An examination of the motivational factors affecting workers productivity in the Jordanian construction industry

Construction productivity is of great importance to companies and researchers alike, and motivation is a well-known factor influencing workers' productivity. However, motivational factors are arguably unique to every country due to the different cultural, economy, and social-technological factors. Thus, the objectives of this study is to identify and evaluate the most influential motivation factors affecting labor productivity, and to assess the importance of these factors from the construction workers' perspective. A structured questionnaire survey was sent to multiple construction sites in two major cities, Amman and Aqaba. From the returned responses, sixteen motivational factors were identified and statistically analyzed by calculating the average, standard deviation, and the importance index of each factor. The five highest motivation factors were shown to be personal growth/career improvement; pay on time; decision-making ability; decent and respectful job, and rewards/promotions. Results from the study indicate that workers valued personal growth and improving their career more than having a higher pay and getting financial rewards. The study concluded that if organizations pay particular attention to these motivational factors it will increase workers' productivity, which will also improve project delivery and improve staff retention, which in return will improve the organizational standards.