Employee Happiness Matters More than You Think - Assignment Example

Lower productivity because of employee disengagement costs over $300 billion in the U.S. per year (Amabile & Kramer, 2012). The matter of employee dissatisfaction is the real cause for lower-income at DrainFlow. Many desired behavioral outcomes are associated with job satisfaction.

Using job characteristics theory, explain why the present system of job design may be contributing to employee dissatisfaction. Describe some ways you could help employees feel more satisfied with their work by redesigning their jobs.

It is not always the job design that is the reason for dissatisfaction with a job. DrainFlow needs to look at its workforce. Research suggests that young people tend to show more dissatisfaction with their jobs than older people (Hodson & Sullivan 66). If their plumbers are relatively young then it could be a reason for dissatisfaction. Moreover, the company also needs to look at its workforce’s tenure. If the same people are at the same job for too long then they tend to show more dissatisfaction. People who are fresh at their jobs are enthusiastic about new challenges (Hodson & Sullivan 66). The case also suggests that the company cuts costs by hiring a minimum workforce. It means people are doing tasks that otherwise get delegated to other departments in the company. The company should reconsider hiring fresh plumbers who seem excited about their jobs. The company should also look into hiring more employees to disperse the work burden.

Reynaldo has a somewhat vague idea about how to implement the cash rewards system. Describe some of the specific ways you would make the reward system work better, based on the case.

The rewards system is a good idea. The only thing that the company should be careful about is its effective implementation. If there are only a handful of employees winning the cash over and over again, it will further discourage other workers. They will start blaming the administration for having favorites in the company. It would be better to have this financial reward system intact along with a quality assurance department. This department will make sure that people are actually improving on average in terms of their productivity.

Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using financial incentives in a program of this nature. What, if any, potential problems might arise if people are given money for achieving customer satisfaction goals? What other types of incentives might be considered?

The reward plan should be based on promoting the company’s values and vision. The administration should always relate this reward system with the company’s core values. The aim of rewards management is to reward people for the value they create (Armstrong & Murlis 4). As discussed earlier, the reward system can potentially discourage the people that are unable to achieve that benchmark. Other types of rewards include a promotion, vacation, or additional parking space.

Create a specific plan to assess whether the reward system is working. What are the de- pendent variables that should change if the system works? How will you go about measuring success?

Customer feedback is the best way to measure the success of the reward system. Company survey suggests that only 60% of their customers feel satisfied with their job and they would like to hire the plumbers from DrainFlow again. If this number improves after implementing the reward system then it will clearly indicate its success. The dependent variables will be different for all four departments.

What types of hiring recommendations would you make to find people better suited for these jobs? Which Big Five personality traits would be useful for the customer service responsibilities and emotional labor?

People who are relatively younger are better suited for this job. Fresh candidates usually put extra effort into their jobs. Compassion, helpfulness, and diligence are the most useful personality traits. People do not only want a skillful plumber, they need a polite, calm, and sensible person. The plumbers and the CSRs on the phone are company representatives. If they behave badly, they are maligning the name of the company. Read More