What’s My Motivation?
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| Contractors have reported a sense of camaraderie and confidence in their business as NATE-certified technician numbers increase. The technicians work hard for their certification and are confident in what they know and their ability to work as a professional.
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Webster defines a motive as some inner drive that causes a person to do something or act in a certain way; an incentive; a goal. According to a contractor study conducted by
The NEWS, 77 percent of respondents agreed that the primary motivation for technicians to become certified is increased pay. Fifty-nine percent felt that personal value and recognition are the top motivators, and 46 percent said that improved job level and title are what drive technicians to become NATE certified (multiple answers were allowed).
Some contractors find that monetary incentives are the easiest and most effective way to encourage their technicians to become NATE certified. In fact, 52 percent of survey respondents said that they do increase pay for certification. Pay increases as high as 5 percent have been offered as a motivator. Other companies grant 3 percent raises for initial certification, and 1-1/2 percent raises for each additional specialty certification a technician earns.
Beyond increased pay rates, interviews with multiple contractors revealed that compensated training time and covering test expenses were incredible motivators for technicians. One contractor encouraged NATE certification as a voluntary program among his technicians. When he offered to pay for the training and the test, every service technician in his company volunteered. This result holds true with 75 percent of the NATE survey respondents, who felt that in order to increase technician certification effectively, managers, bosses, and owners should pay for the test.
More Than Money
Motivational theories have echoed in classrooms and lecture halls for decades. It wasn’t until the Hawthorne Studies, conducted by Elton Mayo from 1924-1932, found that employees are not motivated solely by money, however, that the needs and motivation of employees became one of the primary focuses of managers and owners.
NATE certification not only increases technicians’ monetary gains, but also their ability to obtain and maintain profitable work. When a NATE technician is looking for a job, he/she has an advantage over a non-certified technician. Many HVAC contractors are trending towards mandatory certification for their technicians. One contractor said that NATE certification is a prerequisite to work in his shop. He will only accept NATE-certified technicians. Pride is another driving motivation for technicians to earn NATE certification. NATE certification increases business and personal pride. Contractors have reported a sense of camaraderie and confidence in their business as NATE-certified technician numbers increase. The technicians work hard for their certification and display it happily; confident in what they know and their ability to work as a professional. Some find that placing recognition on a wall, like a diploma, motivates their staff to achieve more. Others use the company Website and meetings to recognize the hard earned accomplishment that becoming a NATE-certified technician entails.
Personal pride: Self-respect is evident as newly certified technicians begin to work with a new patch on their sleeve. They are often recognized by other staff as senior technicians, envied by non-certified coworkers, and set up as leaders in the company. The assuredness of being a qualified HVAC contractor helps the technician to have the confidence necessary to make himself/herself and the company successful.
Only the Motivated Survive
Motivated employees are mandatory for the success and survival of a company in HVAC’s ever-changing atmosphere.
“Motivated employees help organizations survive and they are more productive,” noted James Lindner, an associate at Ohio State University. “To be effective, managers need to understand what motivates employees within the context of the roles they perform. It is arguably the most complex task.”
Lindner also suggested that as employee income increases, money becomes less of a motivator, showing that intrinsic motivation is necessary for continued technician success. The pride of NATE certification must be coupled with a technician’s constant best effort.
“NATE has encouraged our service techs to be more interested in ongoing education,” said Chad Darren, of Marshalls Inc., Springfield, Ore. “It has given us another way to raise the bar on the level of customer service and quality work we provide.”
Abraham Maslow, a noted humanist and researcher of human motivation, once said, “If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life.”
