Suzanne Chalmers
In the fiber optics lights and was employed with them for four years. As soon as Chain spoke with Chalmers he had a preconception that the meeting would be about Suzanne wanting to resign as he has had numerous experiences of this in the company. His perception of the situation was that people leave the company because of money, even though they tell him it is because they are looking for more of a work/ life balance.
Chain knows that every organization in this industry is having a hard time keeping up with the advances in technology and the competition. Most of the employees with API, where they have a specific skill and competence, end up going to a start up company where they can have more variety In their Job.
Chain feels that the Issue Is money, employees have generous share options, and employees are financially Independent and young so they have less reason to remain with API. During the meeting between Chain and Chalmers, Chalmers Informed Chain that she was leaving and that she needed time off to recharge her batteries.
Chain suggested that she take a few months off and come back refreshed. He spoke with Chalmers and enquired as to why she wanted to leave: “was it the work environment? ” Susan replied only that the Job was really routine but the environment was a great place to work. Chain then told her that if she took some time then returned he would ensure that when she came back she receive special treatment.
Chalmers thanked him but told him that was not what she wanted and that she did not want to receive special treatment. At that point, Chain brought up the issue of money and asked if that was he reason she was leaving.
He knew she was paid well by Industry standards but that API was not able to compete In terms of share options. This was not the Issue according to Chalmers. Chain suggested that Chalmers took some time off and he would make some special arrangements for her when she returned, but this offer was refused by her.
Chain promised that he would make sure she received a significant raise and more stock options if she stayed with the company, Chalmers left saying that she would consider his offer. Two days later, Suzanne gave her resignation in writing and a few months after leaving she joined a start up firm in the area.
Root Problem Motivation The root problem In this case Is motivation. The MARS(endnote) model applies to Suzanne, while she does have the ability and the capabilities to complete the tasks as the company. Her Job is routine, there is no room for a lot of change as the company is structured so each employee only works in their area of expertise. Regardless of her skills and knowledge of the Job without motivation she no longer wishes to be a part of the organization, she wants to leave as soon as she can and performance may egging to be affected when someone no longer has the motivation to be in the role they are in.
Suzanne has also achieved the first four stages of Mascots Hierarchy (endnote) of needs but she has yet to achieve self-actualization. She has met the needs for the bottom four stages through having a Job, financial stability; she has been with the company for a while and is a part of a team. She is also one of the top talents in her field. However, she is not fulfilled, she has not achieved self-actualization because she has no opportunity for new things in her Job, she is not challenged and therefore he is no longer motivated to continue in her role.
She is looking to be able to maintain a balance and some variety in her life in terms of work as well as her personal life.
Suzanne has a high need for achievement; she is already successful and has money so money can no longer be used as an incentive to motivate her. At this point in her life, Suzanne is looking for challenges, for a balance in her work and personal life, and variety. (Endnote p 128) As she is attempting to accomplish these things it is evident that Suzanne has a strong drive to learn, she wants to grow and achieve a bevel of self-actualization where she is able to be fulfilled. Endnote p. 129) Secondary Problems 1 .
Job Satisfaction The Job was routine, there are not many opportunities for change within the company, each individual is put into a position that is consistent with their specific strengths and that is where they are required to work. They leave so they can go to different companies that are able to provide variety. Suzanne made no attempt to address the dissatisfaction in her Job; she did not try to intervene or speak up about what she was feeling and try to change anything in her Job.
She was not loyal to the company and she does not appear to have any commitment to the company either. She used the exit strategy from the Exit, Voice, Loyalty, Neglect (EVIL) model; (endnote) all she wanted to do was leave. She reduced her work effort, and spoke about the project being almost complete so she could leave and it would not affect anything.
The employees are working longs days and they are saying that they wanted more time with their children and families. Suzanne said that she needed a break and she wanted time to travel with her husband. She is spending too much physical and mental time at work.
There is were not enough time for her to spend fulfilling her needs outside of work, “vacation and holidays are important opportunities for employees to recover from stress and re- energize for future challenges. ” (Endnote) Suzanne felt that she had to leave this Job as her motivation was decreasing and she really needed a break.
Once she left the company, she took the needed break and traveled with her husband, when she came back from this she was re- energize and was ready to take on a new challenge so she took the new Job with the start up company to provide her with this new challenge.
If employees were not working so any hours and felt they were able to take these breaks and have time off more often perhaps they would come back to the company more motivated and reengineering within the company. 3. Organizational Commitment There is no organizational commitment within this company and no cohesiveness within this team. The company and employees do not seem to have any sense of shared values so everyone is not on the same page and people do not feel connected to each other or the company.
They feel as though they do their part to contribute and that is their only value, which they are as a person does not seem to be valued. There is a lack of employee involvement and engagement which is what builds employee commitment and creates cohesiveness in a team and company. Suzanne, specifically, does not have organizational commitment or affective commitment with the company. She has no emotional attachment to the company or the team and she is not engaged, she was more than willing to Just leave her team and not complete the project they were working on all she wanted to do was leave as soon as she could. 4.
Organizational Culture The Company appears to have a weak culture, employees do not share the same values and the vice president is very money oriented. The vice president, Chain, talks about how things have always been the way that they are and that the same thing keeps happening over and over but he does nothing to change or try to improve it. Chain thinks that the issues within the culture are all about money and he never engages the employees to develop an understanding of how they feel about their roles and how they could improve the company’s success, the employee’s motivation as well as commitment and loyalty within the company.
It is very evident; as Chain discusses that the employees are well paid and have good stock options, that the issue for the employee turnover and dissatisfaction does not lie in the money. If Chain looks beyond the money, truly gains an understand of the employees, he may learn to consider other options, such as rewards or team building to motivate employees and improve the culture within the company. Employee involvement strengthens commitment to change.
(Endnote p. 10) 5. Employee Turnover Turnover occurred frequently in the company, as a result of their Job ad’s-satisfaction.
They might not have been satisfied with working for long hours, work becoming too routine and too specialized, so lots of employees left the company. Alternatives 1.
Team Building Chain could incorporate the use of team building, using formal activities to help develop and improve the dynamics and function of the company as a team. API has high levels of turnover which leads to regression in the stages of team cohesion. L Chain needs to create activities to strengthen the team, to understand the goals of the company and the individuals and to increase the employee’s motivation.
Using team building will help employees to have stronger relationships and increased trust which will improve motivation and team commitment. As a result of this, employees may feel more connected to the team as well as the company which will increase their loyalty, as they are more engaged and it will contribute to an improved culture within the organization. Yet, some employee’s may not wish to participate in team building exercise and may foster resentment towards the company.
2 Additionally, the success of team building activities is uncertain, so they may not have a high return on the investment. 2. Restructure and Create Cross Functional Teams “Employees feel they are a part of the organization when they participate in decision aging. “4 Rather than working specifically on their individual tasks related to their skills, employees would work in teams with people who have different skills. This will encourage employees to interact with one another, to build relationships and to see the value in what they bring to the organization when everyone is contributing. One of example models could be concurrent engineering teams.
Employees from different departments from a temporary team for purpose of developing product or service, in such team’s employees have more authority and they tend to use informal immunization channels which give them flexibility on work placed. Establishing teams in general, building relationships and enabling employees to use their strengths and share those with others motivates people to want to succeed, for themselves and also for the team. They work together as part of the process; therefore, it enables a culture of support, shared values, and a commitment to the team as well as the company. . Change the Physical Environment if having small spaces where each individual works on their own, they may consider having an open work space. Employees would work side by side or in a team setting, he space would be set up so employees would engage with each other regularly, in turn this would change the culture and create a more open atmosphere.
This will be reflected in the employees and management’s attitudes due to the reduction of barriers in the physical environment, which facilitates better communications.
When a company takes into account the physical environment it shows a company’s emphasis on teamwork and values. 6 This arrangement of the physical environment builds and improves relationships between employees and loyalty within the company. However, this type of intervention may not be a viable option for every many, due to the financial expense that is associated with this type of change. 4.
Create an environment for employees to De-stress and re-energize. API Company would benefit from creating a wellness program for their employees.
They appear to be a company that is financially stable and is able to recruit top talent so it may be worth it financially to put money into building a gym or another type of entertainment room for employees to use when they feel they need to recharge. If employees are working 16 hour days, they are going to experience Job burnout, stresses, and emotional and physical exhausted. It may be more effective in the long term to provide these resources so an employee can step away for an hour to do a work out, and come back feeling refreshed.
Providing and supporting employees to take a break, have fun, and socialize with their colleagues will not only decrease the employees stress, it will improve productivity, improve the culture.
Employees may feel more committed, re-energize, and engaged when they have had a chance to withdraw from the stresses. 8 It is important to give employees the flexibility to participate in these wellness initiatives, within reason, to show that the company purports them and that they are a valued member of the team.
Though, these types of plans may be effective, it can alienate some employees and foster negative emotions due to the activities being contrived or may feel intimidated or too competitive. 9 5. Offer a Rewards System Chain could create a rewards system within API to motivate employees. Something as simple as providing rewards cards for employees to recognize outstanding achievement or for an employee who has gone above and beyond.
Some of the strategies can include recognition and appreciation reward system, employees like to now whether they’re doing good, bad or average, so it’s important that you tell them.
It is always good to compare benefits of competitors companies and try to put them on the same level; otherwise employer could have difficult time attracting and retaining top workers. 6. Perform an ongoing survey to find out how satisfied the employees are with their job, this can be done and the participant’s identity remains anonymous. Pros: With his employees leaving and why they are leaving and address this accordingly. Con: People might not be honest enough and may prefer to talk face to face to voice their issues.
7. Increase Job satisfaction When employees are satisfied with their Job they tend to stay with the company.
The employer should therefore create and put in place to improve working conditions. They need to revisit their Job design. Pros: This will reduce cost of recruitment and training cost. Cons: Might be costly on the other hand to improve the working conditions.
Recommendations 1. Management Leadership Training Management leadership and communication training Provide Training in leadership and communication skills for managers across the organization. Prior to implementing the training, it would be important to speak with managers to find out what skills they feel they are not strong in so that training can be focused on developing these skills.
Proper training will give managers the skills and confidence to address issues and engage employees rather than avoiding them. It may be beneficial to have a once a year training session for all manager across the entire organization to provide and encourage continuous learning and development of skills.
Also, it is important as discussed in the fourth solution, to have a policy that new managers coming into the organization need immediate training to ensure they vive this culture of the organization from the beginning. . Job design 3. Increase staff motivation-self-esteem, and staff wellbeing, work/ life balance Implementation Short Term Action Communicate possible changes to employees, meetings, memos, poster to advertise changes. Implement the measures to motivate staff after informing them of new approaches to improve their Job satisfaction.
