Work Motivation and its influence on employee performance at the Municipal Slaughter Center of Portoviejo. Legal implications

Work motivation is a key determinant of institutional efficiency and the achievement of organizational objectives. This study analyzed work motivation and its influence on the performance of employees at the Municipal Slaughterhouse of Portoviejo. A quantitative, descriptive-correlational, cross-sectional design was applied to a census population of 29 operational employees. Data were collected using a validated 21-item questionnaire assessing extrinsic, intrinsic, and power motivation, together with nine items measuring work performance. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27, and associations between variables were examined using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (p < 0.05). The results showed that 72.41% of employees exhibited a moderate level of work motivation, a pattern also observed for extrinsic (79.30%), intrinsic (65.52%), and power motivation (55.17%). Regarding work performance, 51.72% demonstrated a moderate level, while 44.83% achieved a high level. A positive and statistically significant correlation was found between overall work motivation and performance (ρ = 0.672; p < 0.001), as well as for extrinsic (ρ = 0.477), intrinsic (ρ = 0.640), and power motivation (ρ = 0.693). These findings highlight the importance of strengthening autonomy, recognition, and employee participation to improve job performance.