Employee's Motivation and Satisfaction in Light of Economic Recession: Evidence of Grevena Prefecture-Greece

The study of motivation and satisfaction in the workplace has become a subject of intense interest amongst numerous fields of studies. However, especially nowadays, as business and organizations experiencing the effects of the worst economic recession in decades, the understanding of the importance of these concepts is essential for its continued survival. The purpose of this paper is a) to study the role of motivation and satisfaction in the workplace, according to the recent literature, especially during recession b) to identify the most important factors of motivation - satisfaction that could lead the employees of Local Authority, to a more efficient behavior, under the conditions of the current economic crisis and c) to find out if these factors are differentiated in relation to their socio-demographic and job related features. The survey took place in April 2014. During this time Greece was experiencing an economic recession. The study was conducted through a structured questionnaire. The sample consisted of (85) employees of Local Authority. The survey revealed that the most important motivating factors for Local Authority (Regional Unity of Grevena) employees, were interesting work, equal and fair treatment, good working relationships with supervisors and colleagues, objective assessment and good salary.