Omid Ahmadi - Management department, Islamic Azad University, Shoshtar branch, Iran

Motivation is essential for employees and employers must recognize what motivates employees to improve productivity and ensure the success of the company. The purpose of this research is to explore what motivates employees to work. The study is based on an interpretivistic philosophy with an abductive research approach. Primary data is used in order to answer our research question through interviews with a number of employees from multinational companies in Iran. After analyzing the motivational factors, the results shows that motivation is highly personal and differs from individual to individual. Work motivation is also not consistent over time, meaning, the factor which motivates an individual today will most likely not be the same motivational factor a year from now. It is clear that personal circumstances will have an impact on employee motivation. Results reveal that employees who are in the same profession are similarly motivated and satisfied in their work.

Employee motivation, multinational corporations, motivational factors