The topic of this final thesis is the theory of employee motivation, and thus deals with research and understanding of the mentioned topic. The introduction defines the subject of the research, the structure of the work as well as the goals of the work. The methodology describes the methods used during the creation of the final thesis. The chapter on motivation explores the importance of work motivation and the management of employee motivation, with an emphasis on the principles of motivation. The chapter on motivation theories analyzes in detail the two main divisions of motivation theories, namely content and process theories of motivation. From the content theories, the theory of the hierarchy of needs, the theory of scientific management, the theory of interpersonal relations, the theory of two factors, the theory of three-level hierarchy, the theory of achievement motivation and the theory of role motivation are covered. Of the process theories, Vroom's cognitive model of motivation, the theory of fairness in social exchange, the integrative process model of motivation and the ABCD model were discussed. The discussion analyzes the research results and compares theories of employee motivation. The conclusion summarizes key findings from the work, highlighting the importance of motivation for work results.