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Week 4:






Human Motivation
Mr. Gene Edwards
Week 4/Workplace Rewards within the Police Department
Frederick R. Paige III












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Introduction
Job satisfaction is described as an employees emotional and physical response to their
current job position. When an employee feels motivated to do his job, and is in a positive state
of well being while doing it, this can illustrate job satisfaction. Many factors determine job
satisfaction both by the employee and the employer. Productivity can be measured and
calculated by an employees output, production, and efficiency. Whether the job is blue-collar or
white-collar, there is always a measure of output, which can define productivity. Within police
departments all across the world are set goals, performance evaluations, and workplace rewards
that impact productivity and job satisfaction; both positively and negatively.
Tasks and Responsibilities
From the beginning of the recruitment process until sworn in as a law enforcement
officer, employees are trained in laws, procedures, statutes, guidelines, and the correct ways to
enforce them. Police officers are typically charged with the apprehension of criminals, the
prevention and detection of crime and maintaining public order. Some officers are trained even
further than just basic law. Some specialties include S.W.A.T., counter-terrorism, surveillance,
gang detectives, vice detectives, fraud, rape and murder. It is only after a Police Officer is
sworn to an oath, that each officer holds the powers to enforce the laws. The major role of a
police officer on patrol is to keep the peace and answer calls for service.
Although the basic roles of police officers are such, they also investigate crimes and
continually gain knowledge to keep up with crime trends. Special skills and continuous training
are imperative to the specific duties and responsibilities of an officer. With the way technology
changes, crimes also change. Therefore it is important for officers to be knowledgeable and
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aware of the ways crimes are being committed. Training such as forensic analysis, fingerprint
scanners, radar, and tactical operations training are available for officers but are not required to
fulfill the basic role and responsibility of an officer.
Once a police officer is off their probationary period, which includes riding along with an
experienced officer, they then are allowed to patrol by themselves. This allows for self-
management and a sense of choice. Enforcement actions are solely up to the officer and this
action allows for self-management and a sense of individualism away from the organization. Job
satisfaction can be measured in this line of work by the productivity of citations written, arrests
made and cases solved by an officer. Even though an officer answers to a supervisor, which is
usually a Sergeant, that officer is mostly unsupervised once in the field. Therefore, the
supervision, or lack thereof, can determine how motivated an officer is to perform their duties.
Officers must find a way to motivate themselves and have a sense of job satisfaction to perform.
Reeve (2009) states. Extrinsic motivation arises from environmental incentives
and consequences, such as food, money, praise, attention, stickers, gold stars, privileges, tokens,
approval, scholarships, candy, trophies, extra credit points, certificates, awards, smiles, public
recognition, a pat on the back, prizes, and various incentive plans. Though most police
departments are structured the same way, there are the similarities of each officer performing
their duties while not being highly supervised. With the production of numbers, which include
arrests, citations issued and cases solved, shows how motivated an officer is.
Intrinsic motivational factors of challenge, interest and the psychological need of
competence fall on the individual officer. Reeve 2009 states It emerges spontaneously from
psychological needs and innate strivings for growth. When people are intrinsically motivated,
they act out of interest, for the fun of it, and for the sense of challenge the activity at hands
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provides. Police officers know that this particular job comes with a high risk of danger, stress
and ungratefulness from citizens. Being intrinsically motivated in this line of work is more
common because the benefit of helping others is what most officers say that brings them
satisfaction.
Rewards
Being an officer not only pays but can also have rewards based on production, just like
any other company or organization. Some of the benefits and rewards include, bonuses, paid
time off (other than scheduled holidays), promotions, pay increases, take-home vehicles, praise
and company recognition. Police departments use a variety of incentives and reward based
programs to motivate employees to perform and produce positive numbers. According to
General Accounting Office (2003) during fiscal year 2002, entry-level police officer salaries
varied by more that $10,000 a cross the 13 police forces, from a high
of $39,427 per year to a low of $28,801 per year. Four of the 13 police forces received federal
law enforcement retirement benefits.
One motivational technique that the department can offer is a chance to pick what kind of
work schedule you work. There have been studies conducted on the difference between a 8-hour
work schedule and a 10-hour work schedule. Cunningham (1981) Changing to a ten-hour shift
schedule will likely have its greatest impact on the individuals leisure life, affecting time
devoted to his spouse and family, his hobbies, sports and other activities. The new relationship
the individual finds between work and leisure could, possibly, have some effect on reducing the
costs of overtime and absenteeism. This technique of letting an officer pick his own schedule
could reap positive benefits in receiving production back from that employee.
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A supervisors evaluation of their employees has an exceptional impact on how an officer
does their job. Some supervisors believe that evaluations are a great management tool that helps
agencies accomplish their goals by improving and working with their employees. Some officers
contradict that by saying that the feel evaluations hinder the agencies relationship instead. A
positive evaluation from a supervisor can mean the difference in a reward or a negative
consequence. This type of supervision is based on the production of numbers; which include,
arrests, citations and cases investigated or solved. Since the supervisor does not necessarily see
the officer every shift, it is important for the officer to produce positive numbers; which will
reflect in the supervisors evaluation.
Another reward that police officers receive from their employer are promotions, which
are based on production, knowledge and leadership. Promotions have significant appeal to an
officer because of the financial gain and shift in power it gives. Officers strive for promotions
because they see it as a chance to move up the hierarchy ladder within the organization. The
typical rank structure is from Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, and then some type
of Chief. The higher the rank, the more degree of responsibility and the more pay.
These rewards are effective in positively motivating officers actions within the
designated job. The combination of financial and nonfinancial incentives give police
departments a wider scope to balance costs, and produce productivity of officers. Praise from
immediate supervisors, leadership attention and a chance to lead tasks forces are as much a
motivator as financial incentives. The combination of both financial and non-financial
motivators can bring the best out of employees to engage in career growth.


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Goals
Goals are defined as the object of an employers ambition or effort to aim to a desired
result. Most police departments goals are to minimize crime, deter criminal activity and keep
the peace. Individual goals are also in place for individual employees that are also within direct
relation to the department goal. Police departments can achieve maximum effort from
employees and officers through reward systems, incentives and extrinsic motivational
techniques.
Goals within the police department are mostly extrinsic by the way the reward systems
work with monetary rewards, take-home vehicles, bonuses, promotions and praise. Departments
use this type of reward system in hopes of motivating the officer to achieve the department goal
of keeping a safe city. Officers realize if they make a certain number of arrests, write a certain
number of tickets and are knowledgeable about their job, they will be rewarded. This type of
motivation has proven to be effective in achieving individual production out of an employee.
The relationship of job satisfaction and goal setting impact an employees motivational
drive to perform and produce positive numbers. The more satisfied an employee is, the more
they will produce. If an employee feels secure and is able to perform their duties, there is a
greater chance that productivity will increase. Bockerman, P., & Ilmakunnas, P. (2012, April)
This may be a result of a lower tendency to conscious or unconscious shrinking, i.e., less
tendency to slow down work. Second, satisfied workers may also exhibit more organizational
citizenship and less counterproductive organizational behavior. They may also have a lower
tendency to strike and take other industrial action.
The goals system of monetary rewards, praise, promotions, and bonuses would be
effective for the position of a police officer because of the opportunity to make more money and
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be recognized among peers. The combination of financial and non-financial incentives would
give the opportunity for someone with intrinsic or extrinsic motivational needs to perform at a
high level and achieve the company goals. The position of an officer is not considered to be a
high paying job such as a businessman, doctor, or lawyer. Most officers would rather have
praise from their supervisor, a promotion, or some type of reward that is not only gratifying to
themselves but to others as well.

















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References
Reeve, J. (42). Understanding Motivation and Emotion (5th ed.). : John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Cunningham, J. B. (1981). Exploring the impact of a 10-Hour Compressed Shift Schedule.
Journal of Occupational Behavior, 2(), 217-222.
Bockerman, P., & Ilmakunnas, P. (2012, April). The Job Satisfaction-Productivity Nexus: A
Study Using Matched Survey And Register Data. ILR Review, (2), 1-20.
General Accounting Office, (2003). Federal Uniformed Police. Washington D.C., : Report to
Congressional Requestors.
Albright, T. L., Burgess, C. M., & Hibbets, A. R. (2010). General Accounting Office, (2003).
Federal Uniformed Police. Washington D.C., : Report to Congressional Requestors. . : Wiley
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