METHODS OF IMPROVING MORALE IN THE STEPHENSON ELECTRICAL COMPANY (Essay Sample)

METHODS OF IMPROVING MORALE IN THE STEPHENSON ELECTRICAL COMPANY
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Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Executive Summary PAGEREF _Toc3973654 \h 1Proposed Methods for Improving Staff Morale PAGEREF _Toc3973655 \h 1Designing Organizational Policies to forester Instrumentality and Job Security PAGEREF _Toc3973656 \h 2Promoting Fair Remuneration PAGEREF _Toc3973657 \h 3Encourage Continued Learning and Public Recognition to Improve Employee Status PAGEREF _Toc3973658 \h 4Promote Work Relationships that Values Employees PAGEREF _Toc3973659 \h 5Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc3973660 \h 6Recommendation PAGEREF _Toc3973661 \h 6References PAGEREF _Toc3973662 \h 8
Executive Summary
The case of Stephenson Electrical Company illustrates the decline in morale among staff in which most of the employees are no longer job-oriented as was the case before. According to the case study, some of the notable indicators of decline in morale include increasing rate of absenteeism and lateness, as well as the refusal to accept the new work model (flexible working hours) that would help the company to attain efficient productivity and save money significantly. Also, the analysis indicated that there is possible rise in redundancies which can be linked to the new austerity measures that include cutting down costs and introduction of the new machine that would replace the role of many staff. Even though the company had suffered losses due to economic downturn, leading to decline in sales and general profitability index, the anticipated redundancy and decline in workforce morale can be linked to the existence of staff dissatisfaction hygiene factors of Herzberg’s motivation theory; company policies, work conditions, salary, remuneration and security, as well as the absence of Vroom’s motivational approach in the company. Therefore, to improve the staff morale, the company must promote favorable company policies and job security, fair remuneration, better work relationship, as well as valuing the employees.
Proposed Methods for Improving Staff Morale
Improving staff morale requires efficient integration of the Herzberg’s two factors theories and the Vroom’s motivational force formula. In the case of Stephenson Electrical, there is need to address some of the dissatisfaction factors and motivators, as well as applying the Vroom’s expectancy theory to motivate employees as follows:
Designing Organizational Policies to forester Instrumentality and Job Security
First, developing favorable company policies that guarantees advancement and growth for both the company and employees will ultimately boost staff morale. The introduction of company policies or austerity measures such as machines that will take the work of ten staff is a barbaric approach to the advancement, development and growth of employees. According to Victor Vroom’s expectancy theory, employees expect to be motivated to deliver the best of their performance and boost their confidence by offering them facilities and training programs that ease their difficulties while performing the jobCITATION Ren12 \p 4 \l 1033 (Renko & Bullough, 2012, p. 4). Herzberg looked at motivating factors such as advancement and growth as key for the existence of any employee. However, in the case of Stephenson, introducing the machine implies that there the company does not value employees’ advancement growth and advancement in terms of their presence in the company. With the machine doing the work of ten staff, it means that the company will cut off its administration and production cost by dismissing employees and this compromises their job security. Therefore, for the company to boost employees’ morale, the organization must introduce company policies that guarantees employees advancement, personal growth in terms of experience and technological know-how, as well as assuring employees of their job securities rather than envisaging declaring some jobs or employees redundant, thus making the staff feel more instrumental to the institution.
The introduction of the austerity measures and flexible working hours to promote efficiency should be done in a way that promote growth and advancement of employees in the company. To do this, the management should focus on motivating employees by providing them with the right working condition, suitable training and recognition of every staff performance and rewarding them through juicy carrot approach to make them even perform better. Usually, when an institution embrace employee growth, advancement, and job security, they tend to promote staff instrumentality through promotion and rewarding such performing staff by giving them bonuses. According to Victor Vroom, promoting employee instrumentality is a crucial aspect of not only developing employees, but also increases productivity in an institutionCITATION Ren12 \p 13 \l 1033 (Renko & Bullough, 2012, p. 13). For instance, to attain efficiency, Stephenson Electrical needs to use Vroom’s formula to motivate employees so that they can value their company. Vroom believed that an employee’s morale can only be improved by ensuring that both valence, expectancy, instrumentality and applications are rightly integratedCITATION Isa11 \p 7 \l 1033 (Isaac & Pitt, 2011, p. 7). In this context, before introducing the flexible working hours and declaring eliminating human work force with machine, the management must ensure that it takes into consideration the wellbeing of the staff and their future growth in terms of professional development, remuneration, work condition, instrumentality, and evaluation of their expectation.
Promoting Fair Remuneration
Monetary compensation or incentives is a key motivator for the dissatisfied employees. introducing fair remuneration and salaries to employees is a sure carrot juicy that can help in boosting employees’ morale by meeting their financial growth expectations. According to Vroom, employees expect a fair pay or remuneration from their employers as a reward to their good performance. In case a company does not recognize the efforts or performance of its staff, it is usually hard to retain high performing employees as they tend to look for greener pastures elsewhere. Also, Herzberg argued that to rejuvenate the dissatisfied employees in an organization, company leadership should ensure that they offer competitive market-prevailing salary rate and improves staff-management relationship by embracing team innovation and creating sense of responsibility through rewarding performing employeesCITATION Tan11 \p 3 \l 1033 (Tan & Waheed, 2011, p. 3). Vroom held that when an organization provides its employees with the right skills, resources, create better understanding of the existing relationships, as well as rewarding employees, it will also prudent for them to promote staff valence. It is crucial for the organization to evaluate and strengthen effort-performance expectancy and the performance-outcome expectancy to promote productivityCITATION Tan11 \p 3 \l 1033 (Tan & Waheed, 2011, p. 3). However, it is not possible to attain efficient productivity in isolation of the staff needs and expectations, hence it is prudent for Stephenson Electrical to consider staff expectations and try to meet them as a way for promoting prosperity, growth and advancement.
Encourage Continued Learning and Public Recognition to Improve Employee Status
Continued learning approach, training programs and employee public recognition for their good performance, as well as rewarding employees is a key motivating factor that boosts employee morale to do better and putting much effort. Reporting to job late, absenteeism and lack of commitment to work are indicators of dissatisfied employees whose expectations have not been met, yet there is no any effort put in place to implement employees’ expectation in the near future. Both private and public recognition of employee performance not only boosts staff morale, but also give them energy to put more effort to perform better. For example, sales team will put more effort to make more sales if the company has programs that recognize their efforts in revenue generation. Also, increased quality and quantity production can only be maintained if an enterprise has some mechanisms to recognize employee effort, as well as their statusCITATION Tan11 \p 6 \l 1033 (Tan & Waheed, 2011, p. 6). However, for the employees to do better and be instrumental, as well as meeting effort-performance and outcome-performance expectancy, the management must recognize employee status by promoting them, guarantees their job security, promote training through workshops and seminars to equip them with skills required for better performanceCITATION Jac12 \p 8 \l 1033 (Jackson & Johnson, 2012, p. 8). Therefore, instead of introducing machines that will declare other employees redundant, it will be necessary for the company to promote training, teamwork innovation and creativity to develop new ideas that can promote production and generation of more revenues.
Promote Work Relationships that Values Employees
Making employees understand that they are valued as opposed to profit is a sure way of intrinsically motivating employees. Normally, employee relationship to supervisors, management and colleagues do influence how effective and efficient an organization will work. An institution that values its employees by striving to ensure that employees are fully integrated in business activities to feel as part of the co