Famed American psychologist, Abraham Maslow, is best known for creating Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. A theory to help us understand human motivation and what makes us happy, it is a list of basic human needs that must be fulfilled for maximum psychological health – or what Maslow calls self-actualization.
In this article we’ll walk through the eight stages of Maslow’s hierarchical list of needs and see how they can be applied to develop employee engagement programs that increase job satisfaction and productivity.
Stage 1: Survival
These are the most basic and fundamental needs in life such as breathing, food, drink and sleep. In the workplace these fundamental needs include understanding company processes and best practices as well as knowing what your job entails and what is expected from you.
In order to move employees through this stage it’s important to have a comprehensive onboarding strategy. Mentor programs are also a great way to acclimate new employees to the company and can continue to be a great support system as they move up the hierarchy of needs.
Stage 2: Security
Once an employee is acclimated to their new role, they crave recognition and affirmation that they’re performing well and their job is secure. To provide a feeling of security, managers should have weekly 1-on-1 meetings as well as quarterly reviews to validate their employee’s work, demonstrate the impact they’ve made and identify areas for career growth. Unfortunately, only one in three workers in the U.S. strongly agree that they received recognition or praise for doing good work, according to Gallup.
Stage 3: Belonging
As social beings, it is critical for people to have strong relationships and interactions with loved ones in order to sustain them through difficult times. To encourage employees to develop relationships with other coworkers, employers can run programs such as volunteering events, green teams and sports leagues that connect employees from a variety of departments based on interests they have outside of the office.
Stage 4: Importance
This stage emphasizes the need for support, respect and acknowledgement. Employers can fulfill this need through typical channels such as promotions and raises, but it doesn’t need to be confined to that. Opportunities such as speaking at conferences or events, leading internal committees and company-wide recognition programs can demonstrate respect and acknowledgement from the organization and its leaders.
Stage 5: Knowledge
Employees in this stage have a deep desire to advance their careers through continued learning. Formal training and corporate learning programs are extremely beneficial to employees in this stage. Don’t limit employees to just topics related to their specific role as it can be incredibly enriching to learn new subjects.
Stage 6: Beauty
According Maslow, humans need aesthetically pleasing surroundings in order to continue moving towards self-actualization. Your office space and layout can play a huge role in whether or not employees are able to achieve this need. Survey employees to find out what’s working with the existing office space, what’s not and what their ideal office would look like.
Stage 7: Self-Actualization
Employees in this stage of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs have an undeniable internal drive. They are confident and continue to push the limits with their creativity, passion and hard work. When an employee feels as though she can’t push herself to greater heights she will quickly become unengaged. Managers and other business leaders should help these self-actualized employees by pushing them to explore all of their capabilities.
Stage 8: Transcendence
Transcendence needs are about helping other people achieve self-actualization. Employers should use self-actualized employees as positive examples and mentors for other employees. They understand the challenges and needs of each stage and can help guide employees through each of them.
