...------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Evaluating factors contributing towards low employee morale in the community services directive of Polokwane Municipality ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- A Research Proposal ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- by ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Josephine Malesheka Mathole ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Student No. 271199 ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- To be submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the ------------------------------------------------- BBA Honours degree ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- at ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- SOUTHERN BUSINESS SCHOOL ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ...
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...Outsourcing: Outsourcing from the Employee’s Perspective Sarah J. Schillen Seattle Pacific University USA sschillen@gmail.com Gerhard Steinke Seattle Pacific University USA gsteinke@spu.edu ABSTRACT This paper explores how outsourcing activities and decisions put the well-being of the remaining employees at risk, ultimately affecting productivity and creating further costs to the employer. It highlights four potential threats to remaining employees: trust, job satisfaction, motivation, and stress. The paper provides several suggestions for mitigating these impacts, including communication to retain trust, acting ethically to ensure satisfied employees, seeking an understanding of employee perspectives to build employee motivation, and providing good planning along with training and development to reduce employee stress. INTRODUCTION Globalization provides organizations with more options than ever before. Business leaders are continuously encouraged to adapt, reevaluate, and strategically improve processes and approaches. Best practices are reinvented rapidly in attempt to keep up with market trends. The quest to recognize new methods for increasing revenue has become the inspiration for exploring new management techniques and strategies. One such rising trend in the advent of global markets is that of outsourcing. Common purposes for outsourcing include improvements to performance, cycle time, cost-savings, market share, productivity, customer service, and quality (Elmuti & Kathawala...
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... TO: Georgia Sias, Director of Class “A” Centers of Louisiana FROM: Dala S. Stansbury, Director of Kid’s Corner Christian Academy DATE: May 16, 2012 SUBJECT: Improving employee morale and productivity in childcare facilities Attached is my proposal to provide director based training on improving morale among teachers and staff. The success of our centers is based on our parent-staff relations. According to 2012 Home daycare overview, daycare centers are now rated below average among in- home centers (Baby Center Medical Advisory Board, 2012). From my experience, parents are complaining that they are not having a good experience when speaking with teachers about behavior matters or in receiving reports of their child’s day. I have investigated further by listening to parents’ constant complaints of how upon entering the center they feel unwelcomed by the tone teachers are using and the lack of concern among directors. Centers in Louisiana are having a problem keeping their staff motivated, which leads to problems that impact the center as a whole. This project will educate directors and staff about the significance of high morale in daycare facilities. When the morale is high, teachers are happy and it is reflected in the lesson plans and interaction with the children. I will discuss the benefits of having a great director, how it correlates to improving the environment of your center eliminating high...
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...after great success. It has been said that some mid-level managers have been heard complaining that they are not provided the freedom to make timely decisions to help their clients. Employees are also complaining that they are never recognized for their accomplishments and that the organization never takes the time to celebrate major accomplishments. Due to these problems, the organization has low morale and they are now losing market shares. This first complaint that mid-level managers believe that they are not given the freedom to make the decisions involving their clients involves trust issues. Kouzes and Posner (2010) wrote an article regarding truths in leadership. One of the truths is about trust. They wrote that “trust is the social glue that holds individuals and groups together.” They go on to say (…that level of trust others have in you will determine the degree of influence you have.” If the organization’s upper management trusted their mid-level managers to make their own decisions and trust that they will not hurt the organization, this would improve morale and could improve productivity. An article by Laura Walter (2011) states that a study by the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business has shown that empowered employees are more innovative, perform better at their jobs and have higher job satisfaction. So, when management empowers their employees to make decisions on their own, the employees will realize that they are trusted enough to do...
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...Employee behavior inside a certain organization may affect the productivity of a single job. Each individual has its own differences and these differences may affect the production of a certain organization. Behavior is defined as the actions of a system or organism, usually in relation to its environment, which includes the other systems or organisms around as well as the physical environment. It is the response of the system or organism to various stimuli or inputs, whether internal or external, conscious or subconscious, overt or covert, and voluntary or involuntary. Many elements determine an individual’s behavior in the workplace. Managers as well as employees have been shaped by their culture, and by the organization’s culture. These influences affect the way employees communicate and interact with one another, and with management. In the same way, a manager’s communication is greatly influenced by outside factors. Each employee beliefs effect their ethics, and sense of ethical responsibility. Communication helps to shape employee perceptions, and helps employers to understand employee’s perceptions. Different forms of communication, both verbal and non-verbal, must be used to ensure that each demographic within a corporation’s diverse team is reached both effectively and efficiently. Employee tardiness is a phenomenon that is common in many organizations. This problem has a big impact on the employees’ productivity and performance as well as to the organization as...
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...* Dick Spencer Case Study Introduction In this report, I mention about a case study to highlight the managerial issues faced by an organization. Spencer was a plant manager of Modrow Company, a Canadian branch of Tri-American Company. Dick did his MBA and served this company for 14 years. He started his career as a salesman. With time he continued to work successfully on different contracts and finally he was spoken of as “boy of watch”. Later he wanted to move on different career domain, so he finally transferred to the home office of organization. He was nominated as an assistant to senior vice president of production. In the following sections, we will cover the managerial issues faced by dick and his organization. We also try to provide some recommendations about managerial issues identified, researched and evaluated. Managerial Issues We identified the following managerial issues. Micromanagement According to the Wikipedia, micromanagement is a management style whereby a manager closely observes or controls the work of subordinates or employees. Micromanagement generally has a negative connotation. (Wikipedia) Rather than giving general instructions on smaller tasks and then devoting time to supervising larger concerns, the micromanager monitors and assesses every step of a business process and avoids delegation of decisions. (Wikipedia) According to the journal, “Micromanagers read your proposals, tell you to develop your prototype, and then insist on telling you...
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...BM102 –BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Question 1 With reference to practical examples, discuss how communication can be used to improve worker`s morale and productivity. (100) In this essay, the writer seeks to talk about communication as a motivation tool. The essay will touch on the ways in which effective communication can motivate workers to be more productive. Concrete examples with local companies are going to be given. The writer is going to touch various forms of communication, the channels that are generally used in the companies and how they can be used as a motivation tool. Before exploring ways to use communication as a productivity tool, the needs to define the meaning of productivity and morale.Klan (2004) define morale as a reflection of the attitude of an individual or team. The company can have workers with high morale or workers with low morale which can affect productivity.According to The first point the writer will look is the use of communication for information distribution between the workers and the management and between the workers themselves. The structures of most organizations allow the flow of information upward, downward, lateral and horizontal. Tracy (2013) reiterates that when management communicates vague or fuzzy expectations or no expectation, the staff is deprived of the winning feeling thereby becoming demotivated. The company needs to communicate its strategic goals and objectives, policies and company notices and all that is done through...
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...Ballard Case Study Patricia Jones QNT 351 Jan 27th, 2014 Pete Dorsa Introduction and Problem Situation Ballard Integrated Managed Services, Inc. (BIMS) provides food, hospitality, housekeeping and physical plant services for the staff and patients at the Douglas Medical Center. Barbara Tucker, the general manager for this site, has noticed that the morale of her employees has been declining for the past several months. The expected turnover rate is 55-60% annually in this industry. This rate has increased to 64% over the last four months (BIMS Part 1). The use of sick time has increased, overall performance is poor and complaints from the hospital staff are on the rise. Barbara and her management team have not been able to determine why morale is down. The exit interviews that are currently used are not pinpointing the reasons why employees are leaving. Conclusions The data used in the survey is beneficial to the research into why employment morale has decreased for the past several months. Therefore, a questionnaire was designed to examine dependent variable which, “is the key factor that you want to explain or predict and that is affected by some other factors …scholars have emphasized productivity, absenteeism, turnover, and job satisfaction” (Robbins & Judge p. 25). BIMS is experiencing problems with several dependant variables, the focus of this paper examines turnover, which is increasing for BIMS. Each question of the survey addresses issues that require...
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...research regarding the improvement of employee performance. I will conduct the research myself as a part of my profession, because improving employee performance should be one of the main goals of a manager. The research will be 3 months in duration after which I will report my findings and suggestions to you in the form of a presentation meeting. You may pose the question “why is this research necessary?” There are several important reasons we should not ignore. First and foremost, our company’s financial statements at the end of last fiscal year were not on par with our projections. We received average customer reviews and many customer complaints. All these results were directly related to a decrease in employee performance. Especially, when we compare them with the previous fiscal years and customer reviews, we can clearly see the difference in productivity. Second, the world economy is in the middle of a downturn. Therefore, as a company, we have a tough road ahead of us. With the cutbacks and layoffs that have been instated, employee morale is at all time low. Many employees, including the top performers worry about losing their jobs during these unstable times. This fear and low morale turns into low performance at work. Third, I realized that our company has never conducted research like this before. This bottom up research will provide the whole organization with a brand new perspective in approaching employee relations. Employee satisfaction is of vital importance...
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...Low Morale Low motivation among employees can spread like wildfire in a company. Enthusiasm can spread from worker to worker in the same way as low motivation. Managers and supervisors who are consistently enthusiastic can motivate workers as well. Low morale can result in a hostile work environment with constant complaining. In a business that is customer service-driven, a work environment with low morale could result in lower sales and a poor customer experience. Low Productivity Poor motivation can result in low productivity from employees. When a worker has the skills and resources to succeed on the job but is not performing at his best, one cause could be low motivation. Motivated employees have a desire to get the job done to the best of their abilities. An unmotivated employee lacks the drive and commitment to work at his highest capabilities. The manager or supervisor must investigate the cause of a worker's failure to perform. High Turnover Companies experiencing low morale and motivation among employees sometimes experience a higher turnover rate. In an environment of low motivation and morale, employees sometimes seek a better position in an organization that values their services and work. A high employee turnover rate results in increased costs to the company. Companies must pay to recruit, hire and train new workers frequently in a department or organization with low morale and motivation. Programs and incentives to improve motivation can increase job satisfaction...
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...with new research, ideas, legislations and practices so that you can be the best that you can in understanding your chosen profession, provide new creative ideas, encourage and adapt to change more smoothly therefore providing a high quality service to customers and colleagues. It also enables you to feel confident and good about one self. I believe a happy person/staff equals a happy working environment. It can also lead to better job opportunities and enhances self confidence. AC 1.1 Assess the potential benefits to the organisation of developing individuals To assess the potential benefits to the organisation I chose to look at the benefit of training the Harbour casual workforce in fork-truck operation staff retention and staff morale within the workforce. The criteria I have chosen to assess the potential benefits to the organisation of developing individuals are: • Opportunities for promotion • Reduced Damage level • improved discharge rates Trained Fork-Truck operators The harbour workforce is made up of 2 distinct groups: -...
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...Ballard Case Study QNT 351 Jan 11th, 2014 Introduction and Problem Situation Ballard Integrated Managed Services, Inc. (BIMS) provides food, hospitality, housekeeping and physical plant services for the staff and patients at the Douglas Medical Center. Barbara Tucker, the general manager for this site, has noticed that the morale of her employees has been declining for the past several months. The expected turnover rate is 55-60% annually in this industry. This rate has increased to 64% over the last four months (BIMS Part 1). The use of sick time has increased, overall performance is poor and complaints from the hospital staff are on the rise. Barbara and her management team have not been able to determine why morale is down. The exit interviews that are currently used are not pinpointing the reasons why employees are leaving. Conclusions The data used in the survey is beneficial to the research into why employment morale has decreased for the past several months. Therefore, a questionnaire was designed to examine dependent variable which, “is the key factor that you want to explain or predict and that is affected by some other factors …scholars have emphasized productivity, absenteeism, turnover, and job satisfaction” (Robbins & Judge p. 25). BIMS is experiencing problems with several dependant variables, the focus of this paper examines turnover, which is increasing for BIMS. Each question of the survey addresses issues that require involvement from management...
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...Write a paper describing how effective performance appraisals can increase employee performance. This paper should include sections on the strategic advantages of performance appraisals, Potential forms of bias within the appraisal system, As well as how performance appraisals can contribute to the achievement of strategic objectives. “How effective performance appraisals can increase employee performance” “Performance appraisals can enhance employee performance as well as advance the mission and goals of an organization. There are many advantages of performance appraisals if they are applied fairly, consistently and objectively. Performance appraisals not applied fairly can be counterproductive and even destructive to an organization. Performance appraisals can significantly improve the efficiency of an organization when used to monitor and influence progress toward strategic objectives. Advantages of Performance Appraisals Performance appraisals can increase employee performance by holding both the supervisors and employees accountable to the mission, goals and objectives of the organization. Employee job descriptions are developed based on the expectations of the organization, which derive from the mission, goals and objectives. Employees are expected to carry out responsibilities, which are designed to help meet specified objectives. The job of supervisors is to keep employees focused on the mission and goals of the organization...
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...INTERCLEAN, INC Management ‘s Behavior HRM 531 Lynda Broomfield 11/7/2010 R InterClean, Inc. Memo To: First Level Managers From: Lynda Broomfield, Sales Manager Date: 8/6/2012 Re: Management’s behavior With the merger of EnviroTech I will like to discuss how we are going to face the upcoming challenges of making it a smooth transition. We all must be mindful of the impact our behavior will have on morale and the productivity of our employees. Our employees are the lifeblood of InterClean and as managers we are the heart that pumps that blood. Attitude is generally reciprocated. If you show enthusiasm and determination while implementing the changes it will inspire your employees to do the same. Showing sincere admiration for your staff and an interest in their well being will motivate them to work harder. It is more important than ever now that we create an environment of employee empowerment and have open communication. Employees need to know what is expected of them and how the company is going to help them achieve success. We need to discuss the changes with them and seek their input. We should discuss the impending training strategy and how it will affect them individually and collectively as a team. People work harder because of the increased involvement and commitment that comes from having more controlled and say in their work. They work smarter because they are encouraged to build skills and competence. They work more...
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...Marie Jackson: Renfield Farms Revitalization By: Anthony J. Mayo & Heather Beckham Group D Latoya Reed & Alma Shaw MADM 701: Organizational Behavior Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Case Summary 3 Major Issues 3 Analysis of Issues 4 Action Alternatives 7 Analysis of Alternatives 8 Recommendations 11 Implementation of Issues 12 References 13 Executive Summary Case Summary Donald Franklin, a profound farmer and businessman, founded the organic and dairy Renfield Farms in Maine in 1964. Franklin was a passionate businessman, who developed a strong business culture that cultivated continuous innovation, healthy living, and producing nutritional and wholesome food products. Due to these stimulating values, Renfield Farms grew from a local to a nationwide dairy supplier, known for its strong brands and ideals. However, after Franklin retired in 2002, the company began facing many difficulties. Renfield Farms’ successors were not as inspiring as Franklin and could not measure up to his leadership skills. Renfield Farms was obviously in bad shape due to declining sales and consumers losing trust in the company’s product brands. Something had to be done. Marie Jackson was an external hire, who was appointed as the company’s new CEO in 2013 in order to revitalize Renfield Farms’ unsatisfactory performance. Though a strong leadership with a great vision for the company, Jackson faced many oppositions, predominately overcoming employees’ resistance to change...
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