Job Satisfaction for Western Regional Municipality Employees - Research Proposal Example

Proposal Plan The of this research is to give assessment and to analyze the status of job satisfaction for WRM employees which is a very important aspect in any organization. Choosing this particular topic for a study has serious background as overall satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the employee regardless of the position can greatly influence a number of ratios related to productivity, level of efficiency and as a result – the ability or disability to be competitive and sustain profitability. The researcher aimed at detailed analysis of the questionnaire using concepts, theoretical base and approaches in a field of management in order to outline the main problems, identify them and think of the appropriate steps to be taken. As a result a sound decision making process will lead to a certain behavioral actions and managerial measures which are to be followed by overall performance improvement. Literature review This study is aimed to discuss a problem that has become very significant and it concerns the status of job satisfaction in the Western Regional Municipality. The main reason to discuss and concentrate on this question is that it is the background of any healthy organization which is to influence the success of the organization in many ways. The importance of this very topic can be described by its magnitude. The state of job satisfaction of the employees can have a double effect, influencing the internal ecosystem of the organization - employee as the individual as well as the relationships and general atmosphere between coworkers. The external area falling under influence of satisfaction ratios is concerning general performance of the organization, its profitability and efficiency, strategic objectives fulfillment and consequently client’s attitude. In the process of research much attention should be drawn at theoretical base, standards and approaches, concepts of leadership in order to execute beneficial management. Numerous researches have been made considering job satisfaction and many companies were studied carefully in order to collect relevant information. As a result a number of articles have appeared drawing the light on this question and disclosing main reasons why employees can become subject to being satisfied or dissatisfied. The others have outlined the main factors that are to influence the state of satisfaction among employees one way or another. Any worker is a complex personality which has to be considered and treated individually. Supervision and monitoring of the employees can be executed through well-established connection between senior management and administrative workforce. The mental health and psychological state are to be examined on a constant basis. Unfavorable workplace condition along with personal issues like stress will lead to decrease of productivity thus making healthy workforce an important feature regardless of the age. The authors also stress on the tight relations between the state of satisfaction of clients and the mistakes within the production process and offer a particular methodology that makes it possible for managers to identify the problem, make a deep analysis and make a suggestion to eliminate and prevent system and human-related issues. A lot of attention is paid on the quitting nature of the employees and hazards that provoke this phenomenon. Disrespectful attitude towards any of the aspects such as gender, religion, race and inappropriate communication are closely related to the quitting intentions of the employees; in this case timely determination of the problem along with motivation measures are vital. The studies made in the field of healthcare resulted in findings concerning the importance of motivating factors. The lack of rewards and monetary benefits can result in employee’s personal dissatisfaction or even depression thus it makes appreciation measures as well as the favorable atmosphere and harmony among workers one of the main backgrounds of sound business. One of the major positions is occupied by psychological state of the employee originated by factors such as stress, job demand, levels of support and control and the authors stress on correlation between these factors and satisfaction state. Among numerous factors of influence mentioned by the authors of the article, much emphasis is made on management of human resources implying various processes such as training, development programs, establishing sound circumstances for teamwork and communication. The literature used in this research, specifically the articles discussing factors influencing state of job satisfaction of the employees is to show that professional management with amount of skills and knowledge in this field is the key to increase effectiveness of the employees and enhance the general performance of the company. Human nature is complex and regardless of the age, gender or position there are issues on day-to-day basis that are to affect performance. Various methodologies and schemes are to be used constantly by management in order to establish reliable feedback with workers to trace the state of satisfaction systematically. Theoretical basis implying standards and regulatory material in management are to assist in the process of formation of healthy environment within company and to inspire people for innovations. Researches made on this topic are to help managers to sustain profitability and successful performance on basis of happy workforce – motivated and led by goals. Previous experience should be taken into account nevertheless human factor is changeable, generations come and go and within the metamorphosing business world there are more and more new issues to emerge, more situations still unstudied. Thus continuous researches in this matter are to prove useful in creating measures to fight any kind of problem. Methodology The main aim of this study is to determine and to analyze the state of satisfaction for WRM employees. For this purpose a number of methods in data collection is being used to get the most reliable and relevant information to assess this issue. For this particular work the researcher applies descriptive and correlational methods. The descriptive method will be executed with the help of questionnaires, interviews and observation that are available. Correlational research method in comparison to descriptive method is to show the relationship and dependence between two variables. Thus it would be plain to see the connection between state of satisfaction and the factors of influence using facts and figures from questionnaires. The research population is the WRM employees which are about 940 people, residing different positions. The researcher uses the stratified method of sampling as the most appropriate as employees are divided into strata which are to be compared and analyzed taking into account diversity of functional categories. As for the data this research is based on primary information, collected through questionnaires, interviews and observations. This technique of data collection has its advantages such as validity and reliability and helps to draw the realistic picture of the state of satisfaction and more than that employees have a chance to make suggestions and share their own opinions on the ways to improve performance of the organization. Findings and Results While working on this study researcher uses primary data such as a number of questionnaires and interviews, containing answers of the employees of the WRM. A lot of clarifying questions had been put in order to scan the working environment considering different aspects including salary, the level of control, the availability of support on different levels, and all the other components that affect overall satisfaction. Through analyzing of the ratios and percentages it will be possible to outline the main problems of WRM human resources department and afterwards to form methods and approaches to applied to deal with different problems that had been identified. This is to show the opportunity for the management to involve employees in the research process and to dwell on the specific aspects that are in need to be fixed. Sheet №1. The Qualitative Structure of the WRM Employees The first sheet of the satisfaction questionnaire gives a percentage of people categorized by gender, nationality, working experience in WRM, age and academic qualification. This aspect gives and outline of diversity of staff and the background of it and each of these categories are basis for a certain behavior and opinion. Taking into account the gender percentage it is plain to see that more men are involved in the number of WRM employees than women. This is a result of a specific work that is to be done implying workload and certain services provided that are more suitable for men in physical sense. As for the nationality the ratio displays that a number of local people exceeds the number of expat. The reason to this might be that the working circumstances are designed in a way to give a special attitude towards cultural habits of the local people and little concern is shown about establishment of communication and sound environment for the foreigners to adapt. The chart describing year experience in WRM is the evidence of the fact that the dominant percentage of employees has a tendency to work less than 10 years. This is to show that after a certain period of time employees haven’t been motivated enough and they find themselves seeing no perspective ahead and practically no reason to keep the job as the process of development stands still. As for the age aspect WRM prefers employees of an average age which might thank to physical constraints issue and putting together age aspect with academic qualification it is obvious that HR department is interested in young but highly qualified workers with a perspective for future growth. Thus WRM should make efforts in creating circumstances for women, providing them with appropriate jobs, create programs for people of older age and physical constraints and think of promotion process along with motivation measures for the worker to see the perspective and have a will to work. Sheet №2. Job Aspects The second sheet is job aspects and it is to give the outline of the average satisfaction of the WRM employees based on identifying themselves within the organization and assessing their own perception of the work in general as well as compared to other co-workers. Looking at the average rating of the chart we see that the maximum number of people said that their functional grade is equation compared to colleagues. This means the staff is structured in a way that gives a chance for all the employees to be in equal conditions and thus this creates circumstances suitable for development leadership skills. The minimum number of people said that the organization and department is proper and good. This means there are systems errors connected with communication and lack of stimulation and motivation. Looking at the overall numbers of satisfied and dissatisfied employees it is important to point out that considering job aspects people show tendency to be more satisfied rather than not. They are working in equal conditions; they are not overloaded with tasks which might lead to stress. In general, people have a firm idea of the work they are doing and are provided with certain stability. This particular chart indicates that a number of satisfied employees is dominant. The management succeeded in establishing connection between employees and administration so that major part of staff feels good about the tasks assigned and the general atmosphere within organization. And still a number of disappointed workers is to show more efforts in motivation and appreciation must be made. Sheet №3. Salary and Promotion Aspect The third sheet is to display salary and promotion aspects. These ratios are to show the level of appreciation of the employees and measures taken to get people interested in the job. Maximum number of people said that municipality has a reward system and a program of incentives. This means municipality uses every chance to show its workers they are appreciated and the work they do is highly valued. Thus employees feel that organization cares about them and this leads to a certain trust and confidence within stuff. This motivates workers to make progress and do their best to show better performance results. The minimum number of workers said that they are satisfied with a monthly salary compared with the amount of work. WMR should consider the question of salary on systematic basis, as there is a misbalance between the amount of tasks and time spent and the money paid. This may lead to personal issues like depression as the employee doesn’t feel his day-to-day work is appreciated in appropriate way. Generally speaking, this chart shows that the number of dissatisfied people in salary aspects exceeds the ones who are satisfied. WRM management must establish a certain balance between work and salary through tasks allocation among all the workers or increasing the salary. It goes without saying that rewards are beneficial and serve as a motivation but everyday work has to be valued. In order to do this a certain policy should be provided where work done and salary are in certain proportion. Sheet №4. Management and Supervision Style Aspect The fourth sheet describes management and supervision style which is to show the real picture of how employees of WRM perceive the senior managements. These ratios are to indicate the level of communication and the amount of support managers provide in pursuit of effectiveness and profitability. The chart shows that the maximum number of people claim that there is adequate follow-up of direct managers and department-on training. This is an indicator that senior management is interested in success of the employees and numerous training and educational programs take place on a regular basis to enhance effectiveness. Managers succeed in displaying leadership skills which inspire their employees to work for the result. The minimum number of people said that they are satisfied with the collective spirit within organization and department. This situation is to show that attention was focused on relationships between workers and management but little efforts were made to establish sound communication between workers. Taking into account the numbers in this chart it is worth mentioning that participative management techniques should be involved in the process to enhance collaboration and inspire people to work in team to achieve a single goal. Apart from being a guide, manager is supposed to be involved in a process and serve as authority for the employees of WMR to accomplish the work. Consequently this is a typical situation when a company is provided with highly qualified workers at different levels but communication methods which appear to be crucial need to be fixed. Sheet №5. Work environment Aspect Work environment aspect plays a very important role. Due to the fact that the workforce is made of different people and each of them is complex organism, individual in behavior, habits and perception. And it is very important to constantly monitor the state of satisfaction in this aspect as it influences to a great extent the overall performance. The WRM work environment chart shows that maximum number of people said that they are satisfied with the facilities such as prayer room and cafeteria. The psychological state of the worker is very important and social protection that WMR displays a certain level of appreciation of the worker as the personality with his needs and habits. When employee feels he is taken care of whether it is a need to pray of have a sound lunch there will be no place for depression, carelessness or stress. The minimum number of employees said that their department and organization are provided with open-door policy. Apparently WRM displays severe hierarchy and the lack of transparent relationships through direct communication with senior workers and employees. This policy is very favorable and would prove useful for the WRM as employees would be encouraged to come up with ideas and offers at any time and thus the environment of trust and mutual respect would be established. Consequently management of WMR is to make efforts in establishing feedback with workers at all levels and to be able to hear and understand the thoughts of the employees as sometimes among average workers there is one genius that needs to be listened to. Sheet №6. Career Growth and Improvement Aspect The sheet number 6 stands to describe a very essential aspect such as career growth and improvement aspect. Working on an organization without seeing any perspective is useless because it is hardly possible that a worker will stay for too long. In order to be happy a person needs to grow and develop constantly, the same is to be done within an organization. The chart in question shows that a maximum number of people claim that training courses offered are appropriate for the job and employees are satisfied with them. Apparently employees have a chance to see for themselves that courses prove useful to them and concrete progress is evident. Thus it is hardly possible for the employee to be dissatisfied in case he sees that management cares about his development as a professional. The minimum number of employees said that the staff proposals contribute to the training needs and training plan construction. Once again, this aspect also displays the lack of appropriate communication between departments and different levels. The chart proves that generally employees are happy with the training programs but nevertheless this process would be more efficient if the senior management would have been more attentive to the opinions of their workers. And more trustful and easy way of communication would be extremely helpful to form and apply the best training techniques. This is another evidence of the fact that open-door policy is the key to successful management and adequate decision-making process in pursuit of high level effectiveness. Sheet №7. Work System and Policies Aspect This sheet is dedicated to discussing work system and policies aspect of WRM in perception of its employees. This aspect describes how WRM is organized, what are the regulations and policies within organization and how they influence workers at all levels and their overall performance. This chart shows that maximum number of people claims that they are satisfied with taking the positive evolution of new ideas that work and are applied quickly. This means that WMR managers and senior workers are open to new ideas and development of the innovative process. The flexibility of an organization gives a chance to adapt and go with the flow within business environment that changes every day. The minimum number of people claims that they are happy with the possession of power and responsibility in the job. This is to indicate that within the WMR environment there are certain restrictions and constraints regarding production process and employees are provided with a certain limited amount of working approaches and tools in pursuit of the main goal. Thus an average worker might not have an opportunity to use all his potential to express himself in context of his work. In this matter managers should provide for freedom for the employees; more transparency has to be involved as employees have to take active part in decision-making process concerning his duties and responsibilities. The policies and regulations have to be formed in democratic terms where there is always a chance for the worker to express ideas and be heard. Sheet №8. Elements of Management and Strategy Job Satisfaction The sheet number 8 is final and it is to summarize the elements important in management and strategy practice and a certain range of importance has to be established in order to outline the most and the least important aspect that is to influence the overall performance. All the aspects being listed are the essential elements referred to different verges of the management practice. All of them has a certain impact on the WRM organization and is to influence working environment. The importance rating is as follows: 1. The aspect which is the most important and occupies the first place is the principle of effective participation. The employees must have an opportunity to take active part in making decisions directly related to their position and tasks. This will start the chain of transparent and healthy changes within working environment. . 2. Training and development – is the key to evolution and progress 3. Annual appraisal system – as a tool of motivation and appreciation 4. Clear procedures and policies – the right path for transparent and reliable communication 5. Incentives and bonuses system – show the work is appreciated and employee is highly valued 6. Effective communication with top management – is the way to establish trustful relations 7. Justice and equality among workers – the policy of fairness where each worker has equal chance to succeed 8. A sense of security and job stability – having all the above mentioned elements put together and this will result in the general feeling of safety and confidence in tomorrow. Results and Findings Summary The detailed analysis of the questionnaires, interviews and surveys used in this research gave a chance to collect the most relevant information directly from employees, compare the answers of the employees concerning each aspect and as a result certain findings were achieved. The state of satisfaction transformed in figures makes gave possibility to make adequate assessment of the problems within WMR, identify them and offer a number of steps and approaches to prevent these issues in the most efficient way. The main problems within WMR organization are referred to communication and the open-door policy. The senior management does pay attention and is interested in professionals but it is very important to realize that a professional without certain working environment cannot express himself to the full and give 100% quality. The lack of transparency and proper communication affects the performance of the team. More democracy and flexibility should be involved in management process and employees must be free to make suggestions and express ideas. WMR is good at casual rewards but more attention must be paid to salary issue and the balance between work and money. Employee has to understand that the everyday job is valued. A salary policy is to be applied to establish harmony and prevent being overloaded and underestimated. WMR management must bear in mind the idea, that in pursuit of success and effectiveness human factor plays a crucial role and it contributes to a great extent to performance of the team and profitability of the organization. A highly qualified employee is a rock that needs to be transformed into a diamond. And the verges of it are formed by these aspects. Easy communication, well-established feedback between different departments, openness to new ideas and offers and ability to work in team are the main principles for WMR to escape the problems and prevent their possibility. Recommendations Taking into account data collected from questionnaire sheets it is plain to see that the major part of the WMR employees are satisfied with different aspects of their job. But still there is a number of people who are not satisfied which keeps the world turning and makes people change. There are several recommendations for the WMR management department in order to eliminate problems detected in process of questionnaire analysis. First and foremost: A number of approaches have to be applied to enhance communication both among workers as well as between senior management. It is necessary to execute supervision and monitoring on a constant basis using questionnaires. Collective measurements and activities are to be applied in order to enhance teamwork. All the employees must be in equal conditions and circumstances which will give a chance to the employees to feel free in using their potential to the full. Management in its turn must be flexible and reduce the constraints to the minimum. Managers must express interest in the opinion of each worker and be able to hear. A sound and favorable atmosphere within WMR organization must be established taking into account personal needs and requirements of the workers. A person should not be overloaded with tasks and must have a chance for an adequate recreation and rest. And finally, each employee must feel that he is an important member of the team and he is respected and highly valued. Provided with an opportunity speak and argue, to participate actively in the decision making process will increase the state of satisfaction among the employees of WMR. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is a method designed to assess the companies’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats which are engaged in business. WMR is viewed as a complex organization involving a diversified infrastructure and the same diversity is related to people who are engaged in working process. Thus the strengths of the WMR are: Young and highly qualified professionals Proper training and educational programs The weaknesses of the WMR according to the questionnaire are: Lack of sound communication within staff Balance between work and salary Lack of motivation programs Limited opportunities in expressing opinion The opportunities of the WMR are: A perspective of establishing open-door policies Exchanging of ideas and experience to enhance production process The threats of the WMR are as follows: A possibility of quitting intentions Conclusions In era of innovation and technology progress brings changes into the world of business every day. Companies and corporations undergo transformation into mechanized productions. But nevertheless human factor remains vital and management does its best to provide workers with the best surroundings to reach their satisfaction. Using WMR as a specimen for the research pointed out that apart from hiring professionals and providing them with tasks a huge work is to be done in question of establishing favorable atmosphere of trust and reliable communication. The fact is that a dominant number of the employees are satisfied with the working ecosystem but nevertheless the lack of human attitude is evident. Considering each employee as an individual, showing descent respect to his perception of his job, timely assessment and decision making will improve the state of satisfaction of the WMR employees as well as its overall performance. Read More