Proposal for Problem at Work - Essay Example

One of its entrepreneurial ventures focused on health care considering the organization as the “market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being and pleasure with strong leadership positions in flat TV, male shaving and grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare” (Philips: Company Profile, 2011, par. 2). To provide continued service to its wide range of clientele, the Philips Emergency Call Center was designed to respond to medical emergencies through a medical alert service and a medication dispensing service with the ultimate goal of giving peace of mind to consumers.

Call center agents, called Lifeline Personal Response Associates, are available 24/7 to assist in responding to various medical assistance inquiries and provide appropriate interventions and support (Philips Lifeline Employment, 2011, par. 1). Statement of the problem Parallel to other organizations with diverse composition of personnel responding to various needs of clients, organizational problems normally ensue. At Philip Lifeline, the identified problems are as follows: (1) associates making mistakes in responding to calls due to any of the following factors: cell phone use (texting); noise level (associates being loud while taking a call; people having loud conversations; talking across the room); using work email; associates standing up when handling a call; and (2) associates rushing during calls due in response to increases in call volume to get bonus; to leave for scheduled breaks, and in a hurry to end the shift.

Analysis From the problems identified, it could be deduced that the root causes of the dilemmas are interferences that affect productivity (use of cell phones while taking calls, noise levels, and improper work decorum). Further, rushing in responding to inquiries due to various reasons could also be a symptom for lack of motivation and rewards in the workplace. In addition, the inability of management to address infractions or violations to company policies (using cellphone, emails while taking calls) makes these problems persistent and unaddressed.

Financial Analysis The financial condition of Philips Lifeline, as revealed in its official website contain information that indicate a decrease in net income during the first quarter of 2011 of EUR 63 million to amount to EUR 138 million, as compared to EUR 201 million in 2010. However, when sales by sector was reviewed, healthcare actually contributed to a 5% comparable growth rate from EUR 1,821 million in the first quarter of 2010 to EUR 1,971 million in the same time period for 2011 (Quarterly Report, 2011).

This simply means that the healthcare services encompassing the performance of associates posted positive growth despite the identified problems. More importantly, if these problems are properly addressed, greater performance and productivity would result to increase financial condition and success that would be reflected in positive financial growth and increased bottom line. Objections/Alternatives Given the problems identified and analyzed, as well as the information provided from the organization’s financial condition, the alternative courses of action that management could consider to address the problems are as follows: (1) review company policies and sanctions; (2) re-orient all employees on the organization’s code of discipline by communicating company policies