Motivation of municipal employees: factors and assessments
The article is devoted to the issues of motivation of municipal employees and factors of its decrease in modern conditions. Attracting professional personnel to local government bodies, creating conditions for their motivation and involvement in work is a key prerequisite for increasing the effectiveness of management decisions, public confidence in the government, and socio-economic development of Russian territories. The empirical basis of the study was the data of a questionnaire survey of municipal employees (N = 3066 people). The study identified key factors of decreased motivation: multitasking, non-competitive wages, high workload and routine nature of work. Organizational pressure, expressed in the risks of criminal liability and an excessive number of inspections by regulatory authorities, also have an adverse effect on the professional well-being of municipal employees. This problem is most acutely perceived among respondents in the highest job hierarchy levels in municipalities. The negative impact of organisational and administrative factors (heavy workloads, multitasking, routine inspections) coupled with municipalities' limited financial resources (lack of material incentives) can lead to municipal employees developing such unfavourable behavioural models as resource-consuming (increasing activity in response to an increased workload, accompanied by stress and burnout) and reductionist (distancing, alienation and depersonalisation). The study revealed that the improvement of professional skills of municipal employees (satisfaction with this aspect was noted by the majority of respondents – 85.2%) is not supported by successful career development (44.9% are not satisfied with career growth opportunities). The gap between the growth of professional competencies and career advancement of municipal employees, violation of the principle of unity of professional and career development can be considered as one of the key factors in reducing motivation. The article concludes that it is necessary to create conditions for horizontal rotation, improve certification procedures, and develop seamless career paths that organically connect municipal and public service.
Frolova, E. V. (2025), “Motivation of municipal employees: factors and assessments”, Research Result. Sociology and management, 11 (4), 260-273.
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