Herzberg's Satisfiers

04/04/2006

Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery.
Dr. Joyce Brothers

No, they’re not an item you’d find in a drug store. They’re things that make you love your workplace or job. In the 1950s Herzberg, building on the work of Maslow, found there were a few key factors that worked to enhance peoples' satisfaction at work. They are:

Feeling a sense of accomplishment — This is the feeling of satisfaction you get when you’re able to complete a task that was especially difficult or time-consuming. A person may not especially like a given task, but they can get a great sense of satisfaction knowing they’ve completed it and that things will be better for it. A director can also make sure that staff notice how changes have occurred over a long period of time.
Finding work challenging and creative — Job satisfaction is usually increased when work is both challenging and allows a person to put their own imprint on it. This means that directors should allow for staff to approach many tasks in a way that lets them express their creativity. Most teachers have especially satisfying feelings about how they have successfully helped very challenging children or families.
Receiving recognition — Whether the praise or notice comes from a co-worker, a parent, or the supervisor, one’s job satisfaction is enhanced and self-esteem can go up.
Assuming responsibility — People like to be trusted and when a supervisor asks an employee to handle a new responsibility job satisfaction goes up. This is especially true when you ask an employee to work unsupervised and/or to find their own solution to a problem.
Advancing and earning promotions — All employees see a promotion as a reward and sign of confidence in their ability. It shows that a person is valued and they feel enhanced satisfaction and loyalty.

It’s notable that four of the five most important satisfiers don’t cost a program anything.

Herzberg, F. , Mausner, B., & Snyderman, B. (1959). The motivation work. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Contributed by Joel Gordon

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