At the beginning of the 21st century, in the conditions of great global changes and processes that are taking place at high speed, every company that wants to operate successfully and follow global trends must adapt to the situation in order to survive on the global stage. It is especially important in these conditions to adapt the system of organization by applying various theoretical knowledge in the field of human resources, organization and management and application to employee motivation. Motivated employees achieve better results, thus increasing the productivity, efficiency and overall success of the organization and its competitiveness in the global market. The motivational system of the organization must be designed to meet the needs and desires of a larger number of employees, and aimed at raising individual performance by creating and rewarding desirable forms of behavior. An appropriate and effective motivational system includes a number of different forms of reward, as well as fairness in the distribution of rewards to employees through various forms and systems. Motivation and employee satisfaction are important parameters of the motivation system in organizations. The purpose of this paper is to present theories of motivation and the level of motivation and satisfaction of employees and therefore to determine whether changes in the system of motivation are needed in organizations. In order to be able to join global trends and be competitive in the global market of goods and services, Croatian companies must apply various methods and procedures for restructuring the existing way of working, procedures standardized in the global market.