Factors Affecting the Induction Process of Employees in Paddy Power (Research Paper Sample)

Factors Affecting the Induction Process of Employees in Paddy Power
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CONTENTS
TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u 1.0 INTRODUCTION PAGEREF _Toc400803693 \h 31.1 DISCUSSION OF THE ISSUE PAGEREF _Toc400803694 \h 32.0 CURRENT THINKING & BEST PRACTICE PAGEREF _Toc400803695 \h 42.1 RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES PAGEREF _Toc400803696 \h 62.2 BENEFITS TO THE ORGANISATION PAGEREF _Toc400803697 \h 63.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY PAGEREF _Toc400803698 \h 73.1 DATA COLLECTION PROCESS PAGEREF _Toc400803699 \h 73.1.1 Participant Observation PAGEREF _Toc400803700 \h 73.1.2 Semi-structured Interviews PAGEREF _Toc400803701 \h 83.2 SAMPLING PAGEREF _Toc400803702 \h 83.3 DATA ANALYSIS PAGEREF _Toc400803703 \h 93.4 RESOURCES PAGEREF _Toc400803704 \h 93.5 ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS PAGEREF _Toc400803705 \h 103.6 PROPOSED PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS PAGEREF _Toc400803706 \h 103.7 ACTION PLAN PAGEREF _Toc400803707 \h 11Bibliography PAGEREF _Toc400803708 \h 11
1.0 INTRODUCTION
I am a web developer at Paddy Power, an Irish turf accountant/bookmaker. Paddy Power is a business entity that bets on events like sporting at agreed upon odds. Physically, the company operates as a chain of licensed betting shops in the United Kingdom and Ireland where it runs the largest telephone betting service. It also has an online presence for sports betting, poker, casino games, bingo, and spread betting. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of both countries. It was founded in 1988 with the merging of 40 shops owned by three Irish bookmakers: David Power, Stewart Kenny and John Corcoran. The company’s name Paddy and green coloring laid more emphasis on its Irish roots at a time of stiff competition from British betting firms entering the market as a result of reforms in the Irish tax code. David Power named his son after the company who serves as its marketing spokesman currently. At the close of 2005 the company boasted of 195 outlets (150 in Ireland alone) and 1,374 employees. Latest company’s records show an existence of over 4000 employees.
1.1 DISCUSSION OF THE ISSUE
Despite its successes and triumphs, Paddy Power, has been experiencing high employee turnover which sends a negative message about its Human Recourse (HR) department. A spot check at Glassdoor.com which has 39 Paddy Power reviews submitted anonymously by current and former employees of the company reveals critical issues in its HR management. One employee quips that the company claims to offer a decent salary during their interviews but this is not fulfilled upon employment (Glassdoor 2008). The employee adds that there is more focus on training just to do jobs with no avenues for employee participation. The managers are paranoid with the notion that a junior employee might become better than them, thus employee development is non-existent. Job satisfaction is so low amongst the employees with most of them saying they do not like what they do. Another former employee observes that most middle managers at Paddy Power are bullies who inherited their positions as a reward for long service despite their lack of expertise (Glassdoor 2008). He adds that fresh recruits with lots of expertise in their field are too overqualified for their assigned roles; often in sales or support. More observations from other former employees point to an extremely hierarchical and political company structure that ignores good ideas, good decisions and good people if they are not from the respective level of the hierarchy. The stressful and negative work environment is just unbearable. Despite the company’s ‘We Love Innovation and Change’ motto (Paddy Power 2014), its rigid hierarchy is clearly not conducive to innovation. The office has a political, combative culture that influences high turnover. Another employee observes that some managers are not adequately trained in managing their teams (Glassdoor 2008). Employees have to withstand extreme unsocial hours where they are accorded short breaks that are hardly enough to get shifts changed. Moreover, customer hostility towards employees is tolerated whereby customers speak foul language against staff and management allows it (Glassdoor 2008). Consequently, employees’ work morale is generally low at Paddy Power.
2.0 CURRENT THINKING & BEST PRACTICE
Employee induction is regarded as an integral part of any organization’s human resource practices. Properly defined, employee induction refers to the processes and support an organization provides to their new for them to learn and know their new workplace and its members alongside the expectations and tasks of their job (Wong 2002). A systematic induction process is designed to increase employee commitment in order to improve motivation. The first day at work is always memorable (in both good bad terms). Usually, induction reflects the company values. Thus, a company can bolster its competitive edge and reduce employee turnover by investing in proper employee induction (Dessler 2013). To come up with a good induction process, a company needs to undertake an in-depth investigation on the factors that influence employee turnover (Davidson 2002). Pay has hardly been the only reason why employees leave, although low pay is usually a disincentive to stay. Therefore, in the process of running a company/enterprise, it is advisable to get acquainted with factors that often influence employee turnover rates, in order to take necessary measures. A good way to start out is by considering how the company scores in the key areas of recruitment and induction; training and staff development; and contracts, pay and working conditions (Purcell 2007). Recruitment is all about getting the staff selection process right, whereas induction involves how new staff are welcomed and orientated. These are aimed at creating flexible working arrangements where the employees' changing needs to attain work-life balance are recognized. Under Staff development, motivation is all about the company’s supportiveness to the employees to foster encouragement. Through organizational culture, a feeling of inclusivity is realized where employees get more committed to the company’s goals (Jones 2010). Employees are matched to their jobs to enable them make the best use of their skills, competencies and experience to fulfill their aspirations eventually. An ideal company invests in their staff by creating opportunities and time for them to learn new skills (Marsick & Watkins 2003). Formal appraisals are frequently conducted to give employees an opportunity to discuss their performance. An effective grievance procedure is instituted to sensitize employees on grievance registration and how to exploit the procedure. Employees are encouraged on common goals while individual unhealthy rivalries are discouraged through team work (Moir 2003). Lastly, the terms and conditions of employee contracts are designed to encourage staff loyalty. The employees are accorded competitive pay rates through a fair and transparent pay system. Incentives and other benefits are made relevant for employees so that they choose the ones they need. The working environment is made pleasant and well designed to acceptable levels of noise, light and ventilation (Small & Irvine 2006).
2.1 RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
This study aims at investigating on the factors that are affecting the induction process of employees at the Paddy Power company. Consequently, the following objectives will be pursued:
* To identify the expected outcomes of an induction process
* To investigate on how the induction process is especially important for Paddy Power
* To establish what should be integrated in the induction process for Paddy Power
The first objective will be addressed by the literature review whereas the latter objectives will be discussed in the research section. Additionally the study will provide vital data as regards to other areas of HR management, such as leadership.
2.2 BENEFITS TO THE ORGANISATION
According to Wong (2002) the terms mentoring and induction are often wrongly used interchangeably. This takes away the value of induction as a process, and simply leaves it as an action. It is thus essential that companies implementing induction programs for new employees have a clear conceptualization of the induction process, which this study seeks to help them do so.
3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study will be of a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive nature: It will focus on constructing meaning as opposed to outcomes by exploring and describing the induction phenomenon. The researcher will rely on the inductive aspect of the scientific method in order to discover sequences without preconceived ideas. The research methods employed in this study will include participant observation and semi-structured interviews. This is aimed at gathering relevant and reliable data concerning the current situation and needs of the Paddy Power’s induction process.
3.1 DATA COLLECTION PROCESS
Given that the researcher is an employee at the company, collecting data through participant observation will be a viable option. Additionally, the semi-structured interviews will be used to get more in-depth data and increase its objectivity and credibility.
3.1.1 Participant Observation
Participant observation helps us discover the rationale behind peoples’ actions and comprehend what goes on in social situations. By striving to adapt to a group fully, situations and experiences are shared to get a realistic picture. This is ideal in management related studies like this one. It is also widely employed in circumstances where the...