Every modern company seeks to maximize the use of all resources to achieve the best market position. That is why more and more people invest in human resources and motivate employees. This research presents the most important theories of motivation that are the subject of many scientists throughout the years. Motivation theories are the basis of understanding motivation as one of the main factors of the exploitation of human resources. They are part of the content theory of motivation and process theory of motivation. The content theory of motivation is oriented towards determining behavioral variables, emphasizing primarily the needs of people as a motivation for work. Process theory of motivation stems from the fact that people of the same people are not enough to explain the job motivation. Many other factors, such as perceptions, expectations, values, and interactions between them, are included in the analysis. Employee motivation is a complex task for managers, which is key to employee satisfaction and better performance. Every individual is unique and has different interests and values that encourage him to work better. The main task of a manager is to recognize the needs of individuals and to develop an adequate system of motivational techniques through which material and non-material compensations will sustain individual employee needs.