How to Improve Employee Motivation Report Essay

Introduction

Executive Summary Proper management is critical to running a successful business. However, a motivated employee staff will ensure more productivity in the workplace. This report aims at helping Stephenson Electrical regain its morale hence regaining its success. The report includes a table of content that outlines the main topics covered in this report.

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How to Improve Employee Motivation

Introduction

Stephenson Electrical Company founded by George Stephenson, Kevin Stephenson's father, has had a significant downturn after fifty years of continuous growth. The employees are demotivated and come to work late. Some of the workers are mumbling over cost-cutting measures introduced. This report aims at brainstorming practical ideas that can be deployed in the company to improve their productivity by increasing the worker's morale these ideas aim at enhancing the staff's motivation which is paramount for the company's expected comeback. The report includes background information too. The background information section describes Stephenson Electrical Company in general. The latter includes its founders, current workers, and employees. The report then captures the analytical process of Stephen son Electricals. The analytical procedure consists of the current situation of Stephenson Electrical and the challenges it faces at the moment. A discussion highlighting theoretical methods used in improving productivity in Stephenson's workplace and a conclusion of the main points discussed in the report, and further recommendations for the Stephenson Electrical company.

BackgroundStephenson Electrical is a manufacturing company that deals with electronics. The company's staff is made up of forty employees. Twenty-five employees work in various production jobs such as machining and assembling parts, packaging and quality assurance. Some of the employees have leadership roles such as marketing managers and finance controllers. The company has four mobile sales staff. Kevin Stephenson is the chief executive. He inherited the company from his father, George. Jennifer Stephenson, Kevin's wife, is the financial controller. Kevin's daughter, Sarah, is the assistant to the marketing director. The company has an advertisement and website officer. They have a wage clerk, part-time cleaner and a receptionist named Debbie. Debbie is Kevin's assistant.

Analytical ProcessLately, Stephenson Electrical has suffered from the downturn in the world economy. The decline has led to low sales and profitability is affected. The employees are not as motivated as before. They are often late and absent for work. Most of the employees are refusing to adhere to the chief executives flexible hours. The financial controller introduced cost-cutting measures which are not accessible to the members of staff. The company bought a device, a year ago, that made five workers redundant soon after its introduction.

Discussion To increase the worker's morale at Stephenson Electrical, the chief executive must ensure that his employees look at their daily tasks as something more than just a job. To give their careers a higher meaning the chief executive should invite motivation speakers or take some time off and play motivational videos for its employees in case the budget is low. When employees attach their jobs to something greater than themselves such as serving the community (Drucker, n.d.), being the day to day heroes with the products they manufacture then they will wake up every day with the zeal to achieve more.

Most employers tend to focus on future productivity of the company with little or less regard of the current accomplishments the company has managed to achieve ( Conner, 2014). Stephenson Electrical Company is not an exception. As mentioned earlier in the analytical process the chief executive is worried about the sales that are dropping and the profitability that has been affected. Despite him being wary of this downturn it is essential for him to acknowledge and help celebrate accomplishments the company has had. A reflection of what the company has achieved so far can help motivate the employees by showing them that their little effort is appreciated. Appreciation will serve as a motivation strategy for them as others will aim to be recognised.

Stephenson Electrical should give their employees time to pursue projects that they may find interesting. The projects though should be related to the overall objectives of the company. The above measure will enable the employees to think outside the box of their usual routines. Let then consider the case of the twenty-five employees that deal with production related activities. This team if given a chance to be creative may think of new ideas such as packaging or branding ideas that may help increase profitability.

As the chief executive, Stephenson needs to show his employees that he cares. Developing an interpersonal relationship with his employees will enable him to have a right working environment with them. The later can be achieved by paying interest in his worker's personal life and emotional well-being without overstepping the boundaries ( Conner, 2014). Recognising the employees birthdays is a start. Employees will feel safe and motivated to work for an employer who cares about them than one who is cold towards them.

Offering free transport services in the morning to the workplace curbs absenteeism in the workplace. The company has 40 employees; it can hire a bus that picks employees at specific places and takes them to work. The employees will feel the urge to prepare for work early to save on transport costs. Workers that are fond of skiving work will feel the pressure to report for duty or else they will be labelled redundant.

The above practical measures achieved by following philosophical management theories such as Theory X and Theory Y (Hawthorne, n.d.). A good management theory ensures that the corporate objectives of the business are put first beyond the individual efforts (ECONOMYWATCH, 2010). Theory X focuses on the negative perception of human beings that renders them lazy and childlike. The method believes that for a real objective to be realised the workers in our case need to be subjected to harsh punishments like a decrease in their wages or redundancies if they do not perform. Theory Y assumes that human being does not hate work (Hawthorne, n.d.). Their productivity, however, relies on the company's nature of labour and management. Regarding Theory Y approach, Stephenson needs to evaluate whether his employees possess the required qualities to run the positions bestowed unto them. For instance, do Jennifer and Sarah have the necessary financial management and marketing skills needed or is he blindsided because they are family or does he need to lay them off and find more skilled staff? The theory argues that human beings under the right management not only accept, but also seek responsibilities. Proper management will increase Stephenson's productivity.

Proper management includes involving the staff in essential decision-making processes such as cost-cutting measure. The Chaotic Theory of business management informs all employees that change is inevitable (Olum, n.d.) The financial controller should explain to them that the well-being and profitability of the company depend on the cost-cutting measures put and why they are in place. Involving them in making this decision will make them feel that their input is valued and will stop unsatisfied mumblings. Open communication on matters affecting the employees then established in the company. The chief executive needs to clarify rumours on redundancies and clarify to his employees whether the news is true or false. The clarification will ensure a sense of job safety among Stephenson Electrical employees and enhance an understanding of dedication to their professions (Appendix, A).

Conclusion and RecommendationsTo increase the worker's morale at Stephenson Electrical, the chief executive must ensure that his employees look at their daily tasks as something more than just a job. Attaching their daily workloads to something other than a place to provide for their day to day needs gives their jobs a higher purpose and they learn to appreciate their jobs more. A reflection of what the company has achieved so far can help motivate the employees by showing them that their little effort is appreciated. Appreciation will serve as a motivation strategy for the employees as other employees will aim to be recognised. Stephenson Electrical should give their employees time to pursue projects that they may find interesting. As the chief executive, Stephenson needs to show his employees that he cares. Developing an interpersonal relationship with his employees will enable him to have a good relationship with them. The latter can be achieved by paying interest in his worker's personal life, and emotional well-being without overstepping the boundaries Absenteeism in the workplace can be curbed by offering free transport services in the morning to the workplace

The above practical measures achieved by following philosophical management theories such as Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X focuses on the negative perception of human beings that renders them lazy and childlike. The approach believes that for a real objective to be realised, the workers, in this case, need to be subjected to harsh punishments like a decrease in their wages or redundancies if they do not perform. Theory Y, on the other hand, assumes that human being does not hate work. Their productivity, however, relies on the company's nature of labour and management. Proper management includes involving the staff in essential decision-making processes such as cost-cutting measures. The Chaotic Theory of business management informs all employees that change is inevitable and explains to them that the well-being and profitability of the company depend on the cost-cutting measures put and why they are in place. Involving them in making this decision will make them feel that their input is valued and will stop unsatisfied mumblings.

References

Cheryl Conner, C., 2014. 6 Ways To Increase Employee Morale And Performance (Without Giving A Raise). [Online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2014/09/11/6-ways-to-increase-employee-morale-and-performance-without-giving-a-raise/2/#640bf526ea64[Accessed 27 Feb 2018].

Drucker, P. F., n.d. The Theory of the Business. [Online] Available at: https://hbr.org/1994/09/the-theory-of-the-business [Accessed 27 Feb 2018].

ECONOMY WATCH, 2010. Business Management Theory and Concept. [Online] Available at http://www.economywatch.com/business/business-management-theory.html [Accessed 27 Feb 2018].

Hawthorne, M., n.d. Management Theories & Concepts at the Workplace. [Online] Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/management-theories-concepts-workplace-17693.html [Accessed 27 Feb 2018].

Olum, D. Y., n.d. MODERN MANAGEMENT THEORIES AND. [Online] Available at: http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/AAPAM/UNPAN025765.pdf [Accessed 27 Feb 2018].