Your team seems tired. Not burned out—just disengaged.
You try praise, positivity, maybe a small celebration. Nothing changes.
That’s where the frustration sets in. You’re expected to deliver top-quality work, but the levers that truly drive motivation aren’t in your hands. Before you give up, take a moment to revisit Herzberg’s ideas.
You may not control the environment. But you live in it. And knowing what’s really broken beats throwing more cupcakes at the problem.
In the 1950s, psychologist Frederick Herzberg studied what drives satisfaction at work. His insight? The things that make people unhappy aren’t the same as the things that make them feel good. You need both sides handled. In projects, we often forget that.
Hygiene Factors
Company policies and administration (Bureaucratic friction, unclear processes.)
Supervision (quality of leadership, not management style)
Interpersonal relationships (with supervisors, peers, subordinates)
Working conditions (physical environment, tools, systems)
Salary (perceived fairness more than absolute value)
Status (perceived position in the hierarchy)
Job security (fear of redundancy or role instability)
Personal life (influenced by work demands, not work/life balance per se)
Motivators
Achievement (completion, pride in work)
Recognition (for results, not effort)
The work itself (interesting, engaging tasks)
Responsibility (autonomy, ownership)
Advancement (promotion, new opportunities)
Growth (personal and professional development)
See It Their Way
You’re not managing your own motivation. Check these factors from the team’s perspective — not yours. For externals, some of those factors belong to an employer you normally do not have on your radar.
Hygiene Factors
Motivators
Your Team’s Motivation Profile
Disclaimer: This checklist is a reflection tool, not a scientific assessment. It does not replace professional surveys, HR processes, or formal evaluations. Use the results as prompts for conversation, not conclusions.