Evaluating How Employee Engagement Is Influenced By The Low Morale Of Employees (Research Paper Sample)

EVALUATING HOW EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IS INFLUENCED BY THE LOW MORALE OF EMPLOYEES
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Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u 1.0 Introduction PAGEREF _Toc484114316 \h 31.1 Background PAGEREF _Toc484114317 \h 31.2 Employee engagement and morale PAGEREF _Toc484114318 \h 31.3 Research problem PAGEREF _Toc484114319 \h 42.0 Focus for the study PAGEREF _Toc484114320 \h 52.1 Study purpose PAGEREF _Toc484114321 \h 52.2 Objectives PAGEREF _Toc484114322 \h 5General objective PAGEREF _Toc484114323 \h 5Specific objectives PAGEREF _Toc484114324 \h 62.3 Research Questions PAGEREF _Toc484114325 \h 62.4 Significance of the Study PAGEREF _Toc484114326 \h 72.5 Projected outcome PAGEREF _Toc484114327 \h 73.0 Project related literature summary PAGEREF _Toc484114328 \h 83.1 MBA discipline area of this project PAGEREF _Toc484114329 \h 83.2 Review of some literature related to this project PAGEREF _Toc484114330 \h 83.2.1 Defining engagement PAGEREF _Toc484114331 \h 83.2.2 Theoretical Review PAGEREF _Toc484114332 \h 93.2.3 Conceptual Framework PAGEREF _Toc484114333 \h 94.0 Planned research methodology PAGEREF _Toc484114334 \h 104.1 Method PAGEREF _Toc484114335 \h 104.2 Data collection PAGEREF _Toc484114336 \h 115.0 Ethical considerations PAGEREF _Toc484114337 \h 115.1 Demonstrating awareness and addressing ethics PAGEREF _Toc484114338 \h 115.3 Addressing additional ethics issues (where relevant) PAGEREF _Toc484114339 \h 126.0 Timeline/Schedule for completion PAGEREF _Toc484114340 \h 12References PAGEREF _Toc484114341 \h 14
1.0 Introduction
This sections offer the background study concerning the research topic as well as the company under study. Besides that, this section will introduce employee morale and engagement as relating to the topic under study. The other subsection covered in this section is the research problem of the proposed study.
1.1 Background
Over the past few years, the food production sector, among other sectors, has faced myriad employee turnover as a result of low employee engagement due to low employee morale (Truss et al., 2013). Employee morale is considered a key in improving the employee engagement and performance towards the achievement of organizational goals. Of late, due to minimal levels of morale among most organizations, there has been an escalating level of employee turnover, corruption, fraud, low organizational performances, workplace indiscipline, and fraud. There is therefore the need to examine and evaluate the role played by employee engagement at places of work and particularly in the food processing industry, besides assessing the impact of low employee morale on employee engagement. Employee morale and engagement may be influenced and improved by offering either fiscal and nonfinancial incentives or stimulations and tend to have a long-term impact to both the employees and the company. These have been equally argued to enhance the employees’ performance as mirrored in their job satisfaction, company loyalty and work yield.
1.2 Employee engagement and morale
Employee morale plays a very significant role in encouraging employees to work effectively towards achieving individual, group or company targets. Employee morale may be sourced from the company’s extrinsic (external) or intrinsic (internal) values (Zameer et al., 2014). Therefore, in accordance with Zameer et al. (20154), employee morale is defined as the employees’ confidence shown in day to day business activities towards attaining the organizational goals. On the other hand, employee engagement is considered as attachment activities of the employees towards executing their duties and responsibilities more effectively (Miner, 2013). For the survival and sustainability of any business, it is imperative for any company to ensure that its human resources are managed efficiently, while the employees are encouraged to be highly committed and highly engaged to the organization. There are a number of aspects that mirror employ engagement: excellent communication, job qualities, work setting as well as support from leadership and management.
1.3 Research problem
Due to lack of employee morale in the food production industry, there has been as escalating level of workers’ mobility and low engagement and performance which has resulted in low productivity and many companies in this sector (Miner, 2013). Upon recruitment of employees, the Human Resource Management fails to capitalize on the growth of its employees professionally, and therefore discouraging them from achieving their utmost potential within their places of work. Unchallenging working settings with minimal or zero chances for career growth and development will in most cases result in minimal employee morale. This has remained a key problem among the food producing companies and requires attention as an approach of countering this issue. Therefore, the proposed study seeks to gain enhanced comprehension of the effective method to improve employee morale and engagement within the food processing industry so as to increase employ retention and minimize employee turnover. The proposed study will examine the present systems put in place by the company under study in engaging workers, examine their strength and weaknesses and eventually proposing various measures to engage in improving the company’s employee engagement and morale, thereby contributing to employee retention. The proposed study will take an exploratory study design, involving a case study.
2.0 Focus for the study
This section deals with the purpose, objectives of the proposed study, the research questions and the overall significance of the study (theoretical and managerial implications).
2.1 Study purpose
The proposed study will examine and evaluate the role played by employee engagement at places of work and particularly in the food processing industry, besides assessing the impact of low employee morale on employee engagement. Therefore, based on the aforementioned problem of the study, the proposed study seeks to gain enhanced comprehension of the effective method to improve employee morale and engagement within the food processing industry so as to increase employ retention and minimize employee turnover.
2.2 Objectives
General objective
In general, the proposed study seeks to engage a critical assessment of employee engagement in a food manufacturing firm to examine the reasons contributing to the present state of low employee morale, and eventually propose measures to deal with this menace. Briefly, the study will evaluate the impact of employee morale on organizational performance and goal achievement
Specific objectives
The specific objectives of the proposed study include:
* To examine the type of current systems of employee engagement practiced by the company under study
* To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the present systems of employee engagement practiced by the firm
* To evaluate the strategy considered by the company under study in motivating their workers
* To evaluate the barriers facing the process of employee morale in the company under study; and
* To evaluate how employee morale influences the employee performance
2.3 Research Questions
The proposed research questions for the projected study include the following:
* What are the company’s criteria overseeing the process of employee morale?
* What are the main hindrances facing the organization in motivating their workers, and how will the proposed study offer solution?
* How is the performance of employees influenced by morale?
* What are the types of current systems used by the company under study in engaging employees, and what are their strengths and weaknesses?
* What strategies can be put in place to improve the company’s workforce engagement
2.4 Significance of the Study
First and foremost, the study will contribute to the existing knowledge on “the role played by employee morale and engagement at places of work and particularly in the food processing industry.” The outcome of the proposed study will be significant in formulating the policies involved in morale at places of work; the study will act as a guide for organization policy makers in countering the hindrances on company morale. Finally, the outcome of the proposed study will help the potential scholars in researching on associated topic areas.
2.5 Projected outcome
For the proposed study, the researcher anticipates employee engagement to be highly influenced by the morale of employees in the food processing industry. The performance of employees will be highly affected either indirectly or directly by engagement as a variable factor. Other variables (such as incentives, non-monetary rewards, attitude,) are expected to have a great impact on the employee engagement and overall performance at their places of work. Nonetheless, variables such as gender and age are anticipated not to have distinct impact on the employee engagement and performance. All these variables are anticipated to show a high correlation with the employee engagement independent variable, although this level of correlation will differ from one variable to another.
3.0 Project related literature summary
3.1 MBA discipline area of this project
Lately, employee engagement has been considered a controversial topic of discussion in the HRM (human resource management) function. Regardless of its hot debate, the employee engagement literature shows some ambiguity concerning the impact of management on employee engagement (Boss, 2014). Presently, from the HRM point of view, employee engagement remains a crucial aspect in the employment sector relating to individual and organizational performance. As a result of the exigent economic climate, companies presently never...