s/hasn't/has/
I can't edit this post anymore, but I need to correct this huge typo as it greatly affects the meaning of the post.
I have found that being paid for it is necessary but not sufficient. I have quit jobs once I have grown tired of them, with no new job lined up to go to. I won't turn up without being paid, but if there's nothing else to it but the money, pretty soon I'll stop turning up. I have a secondary gig that I turn up to about 35 days a year, that is less well-paid (but still pays, pro rata, above the median day's pay in the UK) - I've on occasion forgone some pay from that, at my discretion; the motivation on that job clearly isn't the money either.
I certainly don't think of money as a "reward" for going to work; I grudgingly accept the world of work because I don't have the option of pursuing my interests full-time. Thinking of it as "reward" feels like Stockholm syndrome. If work was unpaid, I certainly wouldn't choose my current job.
Many people are not as fortunate as I am; they can't pay the rent and bills without constant inflow of money. I wonder, if everyone was as fortunate as I am and could survive a while without work, would more people simply stop turning up if their job was nothing more than a way to pay the rent?
I agree, the praise part is somewhat wishy-washy, but having a good boss that has your back is worth a lot. There are a lot of non-monetary (intangible) ways that they can make your job easier and better that are actually useful. Most times I'm with you though, and would just rather take the money.
What is salary if not a reward for work done on an ongoing basis? The vast majority of people would not do their jobs for free; they need that reward for them to keep doing it.
Similarly, I've tried harder at my current job than at previous jobs because the performance review, promotion process, and merit bonus/raise programs are much more rigorous. My employer hasn't gotten more and better work out of me as a result, and I've gotten better promotions and raises as a result too. Is this not a "reward"? I've seen, with my own eyes, coworkers putting in long hours at crunch time for a shot at a better annual bonus or higher chances of promotion (at companies where effort is fairly evaluated and rewarded).
What possible levers does a business have to pull to entice performance from its employees if not monetary compensation? Every other reward in lieu of money is (correctly) perceived to deeply cynical. Businesses exists to make money, and if you make them more money but instead of sharing that with you they just give you something intangible like praise, then they're ripping you off.
If effort can't be rewarded with money, then shouldn't the entire economy collapse? That is the basis of capitalism after all. Something seems to be deeply off with these studies.