What Do People Do When They Are Leading? Research Paper Example

Introduction

An organization’s climate sets the tone for the work environment that is by the employees and person in leadership roles.  Specific environmental characteristics can have a great influence on the employee’s motivation and behavior on and towards their job.  The proper environment can impact the organization’s standards, product quality, and reputation. Incentive programs that provide tangible, meaningful rewards have been statistically proven to boost sales, enhance employee morale, and produce better relationships between workers and persons in leadership roles within organization.  The proper motivation plan correctly implemented will motivate employees, produce high job satisfaction, decrease employee turn-over, and increase productivity.

Better Work Environment

Many people in the workforce spend long hours and weekends at their work place. This can be a daunting task if the environment is unpleasant to the worker. There are many things that can be done to make the work place environment employee friendly.  After all, many Americans spend more time on their jobs than they do at home. According to research, when the human body is exposed to stress over an extended period of time, it greatly affects the nervous system. This stress can affect a person’s breathing; muscles can become tense and difficult to move. Stress related disorders can develop (Spitzer, 1990).  For example, persons working in stressful environments may develop anxiety, panic attacks, hyperventilation, and obsessive compulsive behaviors.  To ensure that the environment is conducive and employee friendly, the WooWoo organization will start by inspecting the production building. The outside of the building will be adorned with flowers and shrubs.  Proper lighting will be installed and employees will be polled to determine what type of music they prefer. Low music will be played through out the work shifts.  The work area will be cleaned and properly maintained at all times. The employee break area will be properly furnished to ensure that employees are comfortable. All furnishings will be of an ergonomic design. The break room will be adjoined by a quiet room with comfortable floor pads and recliners. These nice amenities will show employees that they are appreciated and valued.  The time employees spend in the break room will be well spend relieving stress and returning workers back to production in a motivated and energetic state.  For example, “A three year study conducted by a corporation showed that 60 percent of employees and managers were absent from work due to psychological problems such as stress. Most of this time off could be prevented with a better working environment” (Spitzer, 1990)

Low Turnover

High turnover costs can cause an organization to go bankrupt. When organizations have high turnover rates, several factors can be the root cause. Nonetheless, one issue is often the cause-unhappy employees (Nelson, B. 1996).  The best way to eliminate high turnover rates is to examine the current workforce. By looking closely at current employees who have been employed for an extended period of time, the hiring force knows what characteristics to look for in prospective employees. Also, employee opinions should matter. Many organizations complete exit interviews when employees decide to leave the organization; however, employee opinions should be polled long before the employee decides to leave the job. One important factor that reduces employee turnover rate is properly trained supervisors and persons in leadership roles. Many unhappy employees conveyed displeasure with management skills, lack of appreciation for employees, and limited opportunities for growth as reasons for their leaving (Nelson, B. 1996).   In order to make WooWoo successful, employees will be polled periodically for their input on decisions that directly affect them. Employees who are consistently on time and on task while at work will take part in a point system. After employees have gained a designated amount of points, they will be able to redeem them for off time or extended break times. At WooWoo, it is important that employees have a balance between work and home life. As a result, administration will offer flexible work schedules to accommodate employees with families and small children. WooWoo will help employees who commute long distances by providing them a percentage of hotel accommodations or relocation fees to help save them in the stress and expense of long commutes.

Productivity/Quality

Increasing productivity is one of the major goals of all organizations. Bonus program are the most typical and most effective way to reach this goal. Some organizations pressure workers to perform, but this causes stress. According to Spitzer, “Stress-induced productivity is a sure path to burning out. Developing and implementing a positive work environment can help offset an increase in stress levels associated with an increase in performance” (Spitzer, 1990).  At WooWoo, employees are expected to perform better because of better working environment and incentives. When employees enjoy where they work and what they are doing, they will do a better job. Every employee is different; therefore incentives that motivate one employee may not motivate another employee. For example, “Motivating employees is a very challenging task because of the varying needs and desires that drive employees’ behavior. No single theory can guide efforts to bolster employee motivation since they are not purely economic, social, political or psychological beings” (Spitzer, 1990).  Forming teams within the organization are very helpful in building relationships that in turn help the morale of the workplace. For example, starting a fitness or exercise club is a great way to get employees to socialize outside of work. Having access to a work-out area is great too. Employees may chose to work out during their break times, which will energize them and ward of drowsiness. Being valued is very important to employees.  Providing bottled water for employees would be greatly appreciated. Monday’s are the most difficult day of the week to return to work. Providing Monday morning breakfast would be a great incentive for employees to arrive to work on time on Monday’s. Employees who are appreciated will also ensure that they are producing a quality product. When incentives are given based upon the quality of the produced items, employees will ensure that their teams are producing great quality instead of quantity.

Motivational Methods

There are two types of motivational methods that seem to be very effective. Extrinsic rewards are the most effective. Extrinsic rewards are motivational techniques that use money, promotions, or benefits to motivate employees to produce quality work or products. While intrinsic rewards come from the job itself; employees are motivated by achievement, appreciation, challenge, and the opportunity for advancement within the job field. These are the two most effective methods because all human being have the same basic needs. According to Maslow’s theory of motivation, there are five needs that all human being must have met in order to be productive. Those needs are physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. According to, when an organization meets these basic needs employees with be happy and productive on their jobs. (McNerney, 1996).

Minimum Wage Worker

Three effective ways to motivate the minimum wage worker are: proper training, positive work environment, and opportunities for career advancements. Again, all of these needs can be categorized in Maslow’s hierarchy.  Employees must be properly trained before they are expected to perform their duties. When employees are expected to perform without proper training, they often feel unappreciated. Next, the environment in which people work has a great affect on their performance. Clean facilities are a must. The morale of the other workers and people in leadership roles also plays a dominant role in employee motivation.  Finally, employees want to know that their hard work has not gone unnoticed. If a minimum wage worker knows that he or she has the opportunity to move up the ladder with hard work and diligence, he or she will be a better employee. (JEM Performance Consulting)

The Worker

Every organization is composed of a multi-framework of individual workers. The formation of labor laws and unions has made working conditions better for the wage worker.  Likewise, companies and organizations have realized that the wage worker is the backbone of most organizations. A great percentage of the American population is a part of the wage worker. For example, “In 2012, 75.3 million workers in the United States age 16 and over were paid at hourly rates, representing 59.0 percent of all wage and salary workers” (Nelson, 2012  )  More than half the American population are wage workers.

Conclusion

It is important to create a positive work environment by making each employee feel valued. Open communication and positive relationships between worker and people in leadership roles is an important aspect of a great environment. Extrinsic rewards are the most effective in producing quality products and happy workers. The proper motivation plan correctly implemented will motivate employees, produce high job satisfaction, decrease employee turn-over, and increase productivity.

References

Spitzer, D.R. (1990). Super-motivation: A blueprint for energizing your organization from top to bottom. New York: AMACOM

JEM Performance Consulting. The power of a positive work environment. www.jemperformance.com accessed 9 November 2013

McNerney, D.J. (1996). Employee motivation: creating a motivated workforce. HR Focus, 73(8), 14

Nelson, B. (2012). Dump the cash, load on the praise. Personnel Journal, 75(7), 65

Van Buren, A. (2002).  The relationship of verbal-nonverbal incongruence to communication mismatches in married couples [Electronic Version].  North American Journal of Psychology, 4(1), 21-36.