Employee motivation in construction industry: Effects of Covid-19

Abstract

Employee motivation plays an important role in organizational management research since there is ample evidence highlighting the strong links between motivation and productivity. Although a number of research have focused on the wider effects of Covid-19 on the construction industry, no attempts have been made to investigate its impacts on employee motivation. The main objectives of the present research are (1) to identify and prioritize motivational factors that affect job satisfaction and commitment of construction employees in the postCovid era, (2) to reveal the challenges that have negatively affected employee motivation during the pandemic and, (3) to investigate employee attitudes and perceptions towards remote working. To achieve this objective, a structured survey questionnaire strategy was adopted. Results reveal that prominent motivators common in research undertaken in the pre-Covid era such as personal growth/ career development and salary have fallen behind other factors in the order of importance. Instead, employee motivation in the post-Covid world appears to be mostly driven by intrinsic factors directly related to the work itself such as job satisfaction, the variety and scope of the work, followed by good physical working conditions and good relationship with superiors. It was also observed that motivation highly depends on personal factors such as age, education level, gender, culture, experience, job and occupation level of employees. The results of the present study are important for managers in understanding motivators in the new era that the pandemic has created and thus in designing effective organizational policies for increased motivation and productivity. © 2024, Istanbul Teknik Universitesi, Faculty of Architecture. All rights reserved.