Honestly, I'm not too surprised by the results of the study. For me personally, my top 3 motivators to work for a specific company would be, in no particular order, working with great people, having exciting and challenging work, and be recognized/valued & respected. As adults, given that we don't have WFH, we're going to be near our coworkers for a vast majority of our day. It would be horrible to come into work and dislike the people around you. Working with people who don't help you become a better person or are friendly could impact your own performance, as for example, I wouldn't want to come into such a place. Having exciting and challenging work is also important for me because I personally need stimulation to have motivation. When you do the same thing over and over again with no changes, you face a burnout. Working in a place like that would definitely result in me probably looking for another opportunity elsewhere. Finally, I think that it is also important to be recognized, valued, and respected. I've had it happen before where I was complimented on how I handled things by other individuals involved in the project, but was heavily criticized by my manager because it was not the way that they would have done it. That interaction had further solidified to me that I do not want to work in an environment like that, one where the person who you report to does not uplift you or recognize the hard work you put in to pull things off the best that you can that were out of your area of expertise, while other more senior members of the team are saying the opposite and are thankful and impressed with your work.

I personally believed that compensation was a larger part of why people work. It was both comforting and motivating to see that people work to make a difference, to help others, and to feel fulfilled. This is the exact cause of the human mission. One must live for others, to give themselves for others. Whether that be in working to provide for another, or that by one's work, someone else is helped. In the modern age, work has taken on a veil of tiresome hours, stress, and many difficulties. But at the core of the issue, work is the area in which a human exerts effort to better themselves and others. It is the perfect demonstration of ethic, morals, and community.