Sample article review on review of 7 ways to enhance workplace relationships, motivation and productivity

A work environment is a social environment where human nature is at play just as it is in family life and relationships. This is the resounding message of “ 7 Ways to Enhance Workplace Relationships, Motivation and Productivity” by Jonathan D. Port. The author acknowledges that advice is often broken down into numbered lists in order to bound and make tangible pieces of advice. He has broken ways 7 things that managers and supervisors can focus on which will increase workforce relationships and create an environment of motivated workers where productivity is maximized.
Rather than presenting his seven points as to what a manager should do, he breaks it down to what a worker desires. This list while applicable to the workplace also has ramifications in any sphere of social human endeavor. The first desire that people have is to feel that they are being heard. They have the desire to not just be heard, but to be listened to. The key point here is that there is a difference between hearing someone and listening to them. Often in conversations one person is just waiting for their turn to talk instead of really focusing on the message that the other person is trying to convey and then responding to that.
The second desire people have is the desire to be affirmed. People want to be approved of and feel appreciated by those around them, most specifically their superiors in the workplace. Port breaks this down into two different factors, Hygiene factors and Motivating factors. Hygiene factors do not add much to motivation when they are present, but if they are absent they contribute to a lot of negative motivation or demotivation.
These are things like offering employees health insurance and benefits, which go along way in ensuring that employees feel that they are appreciated. The second form that people are affirmed is through motivating factors. Motivating factories deal with recognizing good work when it is present and offering more positive feed back than negative feedback by a suggested ratio of 10 to 1. One important thing is to scrap with the word “ but” and instead replace it with “ and” when offering criticism. Many managers are trained to begin with negative feedback by saying something positive. But as soon as someone says this is good BUT, it reduces the initial good thing that was said. A better way to say such things is to say, “ this is good AND this could be better.”
The third desire is the desire to be blessed. What this basically means is being polite, saying please and thank you and respecting an employees personal boundaries.
The fourth desire that people have is to feel safe. This deals not just with avoiding danger, but avoiding ridicule and not living under the fear of losing one’s job.
Desire five that people have is to feel touched. This does not mean physically touching. This could get a manager in trouble. But it means to realize that people are not machines, but real people with real lives outside of their work.
Desire six is to feel chosen. To feel that employees are there because managers want them to be there over other people.
Desire 7 is to feel included. A work team is in many ways like a family or a team and people want to feel that they are part of something greater than themselves.