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Economic needs of the workers can be satisfied by adequate and fair monetary compensation. But it is equally important for the manager to be aware of the psychological and sociological factors affecting employee satisfaction. It does not mean that the manager should be psychologist or sociologist, but some elementary knowledge will help him a lot in understanding the behavior of his employees. Understanding and influencing human behavior require knowledge of the needs of man. These needs may be classified into ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’. Primary needs are those which help in preserving life and health of the employees (e.g., demands for things like food, clothing, shelter, water, air to breathe, sex, etc.) and thus constitute a strong motivation of human activity. Secondary needs, on the other hand, are social and psychological in nature. They vary in intensity from one person to another, much more than primary wants. Examples of such needs as given as below:
- Need for self-assertion: It is a natural instinct in all human beings to feel important at sometime and in certain sphere. For example, a worker who is not good at spinning, may assert to shine as a weaver or in any other sphere of activity. This is a need which is often unconscious, unvoiced and unfulfilled among employees of industry; yet it is one which influences much of their behaviors.
- Need of self-respect: Howsoever unimportant may be the sphere of activity, every individual thinks that there is some dignity in his work and he aspires to be respected for that task. More often than not, we hear workers saying: “Babooji, my job may be of inferior grade, but it does not mean that you may scold me and look down upon me. I am after all an Insan (human), and deserve to be treated humanely.” Employees who are not treated with a certain amount of courtesy, respect and dignity will either leave their positions or lose a measure of self-respect, with consequent damaging effects upon their productivity and co-operation.
- Need of association and social approval: It is also a natural craze among all human beings to live in society with other colleagues. Facilities should be provided for the satisfaction of this gregarious instinct. For example, the layout of the factory be such that the workers may be in a position to meet and talk to each other during their leisure hours. Similarly, there is also a desire to be accepted by others.
- Need of giving and receiving affection: Any worker who is always sincere to his duties, wishes that his merits be recognized by his boss. When he gives affection to his supervisors, he has a natural craze to receive it.
- Need of safety and security: It is like the basic need for food, clothing and shelter. Every worker desires to serve as a permanent employee. He wishes that the job be safe and secure, with no risk of retrenchment or unemployment. Schemes like Employees State Insurance, Pension and Provident Fund, Old Age Security, Medical and Maternity benefits etc. can help in the satisfaction of such needs.
- Need of self-realization: This is the drive for self-fulfilment and achieving something significant in life. It is one of the higher-level drives that is not apparent until many of the other needs have been fulfilled. We have often observed sthat people who take pride in their jobs and enjoy doing them are not only more satisfied but more productive as well. “To tap some of that latent potential, it is necessary for management to fine some way to stimulate pride in accomplishment. Much can be done in the matter of layout and job design to effect greater employee satisfaction with the job.”
- Other needs: Under this title may be included the needs to know, the drive of curiosity, the drive to experiment, to test, to inquire and to understand. An industry can satisfy this drive through the device of competitions.
A.H.Maslow has concluded that these wants can be further grouped and listed in their order of priority as (i) basic physiological needs followed by the needs of (ii) safety, (iii), love, (iv) esteem, and (v) self-actualisation. Human beings are not motivated by higher needs until lower ones have been reasonably well gratified.
In short, the latest approach is to regard the undertaking only as a profit-making unit, but also as a social unit which, in addition to its duties towards the community, has liability towards its workers. An undertaking is intended to be servant of humanity and should never make humanity its slave. If we begin regarding ‘Industry for Man’ and not ‘Man for industry’, most of the problems will be solved. It does not mean that unrest will evaporate in thin air and will be wholly obviated-quarrels will arise in the happiest and most stable marriage of labour and management-but, if a sense of common purpose, based on sentiments ranging from national loyalty to craft-pride, can be achieved and reinforced by a social policy of fair share, then the class solidarity which is the unifying force of industrial discontent can considerably be broken down.
It is now widely recognized that the worker is not an isolated machine, producing results which vary only with its internal state of health and good or bad condition of physical environment. He is a human being who is also a member of a team. Fortunately, the Hawthorne experiments have definitely succeeded in bringing about this change and it is now accepted that the most important single factor determining output is the emotional attitude of the worker towards his work and his workmates, and towards management.
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