Before I begin on this bit of research, I must point out that some humans enjoy working. These are most often people who like physical labor and seeing the immediate fruits of their labor. In non-labor activities, however, it is much more difficult to find people who enjoying working or especially wish to go to their jobs. Why is this and what can be done to change it?
Work is first and foremost a learning process. Without learning, work becomes a series of repetitive, mind-numbing tasks which afford no potential for growth or personal development. Humans, by nature, cannot tolerate very prolonged periods of stagnation. We always wish to grow and improve ourselves physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually and psychologically. It is virtually impossible to find a human who is so afraid of change that they will sabotage any natural developments of growth within themselves, without finding someone who is already addicted to drugs or alcohol. Only in the case of addiction will you find people who consistently wish to stagnate, for fear that their habits will be revealed or that their low self esteem will be put on display for all to see.
A study by Edward E. Lawler, III describes how motivation and work are interconnected regarding management strategies. While the article is primarily for managers and is based upon different types of managerial strategies, it also delineates the direct correlation between learning and motivation. Learning is one of the most direct and most immediate fruits of your labor which can be seen during work. Even if the individual is not consistently or consciously aware of their own learning process and mental acuity, the combined information and experience developed in their brain helps them to have greater and more accurate perspective on their surroundings, lending them more personal power and control over their work environment and individual tasks. As long as the person is learning, their motivation will remain high. If they are ever of the belief that they have acquired all of the skills and knowledge necessary with which to perform their job, they may begin looking for another job.
Drug and alcohol testing in the workplace helps to reveal which of your workers may potentially prefer stagnation over growth, and which love to learn and increase their knowledge base for further development. Call Mediscreen today for more information about onsite drug and alcohol screening services: (+61) 1300 79 70 40.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1478-4408.1970.tb02928.x/abstract
