AskProfWolff: How to Motivate Workers

A patron of Economic Update asks: "Hello, Professor Wolff! I'm from Moscow, Russia. We love you a lot! My question comes as a reaction to the answer Peter Schiff gave you five years ago during a telephone call when you said how amazing cooperatives are, he answered that most people just want to work 9 to 5 and rest home with a bottle of beer. How do you motivate people to be their own directors?"

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[hamidramezani]

When you allow them to take ownership to any project it brings out the innovate human sense of pride that motivate people more than anything other then fear factor.

[putnamtaxi]

I do this with my taxi company, as much as is reasonable. The drivers actually manage the company really well, and I crush my competition with minimal effort on my part.

[positiveandhealthy]

Thank you for taking time to do this . So glad I found you.

[DanA-nluo]

Yup this is why small companies under 50 people usually have the best worker creativity. Because the owner works beside the employee and knowns them all personally. As an Engineer I try to stay with the smaller less stable companies for this very reason.

[Dan.]

We need to sit down and figure out which jobs can be automated, AND AUTOMATE them! Then figure out which jobs actually need a person to do them, and how long it takes to do it, and break this up among "workers." Give a UBI of 600 per week and the work that needs to be done can be split up into 20 hour per week shifts per person. Then if a person still wants to work a hundred hours or whatever per week, so be it.

[roguecow]

I haven't heard the video yet, but I had to comment on the title as I am sure Wolff will do in a thorough style. USA wages have been flat For decades (most of my 56 years of life) while USA Productivity has gone up to often the Highest in the World. It surprised me to learn we were one of the most productive workforces on the planet with flat wages, poor or absent healthcare, few worker safety laws in too many occupations, a workman's comp group that is more into making $$ for govt officials than helping workers and a host of other crimes against workers I could go on about. In short, a better question would be, what is the Proper way to Treat human beings and Is it OK to Exploit them because when it's all said and done, that's what goes one every day, every where, throughout time.

[williamblack]

We need start calling this industrial democracy.

[aaronbounds]

You describe some remarkable parallels with the company I work for... Measured down to the second, contrary to evidence. Could be better.

[slightlygruff]

Professor Wolff, thanks so much for answering my question! The international will be reborn! Russians are learning English and Chinese more and more. The banksters are united across the globe. Once we - the workers are united, we will prevail!

[UsernameInvalidTHIS]

Yep. Rather we're "motivated" by debt and rent.

[tn]

One example is postdoctoral researchers. A lot of us are allowed to participate in the ownership of the work or projects.

[martynjames]

Not worker co-ops, but many big Korean companies incorporate family, community, and children into their entity. Lived in Asia 20 years and saw how they do it.

[chamberofprogress]

Once again, Professor Wolff speaks the truth that most people are either unaware of, or are too afraid to articulate due to the consequences that would follow (i.e. getting fired).

[abdurrashad]

Wanna know your highness how ideological state apparatus work and people consider and take things for granted... Your guidance in this context Prof Richard Wolff...I hear you for hours. Regards

[steveneubeck]

Prof Wolff, have you ever thought of going on "The Basanti Factor" with Aaron Basanti, the author of "Luxury Communism" and is with Novara Media. He had a discussion with David Harvey near Marx's residnce in London England.?

[renardleblanc]

Okay, the question was "are workers going to want to be involved in management responsibilities, when mostly they just want to leave the job at 5 o'clock?" Well, what if those management responsibilities were part of their 9 to 5 workday? Problem solved (unless I'm misunderstanding the subject, I guess).

[Nicole-wwlg]

Pay us properly? Give us some modicum of control over our workplaces? Give us earned benefits?

[victorchew]

How to motivate workers. Co-ops is one method, can break down into divisions using incentives.

[politicallil]

Never have the few owed so much to the many...without workers to runs business systems wealth creation of the maginitute we see in the US would not be possible...what we have is a very ungrateful nation...because no matter the sacrifice workers are always treated with disdain

[politicallil]

It should be at least a part of the economy should be an alternative work situation....I mean think if the workers had a real ownership stake in say Amazon and they had equity built into their compensation package, it would be a beautiful thing.