The Indian government has just announced additional largesse for babus and their ilk. With the rate of inflation at nearly its highest level for two decades, this is likely to further compound the situation. Most people do, however, unwillingly accept that if the salary hikes pay dividends they are worth it. The moot question is: will they?

If you go by accepted Western theory, the answer is clearly no. From the time of Frederick Herzberg and his two factors (motivators and hygiene), it has been acknowledged that salary isn’t really a key driver in the workplace. Other writers don’t accept that fully. They feel that if you are the bottom end of Maslov’s chain — when you have to satisfy your physiological needs — “salary” does matter. On the other hand, the very definition of a “workplace” in today’s world implies that you are not some sort of serf.

Assume, therefore, that our babus — even the lesser gods among them — never needed to worry about how to feed and clothe themselves and their families. Will the Sixth Pay Commission award and the topping that the government has added to it help improve performance? If past experience is any guide, this is unlikely.

The Indian bureaucracy has sometimes been likened to the biggest dole system in the world. And not without reason. Try getting anything done at a government office and you will find that files simply don’t move without your greasing the right elbow. It has, in fact, been institutionalised in the tatkal scheme in which you can get papers (your passport application, say) to move faster if you pay an official bribe. A Transparency International survey has found that even below-the-poverty-line families have to pay Rs 171 in bribes apiece to get their children into school. And politicians pontificate on what keeps the country in poverty.

What you need to look for, therefore, are other motivators besides money. Some business houses have recently started campaigns to instil a sense of social work and responsibility in young India. They may be marketing gimmicks, but they seem to be working in a limited way.

Forget for a moment the bureaucracy and the public sector. What motivators work in what supposedly has a better work culture — the private sector? Alexander Kjerulf, the author of several books and articles on motivation in the workplace, says that motivation must come from within. The job of the manager is to “help employees find their own intrinsic motivation”.

The manager or company can create the right environment. According to Kjerulf, the factors that enhance intrinsic motivation include:

Challenge. Being able to challenge yourself and accomplish new tasks.

Control. Having a choice over what you do.

Co-operation. Being able to work with and help others.

Recognition. Getting meaningful, positive recognition for your work.

Happiness at work. People who like their job and their workplace are much more likely to find intrinsic motivation.

Trust. When you trust the people you work with, intrinsic motivation is much easier.

It is difficult to achieve all or part of this even in a healthy corporate environment. One problem is that most managers and HR professionals feel that they must be seen to be doing something. If they aren’t busy bees, how will they get noticed and move up the ladder?

Another problem is that the HR profession is only now maturing in India; for too long has it been associated with managing payrolls and attendance rosters. With growth will hopefully come a realisation of the right buttons to press.

As for the babus we spoke about in the beginning, there really is no solution in the current framework. Privatisation of everything possible is the only way out.

Illustration: Uday Deb

WORKERS’ PARADISE

India’s best employers

1        Aditya Birla Group

2        Satyam

3        Marriott Hotels

4        Eureka Forbes

5        Cisco Systems

6        Godrej Consumer

7        Agilent Tech

8        Scope International

9        Tata Consultancy Services

10        Kotak Mahindra

11        Wipro BPO

12        Covansys

13        Ajuba Solutions

14       Pantaloon

15       Text 100

16       Domino’s Pizza

17        Ford

18        Becton Dickinson

19        Hardcastle Restaurants

20       HCL Tech BPO

21       Dr Reddy’s

22       J&J Medical

23       GSK Consumer

24       HSBC

25       Monsanto

(Source: Hewitt Associates, The Best Employers in Asia 2007)