Determinants of job motivation among frontline employees at hospitals in Tehran

Authors

  • Ehsan Zarei Department of Public Health, School of Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Keywords:

job motivation, work motivation, frontline employee, teaching hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Human resources are the most strategic resource and the most significant input for health systems. Their behavior and motivation can strongly affect the overall performance of the health systems. The aim of this study was to determine the factors that affect motivation in frontline employees at teaching hospitals affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU) in Tehran, Iran.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015. The participants (nurses, physiotherapists, radiology and laboratory technicians, operating room and pharmacy staff) were 300 employees selected by the stratified random sampling method from two general and teaching hospitals. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire that consisted of 42 questions in the 7 domains of motivational factors. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and independent samples t-test by SPSS software, version 23. 

Results: The findings indicated that working relationships (mean of 3.95) were the main determinant of job motivation of frontline employees. Job content (3.76) career development (3.75), social respect (3.75), and autonomy (3.30) were the next four affective factors. Recognition and remuneration had the least influence on the job motivation of frontline employees. The results of the Friedman test indicated that the difference between the mean scores of different dimensions was significant (χ2(6) = 607.00, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: A hospital that seeks to engender increased motivation of its frontline employees should have in place a human resources strategy that includes facilitating communication between personnel and management, supporting employees in the community, and promoting social respect for health professions, providing educational opportunities and career development, development of appropriate promotional policies, employee participation in goal setting, facilitating a good working environment and job security, job enrichment, and delegation.

References

Nishtar S, Ralston J. Can human resources for health in the context of noncommunicable disease control be

a lever for health system changes? Bull World Health Organ. 2013; 91: 895-6. doi: 10.2471/blt.13.118711.

PMID: 24347721, PMCID: PMC3853949.

Malik AA, Yamamoto SS, Souares A, Malik Z, Sauerborn R. Motivational determinants among physicians

in Lahore, Pakistan. BMC Health Serv Res. 2010; 10(201). doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-10-201, PMID:

, PMCID: PMC2910698.

Lambrou P, Kontodimopoulos N, Niakas D. Motivation and job satisfaction among medical and nursing

staff in a Cyprus public general hospital. Hum Resour Health. 2010; 8(26). doi: 10.1186/1478-4491-8-26.

PMID: 21080954, PMCID: PMC2998451.

Okello DR, Gilson L. Exploring the influence of trust relationships on motivation in the health sector: a

systematic review. Hum Resour Health. 2015; 13(16). doi: 10.1186/s12960-015-0007-5, PMID: 25889952,

PMCID: PMC4384237.

Gaki E, Kontodimopoulos N, Niakas D. Investigating demographic, work‐related and job satisfaction

variables as predictors of motivation in Greek nurses. J Nurs Manag. 2013; 21: 483-90. doi:

1111/j.1365-2834.2012.01413.x, PMID: 23409751.

Mutale W, Ayles H, Bond V, Mwanamwenge MT, Balabanova D. Measuring health workers’ motivation in

rural health facilities: baseline results from three study districts in Zambia. Hum Resour Health. 2013;

(8). doi: 10.1186/1478-4491-11-8, PMID: 23433226, PMCID: PMC3608223.

Bahadori M, Babaei M, Mehrabian F. Prioritization of Factors Influencing Job Motivation in Employees of

a Military Center Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). J Mil Med. 2013; 14: 237-44

Hung L-M, Shi L, Wang H, Nie X, Meng Q. Chinese primary care providers and motivating factors on

performance. Fam Pract. 2013; 30: 576-86. doi: 10.1093/fampra/cmt026, PMID: 23788201.

Toode K, Routasalo P, Helminen M, Suominen T. Hospital nurses' work motivation. Scand J Caring Sci.

; 29(2): 248-57. doi: 10.1111/scs.12155, PMID: 24909713.

Bonenberger M, Aikins M, Akweongo P, Wyss K. The effects of health worker motivation and job

satisfaction on turnover intention in Ghana: a cross-sectional study. Hum Resour Health. 2014; 12(43). doi:

1186/1478-4491-12-43, PMID: 25106497, PMCID: PMC4130118.

Zarei E, Arab M, Tabatabaei SM, Rashidian A, forushani AR, Khabiri R. Understanding patients’

behavioral intentions: Evidence from Iran’s private hospitals industry. J Health Organ Manag. 2014; 28(6):

-810. doi: 10.1108/jhom-11-2012-0218, PMID: 25507341.

Taeebi Z. Motivating factors among hospital managers in teaching hospitals of Iran University of Medical

Sciences,Tehran. Tehran: Iran University of Medical Sciences; 1999.

Mahmoudi H, Ebrahimian A, Solymani M, Ebadi A, Hafezi S, Fayzi F, et al. The study of job motivation

factors in critical care nurses. Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 2007; 1: 171-8.

Jodat S, Farajzadeh Z, Saadatjoo SA. A study of job motivation of nurses working in Valiasr Hospital of

Birjand in 2013. Modern Care J. 2014; 10: 296-304.

Vali L, Ghorbani Nia R, Shirkhani H, Zol Ala F. Comparison of the job motivation of staff worker with

management emergency medical center’s operational staff, kerman university of medical Sciences -2013.

Iranian Journal of Nursing Research. 2015; 10: 61-70.

Robbins S, Judge TA, Millett B, Boyle M. Organisational behaviour. New York: Pearson Higher Education

AU; 2013.

Willis-Shattuck M, Bidwell P, Thomas S, Wyness L, Blaauw D, Ditlopo P. Motivation and retention of

health workers in developing countries: a systematic review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2008; 8(247). doi:

1186/1472-6963-8-247. PMID: 19055827, PMCID: PMC2612662.

Toode K, Routasalo P, Suominen T. Work motivation of nurses: a literature review. Int J Nurs Stud. 2011;

: 246-57. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2010.09.013, PMID: 20947085.

Hamouzadeh P, Sadeghifar J, Moradkhani B. Factors affecting on job motivation from the managers point

of view in teaching hospitals affiliated to Urmia uinversity of medical sciences. Journal of Nursing and

Midwifery Urmia University of Medical Sciences. 2011; 9: 15-22.

Daneshkohan A, Zarei E, Mansouri T, Maajani K, Ghasemi MS, Rezaeian M. Factors Affecting Job

Motivation among Health Workers: A Study From Iran. Glob J Health Sci. 2014; 7(3): 153-60. doi:

5539/gjhs.v7n3p153, PMID: 25948438.

Negarandeh R, Dehghan-Nayeri N, Ghasemi E. Motivating factors among Iranian nurses. Iran J Nurs

Midwifery Res. 2015; 20: 436-41. doi: 10.4103/1735-9066.161011, PMID: 26257797, PMCID:

PMC4525340.

Adzei FA, Atinga RA. Motivation and retention of health workers in Ghana's district hospitals: addressing

the critical issues. J Health Organ Manag. 2012; 26: 467-85. doi: 10.1108/14777261211251535, PMID:

Li L, Hu H, Zhou H, He C, Fan L, Liu X, et al. Work stress, work motivation and their effects on job

satisfaction in community health workers: a cross-sectional survey in China. BMJ open. 2014; 4: e004897.

doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-004897, PMID: 24902730, PMCID: PMC4054641.

Tsounis A, Sarafis P, Bamidis P. Motivation among Physicians in Greek Public Health-Care Sector. Br J

Med Med Res. 2014; 4: 1094-105. doi: 10.9734/bjmmr/2014/6821.

Published

2022-03-07

Issue

Section

Articles