Rewards for Rehabilitation and Special Education Staff and Their Importance in Employee Motivation

Abstract

This study examined the rewards for 21 (3 males and 18 females) Greek employees, from different specialties who work with people with special needs either in two rehabilitation centers, a public (n= 9) and a private (n= 5), and or in different public school structures (n=7). For the purpose of this study, three focus groups were set up to determine employees’ perceptions and feelings about rewards and their importance in motivating staff. The conceptual research framework was based on the Total Rewards Model of Towers Perrin. From the focus groups we drew conclusions regarding the rewards that were applied and identified those that were important for motivation. Without exception, all the participants were primarily intrinsically motivated. The findings support the notion that the rewards connected to work environment and learning and development were the most important for their motivation, while the rewards connected to pay and benefits did not seem of great importance for their motivation. The Total Rewards Framework proved to be appropriate and useful in understanding the perspectives of rehabilitation and special education staff on rewards. The usefulness of the results lies in the holistic study of the rewards, which can provide feedback for employers, trade unions, and lifelong learning. The study can, also, provide a perspective for future research into the long-term exploitation of the total rewards model.