Employee motivation myths are everywhere — and many leaders act on them without realizing the damage these misconceptions cause. This post tackles ten of the most common myths about what motivates people at work, replacing them with evidence-based insights, practical guidance, and modern employee-engagement strategies.
How Modern Research Understands Motivation
Before we dig into myths, it helps to understand how motivation really works in today’s workplace. Broadly, motivation falls into two categories: extrinsic (external) — like pay, bonuses, perks — and intrinsic (internal) — like sense of purpose, growth, belonging.
Recent studies show both types significantly impact job satisfaction, performance, and long-term engagement.
Today, hybrid work environments, flexible policies, and employee-centric cultures are further shaping what motivation means.
With that foundation, let’s debunk the myths.
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Book a Free DemoWhat is the most common theory of employee motivation?
The most common theory in motivation is the “Positive reinforcement theory.”
It explains how rewards play an important role in motivating humans and other living beings to repeat an action. Simply, it states that rewarding a specific behavior increases the likelihood of it being repeated.
Another theory in this regard is the “rewards and punishment theory.” It states that with rewards, the desired action or behavior can be made to be continued, while punishment makes an undesired action not to be repeated.
Myths About Employee Motivation: Busted
1. Employees are only motivated by money
Many leaders believe raising salaries is enough — but evidence shows monetary incentives alone often fail to sustain long-term engagement.
Reality: Non-monetary rewards like recognition, growth opportunities, autonomy, or meaningful work frequently produce stronger loyalty, creativity, and satisfaction.
Manager Tip: Pair financial bonuses with regular recognition, clear career paths, or small wins — and watch motivation rise.
2. Every employee is the same
If a company treats its customers as valued individuals with specific needs and desires, why not treat its employees equally?
Every employee is different and is motivated by different things.
So, put in every effort needed to get to know your employees as it will help motivate them better. Moreover, learn what their goals are so you can align them with the organization’s own goals.
3. Employees don’t care about making progress
In 2010, the Harvard Business Review conducted a survey where they asked a variety of managers what motivates their employees the most. And the results were then compared to the answers the employees gave.
The least important factor mentioned by managers was “support for making progress”. However, in fact, this was the most important to employees!
This contradiction clearly demonstrates the misconception that managers hold that employees do not require care about making progress. However, in reality, they not only do but also wish they were more supported in it!
4. Browsing the Internet reduces productivity
Many managers believe that when their employees surf the web, the employees are necessarily less motivated.
However, the reality is that by taking a break online, employees actually manage to relax, increase their concentration and productivity, and ultimately have the motivation to perform better!
Read More: The Biggest Trends In Employee Motivation We’ve Seen This Year
5. Good employees don’t need extra motivation
Some managers like to believe that if they hire the right type of employee, they won’t need to invest in rewards to motivate them.
However, increasing motivation of employees has nothing to do with how smart or good at their job your staff is. Even your smartest and brightest employees have moments of low motivation and need encouragement!
6. Goal-setting is the employees’ responsibility
Another common myth is that motivated employees care for their goal setting.
However, for many, this might prove to be too difficult, as they might not have the skills or experience necessary to set goals.
Therefore, offer your employees the opportunity for support in setting their objectives and clear rewards connected to achieving those goals.
7. All rewards are the same
Some managers might be under the impression that the type of reward doesn’t matter. However, not all rewards are created the same!
Furthermore, consider that your employees might appreciate different rewards differently. Therefore, always offer a choice of rewards and make sure that your employees receive a reward they can actually appreciate.
8. Employees don’t need to know everything
Honesty goes hand in hand with loyalty, and if you want to increase employee loyalty, you can’t rely on rewards only!
Nevertheless, some companies like to believe that employees do not need to know everything, which creates a bad taste between a company and its employees.
9. High employee motivation equals corporate success
High motivation is crucial. However, it is not the only factor determining a company’s success. Among others, working culture and effective processes are two further steps in achieving corporate success.
10. Employee motivation is too difficult to understand and do anything about
Our final myth is about the apparent difficulty in understanding employee motivation.
Some people have made workplace motivation a difficult phenomenon, which has made it perceived the same by others.
Employee motivation is not rocket science.
Investing a bit of time in understanding it better can dramatically improve your staff’s satisfaction at work and their productivity!
Monetary vs Non-Monetary Motivation
| Motivation Type | Key Effects / Outcomes |
|---|---|
| Extrinsic (Monetary): salary, bonuses, pay increases, benefits | Drives short-term goal achievement, performance peaks, meeting targets. |
| Intrinsic (Non-Monetary): purpose, recognition, growth, autonomy, good culture | Sustains long-term engagement, creativity, job satisfaction, retention, internal motivation. |
Best-performing organizations integrate both — balanced strategies yield optimal results.
How to Build an Effective Employee Motivation Strategy
- Personalize motivation: Ask employees what matters to them — then offer tailored rewards (career growth, flexible work, recognition, autonomy).
- Combine intrinsic and extrinsic incentives: Monetary rewards + non-monetary perks (training, recognition, autonomy) for short- and long-term benefits.
- Foster transparency & communication: Share company goals, roadmaps, vision — build trust and belonging.
- Support growth & learning: Offer trainings, mentorship, upskilling opportunities — especially in evolving/hybrid workplaces.
- Promote autonomy & purpose: Give ownership of projects, involve in decision-making — autonomy boosts motivation and job satisfaction.
- Encourage flexibility & well-being: Remote/hybrid work, mental-health support, work-life balance — essential in modern workplaces.
Key Takeaways
Employee motivation isn’t about one-size-fits-all solutions — it’s about understanding people’s needs, blending monetary and non-monetary incentives, and building a culture of recognition, transparency, growth, and purpose. With the right strategy, motivation becomes sustainable, effective, and rewarding — for both employees and the company.
If you want to transform your team’s motivation and engagement, try BRAVO’s free demo today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The top myths include believing employees are motivated only by money, that all employees respond the same way to rewards, that good employees don’t need motivation, or that motivation is too complex to influence.
Non-monetary factors such as recognition, growth opportunities, autonomy, purpose, learning, and work-life balance consistently drive long-term engagement and performance.
Both — combining extrinsic (salary, bonuses) and intrinsic (recognition, growth, autonomy) motivators leads to the most sustainable results in job satisfaction, commitment, and performance.
Use surveys, 1-on-1s, feedback sessions to find out what each employee values — then offer flexible incentives: career development, flexible work, bonuses, recognition, or autonomy.
No. Motivation must be paired with effective processes, leadership, culture, clarity of goals, and operational excellence for real business success.
Absolutely. Studies show hybrid/flexible models, autonomy, and personalized engagement tend to increase motivation and retention.
Frequent and consistent — continuous feedback and real-time recognition (rather than annual reviews) effectively sustain motivation and engagement.
