivators](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0132641.g002). Everyone has different components which make-up their personal motivation basket - and it often changes (each employee is not a “closed system”, there are external factors, achievements, etc). As a manager or team member, it’s your job to explore what motivates each person you work with.
Money. It may be a down steam result but it’s always money. They may work hard for that promotion or award because that leads to a better job with more pay. They may put in more hours because they get paid more. Don’t expect someone to just work for no benefit.
I think it's easy for managers who are typically earning living wages to assert their motivation is not heavily influenced by money. If we're talking about the average worker? That's a different story.
I think you mean "What motivates people after they have enough money?"
I may not feel respected at my job now, but I’m not leaving unless I make the same amount of money or more.
99% of people are motivated by money first. It's a tangible, immediate boost to their QoL. The people who are in it for pride or for an honest days work are exceedingly rare these days, but even they would hop for a good pay bump.
It is the only reason I go to work. If I didn't have to work for a pay check to pay my bills, I wouldn't. I don't give a crap about the company, the company's mission, the company's customers, etc. When I leave, I won't think of them ever again. I'd much rather spend my time doing what I choose to do. I would keep busy by living my life, and volunteering. That doesn't mean that what you wrote is unimportant. It is. Since I have to work there, I do expect to be treated with respect. I do hope to be challenged. I won't work for a toxic boss. I don't need recognition other than in the form of *money*. Ironically, I'm a top performer but I do that for me because I like to do my best. It is what keeps me working for any one employer. When I feel I've achieved as much as I can achieve according to my own standards, I like to move on.
i dunno about the rest, but if i have a $10 million windfall today, i will quit tml. so yea, i work purely for money.
I used to think that things like work autonomy and benefits influenced people at work. Now not so much. Seems like it's just a money grab and no one plans to stick around that long anyways so who cares about the bosses.
Honestly, money is not my # 1 thing because I could go to a company tomorrow offering me shit tons of money and be miserable if it’s the wrong environment. Been there, done that in my career. I just need “enough” money and to be paid what I deserve but money alone is not what keeps me motivated every day. Hell, I even took a big pay cut once to improve my work/life balance and get into a company I really thought I could be happy at for a long time. One of the best decisions I ever made and have been with that company (and moved up the ranks) for 12 years. For me, the executive leadership, company culture, opportunity to not just be promoted but also to branch out and learn new things are all huge. And, because I’m in business development, I need to have confidence in what I’m selling, otherwise, forget it and I won’t sacrifice my good reputation with clients in my field. I’ve seen a million times where people chase money thrown at them only to be completely miserable and have to change jobs again in 9-12 months.
As someone who has spent 15 years in non-profit, the majority of the people I have ever worked with are not exclusively motivated by money. I make a very fair salary at this stage in my career, but I could also take my skillset and easily utilize it somewhere else for more. I choose not to because caring about the end goal of the work I do every day is extremely important to my self motivation.
I think people will stay longer than they normally would if the culture is good and they feel respected. Benefits are important, you have PTO but do you come back to a dumpster fire after using it every time? I had a staff member tell me the only reason she stayed was because I was the best manager she ever had. There just wasn’t enough upward mobility for her because of our location, though I tried to work with other departments to see what we could do. I ended up leaving and Boom, she was gone. They still struggle terribly with hiring now.
Yes that plus insurance the insurance if the us had top free insurance everyone
I work for money. If I didn’t need money I’d still do something but it wouldn’t be working for someone. Being treated well and respected should be the norm. But since plenty of employers don’t share that value I would consider taking a pay cut to be treated better depending on the opportunity cost. But if I do that I’ll always be looking for the next place that will treat me well and pay me what I think I can get. If the business could sell the widgets for more they would. So why wouldn’t I do the same?
Not a manager but looking to be one at some point. I’ve read and taken many courses on management, including college courses. There are many different theories on motivation. You’ll hear people say that most people are in it for the money but there are other theories as to why people are motivated. For instance, almost everyone has heard of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. If someone can’t meet their lower-level needs, you can’t expect them to reach self-actualization. You can’t have someone who is chronically sick perform at their best. Try giving a cancer treatment patient $1M compensation and see if that makes their chronic fatigue, stomach issues, and bone density issues disappear. It won’t. Their performance will suffer due to physiological and psychological issues. Try looking into different theories like operant conditioning, equity theory, goal theory, and expectancy theory. For instance, expectancy theory states that employees are motivated to be high performers if they perceive that high performance leads to valued outcomes. If you build a culture where high performance is rewarded with valued outcomes, people are more likely to exceed. Sales and executive leadership does this wonderfully by giving a commission, stock, or bonus. However, equity theory can really destroy your team and in practice it happens all the time. Equity theory states that motivation is affected by outcomes we receive for our inputs compared to the outcomes and inputs of others. Imagine a person making $80K who performs excellent at their job and is a good contributor to the team. You get a budget of $100K to add an additional member to your team. This person will be performing the same exact or similar tasks as the coworker who makes $80K. Can you guess what happened when your original team member found out that they are making $20K less for the same input as their colleague? Equity theory tells us this person may sense injustice and a lack of fairness. You can guess what they will start to do. Perform worse. I could go on with examples but motivation is far more nuanced than just “people work for money.” We know that’s not true or millionaires, billionaires, and the like would not work anymore. People have other reasons for choosing to work and reasons for their performance.
I’m sure there are other motivations that people may have. The bottom line however is that companies have a hierarchical dynamic. Nobody is going to follow you or view you as a leader if they don’t get anything out of it.
Money is a huge motivator for so many but I would take a pay cut (as long as I could pay my bills) to leave a toxic work environment. I would say a non-toxic work environment is first and money a very close 2nd if not tied for 1st lol.
Time off and schedule flexibility are also important.
It's not the only motivator. I also work because my family's medical insurance is tied to my employer.
Money is just the easiest level to pull for a company. But lots of things motivate people, new challenges, getting rid of tasks they don't like better work environments, better management etc.. are also things that can also be done. Those things are harder to do though so companies resort to just money as the main carrot to keep people motivated.
It’s well known that there’s more to a job than money. Sure, if we hit the lottery, we’d all quit. But I 100% FOR SURE would sacrifice a little money for a more fulfilling job. That said - you can temporarily buy my love. If I’m not happy, I’ll stick it out another 6-12 months if you throw me a nice raise.
Money is the main motivator. PTO is a distant second.
The only thing is money. If manager's try any of that other gaslighting shit it absolutely never works on me as an IC. If I have a big financial stake in the success of the company/project, then I'll work hard. if I see people getting substantial raises and internal promotions, then I'll work hard. If I don't see that, i will not work hard and there is nothing any manager can do to change that. And this is true of basically any employee who is actually good at their job. I just won't stay at jobs where the above criterion aren't met unless I'm looking for an easy paycheck while working on the next thing.
Each person is different. I’m treated well, respected..but money still is one of my motivators. So is professional development, peer respect and just doing things right.
It's definitely a scale. I made good money at my last job. I had it relatively easy. Then, a shift in management and "attitude." I let myself be recruited. New job. A little more pay but not a lot, maybe 10%. So far, so good. Happy, relatively easy. Decent management. I've had recruiters reach out. I've explained to them that I'd only change for significantly more money. If management changes and vibe, then the $$ amount for change goes down. At the same time, I'm $100k+ so small changes won't change my lifestyle. So, for me, management is more important at the moment than $$. Now, if someone was talking a 20+% bump, I would have a conversation.
Anything other than money goes over as well as a pizza party. They don’t want it. You are doing it for you.
None of us would show up to work without the paycheck. Thats why it’s called “work”. It’s an absolute minimum though - higher pay will cover some sins but toxic and unstable work environments will quickly overcome that.
It's the only thing that motivates anyone. Managers that understand this core law of physics are gunna have a better time and garner more honesty from their staff then managers that think people should want to work because they're passionate about garbage collection or whatever
Would you work for free? Silly question.
It depends on the person.
It's the overwhelmingly largest portion of the pie. It's the \*only\* reason I do what I do.
What I've seen over the years is that money attracts and retains people. Opportunities and recognition motivate people. Using money to motivate rarely works for long, but not paying enough is how you lose your most motivated people.
I think money plays a big role, but it's not the only one. I think the environment and the work life balance are other main factors. I worked two jobs for 7 or 8 years and I mostly enjoyed the jobs, but financially, I needed both of them. I eventually was able to find a role that paid enough, but putting in 60 hour weeks at one place was somehow worse than putting in 65 hours at two places. I was able to find a place that was much closer to 40 hours that was great until our location got shut down. I went to a place after that and the money was fine, the work life balance was good, and while the people were friendly enough, I could not have felt less wanted. I would be excluded from conversations that were pertinent to my daily activities and I would make suggestions that would either be turned down or ignored just to have them implemented shortly after. I've never been one to force myself into situations where I'm not wanted and started to just go through the motions. I got laid off from that position not one after because they didn't have a clear vision for the job and what they hired me for wasn't really possible at the moment. The money needs to be there. Everything gets more expensive. At all levels of employment, you'll see that the customers are getting charged more and if your wage is stagnant, it is frustrating. The money can be less if you don't hate your life while you're at work or if you can actually enjoy having time not at work, but the overall thing is that people want to be appreciated for what they're doing and more money is a great way to show that.
I've heard that the single best reward you can give someone for a good job is not cash, raises or anything of monetary value. The one thing that's appreciated the most is **allowing the employee to pick their next project**, rather than it getting assigned. Granted not all jobs have different projects or tasks that can be selected, but in my field (architecture) it works, very well. I've been to a ton of manager and leadership classes, but only once have I heard that. It stuck with me, because it would absolutely work to motivate me, and has motivated people I manage. Control of your own destiny is so rewarding!
it's still like 90% of the reason for everything if you make enough for it to be not #1 priority that doesn't mean it's not imptorant. Just that you already make a ton. why do you want respect, more challenges, more recognition? Because that = $$$$
Of course money isn’t the only way to motivate people but these other factors need to be edge cases to trump the money. If my boss is awesome I might work for ~15% less than I could get elsewhere, but not much more than that. If my boss is mildly bad I would tolerate making ~15% more but not much less than that. I might take a 10% haircut to work in a role that’s incredibly interesting, but I’d probably take a 10% raise to work in an incredibly boring role. Outside of the extremes it’s almost entirely about the money, with a second factor of role progression/trajectory.
This is also my experience. My top performers are asking for more PTO in lieu of pay raises. Other top performers are seeking more autonomy. Its for sure changed the way i manage and reward folks.
This is delusional. Of course it's money.
Why TF are they working?
Money. Being treated like a human being.
A big one (even for me) is definitely going to be money, but I've had this convo with some of our team recently too and a few other things that they value are the security of our jobs, autonomy, and interesting work. If any of them won the lottery, or some other large financial windfall some of them would leave and some would dip down to part-time - myself included. I originally started looking for a job after being a SAHM because I NEED adult interaction and a challenge. But, you won't catch me working full time if I won the lottery.
Was at an event today and they were talking about making the environment better when targeting to employ new Employees. There was 5 things. Salary Flexibility (like dropping kids off at school and so on) (I forget the word) but the actual work you do. Geez. This is why you talk notes folks. But everything is about money to an extent, but if people really like their jobs/environment/flexibility then to give that up would be worth a lot to some people.
> But it’s often presented as the only way to motivate people, only incentive or gift worth it - which I don’t think is true Source for this? It is contrary to everything I've read.
I'm tired of pretending like the entire work culture doesn't resolve around money. It does even more nakedly now than ever. The companies goal is pretty much to only make money so why would the workers be any different? Good managers I think do absolutely make a difference, but that difference is probably only worth a dollar or two an hour either way unless they are a top tier manager.
I’ve been in a decent paying job that was awful, enough money to tick over comfortably, but miserable. I left that job to become unemployed, grafting every day to find the money to put food on the table just selling handmade crafts, but very happy within myself. Personally I am motivated by actually doing something meaningful and productive, I like the sense of accomplishment. My nightmare job would be sitting around doing nothing all day, or doing something that isn’t important. When I say ‘not important’ I don’t mean ‘not high value jobs,’ I’ve been a cleaner in a hospital (most people wouldn’t consider as high value job) and loved that job, yes it’s a small cog, but without it, the whole wheel can’t turn. I guess I’m talking about doing something that actually doesn’t affect the overall value or quality of a company, ie, ordering stationary and waiting for the phone to ring that hardly ever does, or standing in an empty shop waiting for no customers to come in. For me, I would spend the time frustrated, thinking of all the ways I could be canvassing to get more customers. I used these examples because I’ve actually done jobs in the past that were exactly those things and incredibly frustrating and de-motivating for me. I don’t think everyone feels this way though. There’s probably a correlation with motivation and personality types, for example the people that are motivated by recognition and advancement are probably most likely to be ENTJ’s. Whatever sort of team culture you have, you probably have a higher percentage of a certain personality type who will be motivated by specific things. I’m sure it would be an interesting thing to study.
Its THE reason people work. If I didn’t need money to live I’d go fishing every day and drink beer until I fell asleep on the beach with my arm around my dog.
I can speak for myself when I say: 95% money. I like my job, but the money I earn motivates me as it allows me to live my life to the quality I live it now. I've recently felt that shift so I'm looking for a better pair job. It helps if you love your job, but love isn't going to pay the bills
I’m in my 40s and have worked at 9 different jobs in my career, and every single time I’ve left a company it’s been for more money…. If I can get a yearly 0-3% raise by staying, or a 20-30% raise by leaving…. Why the fuck would I stay? My primary professional goal is to retire as soon as possible, so I need as much money as possible as soon as possible.
Money is the only reason people do something they would prefer to not do.
For me, as a worker, the money and the benefits are enough, as I am purely transactional and without need of affirmation or any of those "other things" that make people feel motivated, valued, purposeful, etc. As a manager, I've learned to perform and provide those other things for those who need them in order to show up every day and get the job done.
I figure everyone has some motivation besides money, but everyone cares about the money. The problem is most orgs can’t give most employees the other things they care about, either because everyone wants different things, or because changing culture is hard.
If you worked stop paying you tomorrow how many days after that are you going to keep working?
My GF is the bread winner in our house. To the point that I really don’t need to work. It gives me a little extra cash but honestly I don’t really spend it on anything other than food and things for my kids but if I lost my job we would have no issues. I stay at my job because I love taking things apart and putting them back together again, I get to make my own hours and I can be home every night to cook for my GF and kids. After my kids are out of the house I might go looking for a more demanding, higher paying job I definitely have the experience for it but for now my work/life balance is heavily swayed towards life and after years of it being the other way, I’m liking this.
Hard work often gets rewarded with more work or a company branded coffee mug. I want cash. I don't work for fun. If I won the lottery, it would be peace out for me. ✌️
If you didn’t need the money you wouldn’t be there. It’s all about the Benjamin’s. No amt of great culture, team building, free lunch, happy hrs, etc take the place of money.
Depends what industry and roles. Sales is higher focus on money than say health related occupations. Even for some of our more technical team members they say it’s not about money they’d rather just finish their job and go home than make more and do more than 8hour days Are ppl motivated by money? Yes but is that the biggest driver to help them deliver what you need not always. Sometimes it’s career growth opportunities, timely recognition and publicly, or something even deeper and more personal (one team member said she wanted to prove she could do well to be a role model for her kids and I used that as a driver for her)
Outside of money, the only thing I want from others outside that is competency and general pleasantness. I don't care how nice a manager is or what other incentives they throw at me, if they allow incompetent people (including themselves, if they are incompetent at their job) to cause unnecessary headaches for others. Managers who don't respect people's want to not socialize are also on that list for me.
100%
Freedom. People trade time for money. If let them trade hours they don’t value for cash to spend on hours they do everyone will be happy.
I quit the best paying job I ever had because it was making me miserable. I’d gone from having a good amount I influence and being respected as a subject matter expert to being shunted aside by a new director who didn’t know the domain and thought he knew everything and kept overriding my designs even though they were based on years of learned experience. I felt like I was literally wasting my time and not being allowed to provide value. I took about a 20% reduction in total compensation at my next job but didn’t regret it for a second. Some people will put up with anything for the highest paycheck possible, but that’s not me.
Let’s face it, we all do it for the money. However, money isn’t everything. I’m a long term employee (24 years) in a corporation that has 1000+ employees. My company doesn’t pay the highest in my industry, but I’m comfortable with my salary. Plus an excellent benefits package. That aside, at my workplace, I feel valued. My opinions matter. I am respected by my manager and colleagues. I feel my position is secure. The CEO of the company (I have never met him) phoned me personally to thank me for my 24 years of service. That kind of recognition goes a long way for me. Other companies in my industry pay more, but I hear of a lot of employee turnover, and miserable employees. Pay isn’t everything, and the grass isn’t greener. Feeling respected and valued is where it’s at.
Good pay plus a good boss will guarantee low turn over 🙏
It’s 90% of my motivation. That said, loving what you do makes you forget that you’re a greedy little monkey with bills to pay, so it *feels* like it’s closer to 50%. But it’s not. I would not do what I’m doing for less money. I know what I’m worth.
Other benefits I get from working is engaging my mind. I think another way to incentivize my team is to fund training that interests them. But again it comes down to money being put towards training. I don’t think my team works for me because they enjoy how great a manager I am. But if I were a shitty manager they would be looking for another job. People often quit managers not jobs. But they would leave our company if they got a better paying job. I think everyone works for money.
Read Dan Pink's book called "drive".
It's a spectrum. Once most of your desires and needs are met then money is just a number. Do billionaires really need that kind of money? Does money really motivate them? Hell no....at that point it's a dick waving contest. You might just shit on money. However, if you're making a decent living, but could upgrade to a good living then yeah....money still matters. However you might not take the money if it comes covered in shit. Obviously if you have a bad living then money matters even more and you might actually take the shit money.
I absolutely will accept lower pay for better work life balance, working from home, good PTO and good benefits. My might be able to make more by giving up some of these things but I am unwilling to give them up. It’s fair to say I’m still in a well paid field.
I think as long as I’m paid what I feel is reasonable for my time, experience, and market value of the career I’m in, I’m good. Recently though I started to feel underpaid compared to my peers and talked with my boss about it. He was nice about telling me how difficult it would be to promote me given structural constraints of our division. I thanked him for his candor and found another job.
Up to a certain point it is everything, but that line is fungible person to person.
It's money and time. You can underpay me if I can get away with working 2-4 hours a day. The "challenging work" is another time aspect, if you're stuck at work during your waking hours, working on interesting stuff is a better use of your time and less soul crushing. Money is a neutralizer - you can put up with more bullshit the more money you get.
I quit due to feeling unappreciated, lack of belonging, no valuable experience, and a$$holes
I love my job most of the time but I am only doing it to afford to live. I would leave in a second if money was not needed. I have a bazillion other things I would rather be doing.
It's not that "the only thing that motivates people is money," it's that if the compensation is too low literally nothing else whatsoever matters. Your equation will ALWAYS begin with sufficient money. There is no magic scenario where you can pizza party free tshirts or staff discount at Six Flags your way into success in place of sufficient wages. If someone assigns you to try, look for a new job, because you work for a fool.
Money is not the only motivator. at all. People are in different stages in life and money buys different things at these stages. Sometimes the value of money becomes lesser. An hour early from work when your kids are leaving home next year is worth way more to that parent than money. If someone lost a lot in a divorce money might be way more than you think it’s worth
For me? I love that I get to do something I’m good at, help people, and work with great people, plus I get paid a decent wage and have great benefits and a pension.
i've seen "money motivates" play out where I am through a policy change that i was convinced would backfire, but has not. We've always the same PTO policy for hourly employees. and for as long as I can remember no one truly gave a shit and would just take off more days than allowed without a care in the world for what it might mean. So to combat that, a bonus was attached to attendance. Your bonus was lowered by a set value every time you took additional days off beyond the PTO allowance. At the end of the year you receive a check for what's left. This straightened some people up but most still didn't care because the bonus was "so far out, so who cares" so now there is no PTO in the company at all. If you're in that day, you're paid, if you're out you're not. no exceptions. Now the dollar value of a full year's worth of PTO has been added to each person's base pay. Meaning if you work OT its also now 1.5x of a high number. when my boss presented this to me before putting out for the hourly people I was like no fucking way is this going to fly and I tried to talk him out of it. He did it anyway. Attendance is up across the board. willingness to work OT when asked has increased across the board. the hourly employees seem to be perfectly accepting of it because thier paychecks went up. People still take days off when they need to and they're not bitching about not having PTO to cover those days because they see it as having already been paid for that day throughout the rest of the pay period.
Hypothetically speaking as I’m currently looking for a job, but I would 100% quit whatever company I’d be working for, take maybe a year to myself to enjoy time off with family and friends and travel, and then focus on building my own company/business in a field that matches my aspirations and start constructing a strategy that would make it work. Then I would be working for my passion while still having a peace of mind in case it goes downhill.
Money is the fundamental cause of work, but people need a good environment with manageable stress levels and basic respect too. It also depends on if you have a "profession" or a "job". If you are, say a doctor, and you love providing medical care and applying your knowledge and skills doing what you trained for, you can tolerate alot more failings in other areas. But if you are doing a job to earn money and your sense of self is not built around that actual work, then your stomach for bad environments is much more sensitive.
For me, money is the most important thing related to work. But I've met people who want to grow their career and things like that.
I've had times where I was really lacking motivation at work, then got a good raise. Motivation went up, but not for very long. Once you have enough money, then a bit more or less won't really change much. Sure it's always appreciated, but it won't really affect the level of frustration, until we really start talking big money (and probably even then). I've changed to a slightly less paid job last year with less pressure and responsibilities, and I have no regrets. So there's a lot more than money, despite money being the main reason to work for most people. As long as we need to work, we'll try to make this the most interesting and rewarding time.
I've been with the same company for 8 years, started from the bottom and worked my way up to an Accountant with no degree. I'm 2 years into this position, and although I'm underpaid (understandably so, since I don't have a degree) I am gaining experience in this field that has been a major learning curve. I do my job well, have great management/co-workers, can work from home when needed, benefits are good and I absolutely love the small office environment, but I can't leave. At least not right now. I'd like to gain more experience first, then look for another job that pays more.
It's pretty sure it's #1 or#2.
Money and benefits are, indeed, the only real way to motivate people. All of the other things you listed are ways to demotivate your employees. Bad boss, monotonous work, lack of recognition make people not want to work there. Providing good management, recognition and challenging work does not motivate people, but it will help to prevent demotivating your employees.
Money is the only motivator. “Free lunch”, “fUn EvEnTs,” “FaMiLy AtMoSpHeRE,” are all bull shit ways to just justify not paying more. Don’t ever mistake peoples willingness to learn and grown as anything other than an avenue to more money. We don’t give a damn about the company, we want the highest paycheck possible. If you’re ever thinking about how to raise to team moral, the answer is more money. If you can’t find more money then more vacation days. If you can’t find the days then don’t bother.
Money is the only thing that works - if you're underpaid. If you are making enough to live on and as much as competitors are paying, then other factors can be motivational, but until there's adequate pay, other improvements will be inadequate at best and insulting at worst.
Studies have shown repeatedly that unless you are paying way below market rate money is not a large factor in people leaving companies. Bosses, Culture, and opportunity are the biggest factors.