Motivational Factors Influencing Work Performance of Nurses in Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua

Abstract

Work performance is a vital component of every organization that seeks competitive advantage. As such, employee’s motivation as an integral part of the organization is agreed to be of primary concern to both employers and employees. Therefore, the study sought to identify motivational factors influencing work performance of nurses at the Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua. With this, two forms of employee motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) and employee work performance were considered in this study. The objectives were: to identify both intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors of work performance by nurses at Eastern Regional Hospitals; to find out motivational factors that affect work performance of nurses; to determine the expectations of nurses at the Eastern Regional Hospital; and to identify policies in place with regard to motivation of nurses at the Eastern Regional Hospital. The study employed a cross-sectional explanatory design with a mixed method approach to gather data for analysis through survey questionnaire using 148 respondents. The data was analyzed using frequencies, percentages and simple linear regression. The findings revealed that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors have significant positive influence on nurses’ work performance. Nurses were largely motivated by support from other staffs, recognition, paying attention to individual suggestions, opportunity for promotions, promotion and salary increase. Increase in salaries motivated nurses more than the rest; recognition, motivational talks, promotion and study leave. There is a constantly high expectation of nurses regarding fair treatment, health benefits, allowances, involvement in decision-making, provision of accommodation. Lastly, the study concludes that, even though there are motivational policies, they should be made more active and visible for all employees of the hospital.