THE NATURE OF MOTIVATION AND THE EFFECT OF GENDER AND MARITAL STATUS ON EMPLOYEES’ MOTIVATION IN ORGANISATIONS IN GHANA

The purpose of the current research is to investigate the nature of motivation among employees in organisations and the role of gender and marital status in employee’s motivation in a survey. A sample of 140 respondents was selected using the convenience sampling method. Primary data was collected using a self-designed questionnaire in a 5-point Likert scale format. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), using the version 26 SPSS software. Empirical results on the effect of gender and marital status on motivation have been mixed and in addition, very few works exist in the literature on the current study area. The study in addition contributes to the literature by employing respondents from both public and private institutions. This calls for a further empirical study to add to the literature. The study revealed that different motivational factors motivate employees. There exist significant gender and marital status in motivation with the three most important motivation factors been able to motivate other employees, enjoyment of work, and self-motivation to work. Future research should examine the role of emotional intelligence, job performance, and job satisfaction in employee’s motivation.