Day 7: Salary is just hygiene, internal motivation is everything

 

Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash 

I was reading about the two factor theory of motivation. What drives us to work ? Most people think it is just salary, good manager, some perks of having a cool office etc. The same thing was researched and some new findings were unearthed. 

The two factor theory states that there are two layers to motivation. Salary, office facilities etc are just hygiene factors. If only these criteria are met, you will not have job satisfaction, but you will not hate it atleast.

The second and the more important layer is intrinsic motivation. Your actual quality of work. Does it align with your values in life ? If this criteria is not met, people with the best companies and highest paying jobs still feel not satisfied. This generally comes out in popular culture as being "not happy". Something doesn't work.

So, key takeaway is - first satisfy hygiene factors. Work and hustle towards having enough money to feed your family, have an occasional trip etc. But after you have reached, have enough self-awareness to stop and start looking for intrinsic motivation.