Meaning & use
hygiene factor
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablebusinessspecialist
in job satisfaction theory, a basic work condition (like pay or safety) that prevents unhappiness but does not motivate
Grammar: Countable: 'a hygiene factor', 'hygiene factors'. Often used in the plural in business texts.
Patterns
- a hygiene factor in something
- hygiene factors such as something
- address hygiene factors
Good pay is a hygiene factor: it stops workers from being unhappy but does not make them work harder.
The company improved hygiene factors like lighting and break rooms, but motivation stayed low.
Herzberg argued that hygiene factors must be fixed before other rewards can work.
Word forms
| plural | hygiene factors |
|---|
Common combinations
- a hygiene factor in + noun
- Job security is a hygiene factor in employee satisfaction.
- address hygiene factors
- Managers should address hygiene factors before offering bonuses.
- hygiene factors such as + noun
- Hygiene factors such as salary and working hours can cause complaints.
Synonyms and how they differ
- maintenance factor
- This is another term for the same idea in some business writing; it is less common.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: hygiene factor or hygiene?
hygiene factor vs hygiene
In everyday English 'hygiene' means cleanliness. In this business term, it refers to basic job conditions, not physical cleanliness.
Practice
In Herzberg's theory, a hygiene factor such as salary mainly prevents ___.
Choose one answer.
Hygiene factors stop workers from being dissatisfied, but they do not create motivation. 'Motivation' is the opposite idea, and 'promotion' and 'resignation' are not the direct result described by the theory.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hygiene factor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.