Most businesses hope that they are getting the best out of their employees, that their employees are motivated and happy, but do they really know?, do all organisations invest the time and the effort to ensure that they are fully aware of how their workforce feel and behave?, do they find out what their employees views are of their respective jobs? or what their employees aspirations and desires are for their own future?

If an organisation does ensure that they gather a good level of knowledge about their workforce, both on a company/departmental level as well as on an individual personal level, then businesses can benefit immensely. Such collected information can give great insight into what is going on at the most fundamental level of the organisation, how the employee sees the bigger picture and where they think the organisation is going. This level of knowledge can often help a company redevelop and redefine its views, approaches and methods for the better.

When an individual is motivated at work they may exhibit certain qualities and traits in their thoughts, speech and actions. It is sometimes obvious that someone is highly motivated by what they say and how they act, although sometimes motivation can be a quietly generated principle.

There are often common traits that people share who are motivated at work and with their work. These can include:

1. Drive - the energy and will to put their upmost effort and ability into their work in order to create their best possible result.
2. Knowledge - motivated people tend to have the desire to absorb knowledge about their industry, role, organisational practices etc in order to be more valuable and to present themselves as an expert within their area. This is driven by the idea that the more they know about the whole, the more they will know how to progress within it.
3. Determination - different from an inner drive to commit, more directed towards the desire to continue to work until the correct outcome is achieved.
4. Involvement -  Work motivated people tend to become involved in areas of work beyond their role, such as policy formation or with new ideas to present to leaders. Those that are motivated by work might also tend to socialise more with others at work. they might tend to engage in more discussion and debate.
5. Gaining recognition - not only for the work they produce but also a desire to become recognised by their peers and within the industry as a whole. Those who lack the desire to learn, become recognised or motivated may not actually enjoy their role, or don't see themselves staying with the company for the long-term, or they may think that their job is just a means to an end and merely to earn money.
6. Ability - Motivated people will try and develop as much ability within the role as possible, by learning new skills, keeping themselves updated on changes within their industry or at legislation level, all in order to succeed in their chosen area. Industry courses, CPD, post-graduate studies etc help motivated employees to gain further skills and recognition.
7. Focus – Those that are motivated at work tend to have a very high level of focus on the task at hand, a focus on what needs to be done to ensure that the job is a success. They also work to ensure that every area of the job requirements are satisfied. Those motivated by work tend to want to know where the organisation is going, and what it needs to get there and what needs to be done in their role to contribute to it's future successes.

Work-based motivation however is not a pre-determined set of ideals, and can differ from culture to culture. Certain ideas of work-based motivation are often similar across western counties, but when it comes to other cultures, the ideals and values which drive the motivation can differ greatly. Japan is an example of a country that shares certain values and ideals with western countries but also exhibits different values and ideals in their approach to work, such as; tradition, respect, heritage, and a drive for a high level of performance. Some cultures tend to instil sense of gratitude and perfectionism in their employees, while aiming to reduce personal problems and internal drama within the work place. By contrast, some other cultures tend to take more of a work to live, not a live to work approach, and will put much more emphasis and value on less working hours and more family time, more social interaction and a higher level of community or religious gatherings. These cultures are therefore motivated by the development of the culture itself rather than individual businesses. These cultures focus more on traditions and community involvement and security for future generations, rather than the personal, individual momentary pursuit of immediate, short term financial gain.

Overall though the motivated employee is energetic, enthusiastic and driven, wanting to accomplish their specific desire within the workplace. Their desire is often to succeed both for themselves and for the organisation at large.

Employee motivation is an essential component to organisational success and businesses of all sizes should strive to motivate their employees to do their best at work.

When individual motivation is at a good level in the work place, the organisation will see a good level of performance, productivity, team coherence, creativity, positive workplace culture and great working relationships. This therefore reflects on business reputation, financial success, future prospects and the ability to retain and attract new staff.

Where employee motivation is lacking, there is always the possibility of the corresponding negative effects occurring within an organisation, which then puts its success and future in jeopardy.