Employee-Employer Relationship - Research Proposal Example

Research Proposal Name: Professor: Institution: Course: Date: Contents Key Terms Used 3 Abstract 4 Introduction 5 Background Information 5 Literature Review 6 Aim of Study 7 Goals and Objectives of Study 7 Research Questions 7 Justification for the Study 8 Research Methodology 8 Sampling Design 9 Data Collection Tools 9 Questionnaires 9 Limitations 10 A Research Proposal On How Managers Gain Employee Trust And Improve Productivity. 10 Objectives and How to Achieve Them 12 Ethical considerations 16 Research Timetable 16 References 18 Key Terms Used Employer - a person who offers others work in return for payment. Employee - a person working for another person for pay. Enterprise - a business or a company. Manager- a person responsible for formulating the strategy in any given firm Abstract This research is based on research conducted globally and one that seeks to understand the employee-employer relationship and its direct effect on the employee productivity. The research will cover several sections that will include: A focus on the background information, the introduction to the study in the form of objectives and the problem statement that led me into undertaking the research, a review of the literature, that is, the subjects relevant to this research such as employee productivity, employee-employer relationship and a general overview of the work environment of any given business organization, the research methodology and the data collected analysis as well as the conclusion of the given project. This study was successful in trying to define the effectiveness of an employee productivity based on the employee and employer relationship. Introduction It is the goal of every business organization to gain profit and have perpetual succession. An organization can be defined as a consciously coordinated social entity, with a relative identifiable boundary, that functions on a relatively continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set goals and objectives1. The above definition can be broken down to give the components of any business organization which include the management which is represented by the consciously coordinated. It is the role of the management of the organization to offer sound leadership and guidance meant at steering the business organization to heights of success. To achieve set goals and objectives and this represents the employees of the particular business organization. Background Information Organization is more than a group of people but rather is a structure that has members interacting in a formal format. The structure defines how tasks are allocated, who reports to whom, and formal coordinating mechanisms and interaction patterns that will be followed2. The implication of this is that there will be top level management, the medium level management and the employees in the structure all working in coordination to achieve set goals and objectives. The Top level management is also known as the Strategic management and performs planning and strategy formulation for the business organization. It is concerned with the long range planning of the business which will determine the future of the firm. The next level of the management is the middle level management which is also known as the tactical management which is tasked with the mandate of monitoring the extent to which the goals and objectives that were set by the top level management are being achieved and the extent to which the policies and the decisions are being executed. The final level of management is known as the Operational level management which is concerned with the day to day running of the business organization. It is mainly concerned with deadlines, cost and quality control among various things in the organization. Literature Review The success of any business organization is dependent on the employee and employer relationship. A valued employee and employer relationship means first that the employees of the given business organization will feel at home and that they are owned by the particular business organization. Secondly, it will mean there will be less conflict at the place of work and a higher focus on productivity and employee output. In addition, it means that there will be quick decision making and a keener look at employee needs and finally there will be enhanced communication in the particular business organization. Communication is the backbone of any business organization as the knowledge and information flow will help first indecision making and also act as a catalyst for change in the organization in case the employees have any problems. Information in form of reports, memos, emails, texts all comprise of important components of any business organization as far as decision making is concerned. A good employer is one who is able to listen to the grievances of the employees and from that make sound decisions which are geared towards ensuring they have a good welfare. Employees on the other hand are supposed to reciprocate by being diligent in their work place and ensuring they offer quality services to customers and a dedicated service to the employee which will in turn see perpetual succession of the business organization over time. Aim of Study The aim of this research proposal is to come up with credible information that employers can use to ensure that there is improved employee and employer relationship as well as come up with credible solutions aimed at improving the already existing relationships. Goals and Objectives of Study Analyze existing employee and employer relationships based on studies conducted Analyze the performance and effectiveness of the current relationships against the expectations Come up with credible solutions and ideas that are meant to improve and enhance employee relationships with management To use the solutions and ideas generated to ensure better employee-management relationships are enhanced in business organization settings. Research Questions i. What is the business organization structure, its aims and objectives and area of specification? ii. What role do the employees play in the business organization and are they involved in key decision making? iii. What is the management-employee relationship as at now? The thoughts by both management and employees iv. Does the business organization need to re-evaluate its management-employee relationship? v. What suggestion can be offered to improve the employee and employer relationship in the business organization? Justification for the Study Organizations are time and again finding themselves in conflict between them and employees which at times leads to industrial action as the employees feel the management has suppressed them and being the aggrieved party’ result to court action hence this study seeks to suggest ways the relationship between the employees and the employers can be improved to ensure there is better employee productivity and most important that the management and the employees are in cohesion. Research Methodology In order to carry out a proper analysis of the situation in any given organization as regards to the relationship between employers and employees, it is important to collect data from the concerned organizations. This can be done with the aid of various data collection tools. When conducting a research two of the most common methods are the use of questionnaires and the use on interviews. In this it is important to first ensure we have a sample this is a number of people that we want to interview for the research. Sampling Design In this we identify the data we want to collect. What do we want to know about the particular organization in regards to the proposal? In this we can identify that we want to know how an organizations management relates to the various employees in it and how the employees feel about the current relationship based on the research questions that we had. We also identify the type and the size of the sample population that we want for the research and here we can identify a few employees and managers in the organization that can give us credible information as regards this. Here it may be decided if the researcher would like to use questionnaires or may prefer to use interviews to gather the relevant information. After identifying the sources of the data from the data is then identified as quantities in nature. Data Collection Tools Questionnaires A questionnaire is a set of questionnaire is a set of questions that are written or typed for the purpose of collection of data or information. They could either be structured, unstructured or semi structured in nature. Structured questionnaires require either a yes or no answer while semi structured contain both structured or semi structured questions. Unstructured questions are those that are open and allow the respondent to give answers based on the issue at hand. In this research a semi structured questionnaire would be most appropriate as it could offer flexibility to the respondent as well as ensure that the researcher conducting the proposal could exercise control over what answers were required for the above questions. In getting these answers the researcher could offer the management and the employee’s four questionnaires for every department. In addition to using interviews to gather the data, the researcher could also use interviews. Interviews are a set of both structured and unstructured that are prepared to be asked during the interview. The interviewer the jot down the answers offered by the interviewee or records the interview and retrieves the information that is offered for later review. Most interviews are highly successful as the interviewer is able to gauge the answers offered by the interviewee based on the attitude, sincerity offered and the body language. Interviews for this research can be used on the top management. In conducting the research, approaching people can be a major problem so to do this, the researcher needed a permit from the authorities to enable them conduct this research as well as in order to identify the best people to offer the answers for the research the interview needed o selectively select his sample. However, the data collection process was highly successful. Limitations Time is very much of the essence and the proposal would have been more comprehensive had there been enough time to undertake more and in-depth research on the issue. Another problem that arose was the issue of confidentiality. Most of the employees wanted their views kept under the wraps for fear of reprimand and backlash based on the views that they offered with regard to this research. A Research Proposal On How Managers Gain Employee Trust And Improve Productivity. In conducting the initial research, we asked a few research questions and collected data based on them to enable us answer the research questions. We asked ourselves what the employees thought about the business organization based on the current relationship. The respondents all suggested that the relationship was currently good but more could be done to improve it. On the other hand the management suggested that the relationship between the employees and the management was currently doing very well and that the needs of the employees were taken care all. The major concern for most employees was remuneration. The employees wanted to be fairly compensated for any works done overtime. In addition, they wanted there insurance schemes to be extend to not only cater for health but also cater for the education of their children by doing so the management will have gained the trust of the employees which will not only lead to more productivity but also a comprehensive relationship and direct benefit of the organization to the beneficiaries of the employees. The topic is relevant in that companies conduct social corporate responsibility to benefit the community around it but forget the employees. The research suggests measures that can be used by managers to improve the trust. Measures that can be used are by creating a good working environment for the employees. The employees need a safe haven where they can concentrate and apply the skills they have honed and hence productivity is increased. In addition, the firm can take direct responsibility for the families of the employees by offering incentives to them as far as health and education of the employee families are concerned. This will reduce the financial burden of the employees and hence help them concentrate on the work place even more. Another way the management can gain employee trust is by having open days for the employees where with no fear of reprimand the management can listen to the grievances of the employees and work for them. The open days can be on specific days of a month. More so, the management can have an employee ownership plan where the employees can buy shares in to the company making them have units of ownership in it which means working for the firm is working for themselves which will not only boost morale but also act as a way of rewarding employees. Rewarding employees through constant employee appraisal is another strategy that can be used to make the employees trust the employers and hence boost the company fortunes. Objectives and How to Achieve Them Analyze existing employee and employer relationships. This can be done first by the research and knowledge gained on the particular organizations manager and employee relationship. Based on the information above the objective was achieved. Analyze the performance and effectiveness of the current relationships against the expectations. The current employee and employer relationship could be rated as fair on the scales of the research conducted. However, its effectiveness is not questionable and has been the reason for the increased productivity in most firms. Come up with credible solutions and ideas that are meant to improve and enhance employee relationships with management. As stated above there were credible solutions that can be applied to bolster trust between the manager and the employee. To use the solutions and ideas generated to ensure better employee-management relationships are enhanced in business organization settings. The above solutions offered can be applied in any firm and see a sharp increase in the firm as a happy employee means a happy customer and ultimately a happy employer. In the literature review we covered on how a successful employee and employer relationship is key to the success of any business enterprise3. Gaining access to the relevant information for the study is an important part of the research as one will need to have information that is accurate and credible to ensure that the research moves on smoothly. In addition, it is important to have information that users can term as reliable and can use later on or can be used as a reference in subsequent research on the same topic. To gain this information, it is important first to contact secondary sources which will help one gather all the information they need on the topic. These secondary sources may include the internet and other digital resources as well as books that will give the researcher an overview of the topic under study4. In addition, to using secondary sources, the researcher can visit the primary sources which include conducting interviews and using questionnaires to gather information on their area of research which will make it relevant. To get informants to gather the necessary information, the researcher needs to conduct a background check and identify “hotspots” for information or areas where he can get all the information that they need. After identifying them, it is imperative that they distinguish the most credible sources with the least credible sources and from there they will harness all the data that they want5. In conducting the research, we shall use several methods that will include the use of semi-structured questionnaires and interviews in order to gather all the data needed for the research project. The research will be conducted in form of questionnaires for the mid level managers, operational management as well as the employees while the interviews will be meant for the top management which includes the CEOs, CFOs and other top decision makers with regards to the organization. As stated earlier the methods meant for the data collection will include semi structured questionnaires and interviews will be primarily the main methods that will be applied in data collection. The semi structured questionnaires will help in flexibility as well as they are appropriate methods for gathering the necessary data. As for the interview with the top management it will help first gauge the attitudes towards positive workmanship and relationship with the firm’s employee as well as give an overview of the firm’s strategy towards ensuring a strong relationship with the employees of the firm. The weaknesses of using questionnaires as a means of data collection is that they are limited and one cannot know the attitude of the employee while they are working. In addition, the questionnaires may be doctored and may not give the appropriate answers for the questions asked. However, they are quick and one can give answers of what they really want. In addition, they are permanent records and can be applied in the future for anyone conducting a similar research they can use the information. As for interviews, their major disadvantage is that both the interviewer and the interviewee are prone to bias and prejudice while asking the questions and the opinions given may not always be genuine. In addition, they are not a permanent record and cannot be referred to in the future. The interviewee is also prone to change of thought and interviews don’t give them chances to change their thoughts on the various issues. The sampling frame will be in three categories. The first being the analysis of what data needs to be collected and its importance. It is important for the researcher to identify keenly what data is most important to their research so that when they embark on the process of collecting it, the process will be easy and also make it easy to identify the best methods to apply I the data collection process. The other component important in establishing the sample size is the Type and size of the sample. Identify this makes the sampling process a whole lot easier and fast as well as help identify what method identified is useful and what sample will require special attention. The sample size also helps the researcher know how many respondents and outcomes are expected from the research as well as calculate in quantities research the expectations. However the above research is qualitative. The other very important component is the sources of the data. It is imperative for the researcher to identify the most significant source of data and what source has the likelihood of providing more data and information from the research as well as the most accurate data source from the research. After identification of the required sample size, the researcher can now embark on the data collection and analysis process which will be much easier having considered the frame. In the research the main sample frame should consist of mainly employees and the employers of any given firm. Research findings indicated that most organizations have a strong caring for the employees which is handled by the human resources department of most organizations. However, most employees feel that there is a need for a stronger bond between the managers and employees. The management felt that the need to have a strong relationship should not be a one way where the employees are the biggest beneficiaries at the expense of their work place. For every good job done at the work place, employees shouldn’t expect appraisals rather they should see it as their duty and feel proud of it. The research also intimated that most firms are taking the necessary measures to ensure that there is increased trust between the employees and the employers. Ethical considerations Social research consists of three main components; theory, data collection and the design for gathering data. Therefore, ethical implications have to be considered on actions required within these specific parameters. Contact will be made with management to explain the reasons and nature of my research to obtain authorization to proceed. Participation will be consensual and volunteers will be able to pick their preferred option, interview or questionnaire. For the purposes of this survey, I will preclude staff that work in my immediate vicinity to ensure there is no localized conflict of interest. Permission is to be asked to obtain statistical findings from relevant authorities. The research will be sensitive to data protection issues and no personal details of any kind will be included in the research. Research Timetable The current research will be conducted over s five-month period in which a stepwise approach will be used. The research has been allocated such time due to the fact that qualitative research requires enough time due to the kind of valuables that are involved. Month Activity Month one Issue requests for permission to conduct interviews with members of staff Month two Obtain statistical data Month three Evaluate primary and secondary data and set out this information in the form of a chi-squared test Month four Data will be carefully evaluated for analysis Month Five The write up of the report will be done and the report will be presented References CRESWELL, J. (2003). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications. BERG, BRUCE L., 2009, Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences. Seventh Edition. Boston MA: Pearson Education Inc JOUBISH, FAROOQ DR. (2009). Educational Research Department of Education, Federal Urdu University, Karachi, Pakistan PATTON, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (3rd edition). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications. ZEFFANE, W( 2004), Organisational Behaviour:A global perspective, 3rd edition, John Wiley Sons, QLD, Australia. STONE, R, (2005), Human Resource Management, 5th edition, John Wiley and Sons, QLD Australia.p 412-414 SHEFFRIN, M (2003). Economics: Principles in action. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458: Pearson Prentice Hall. COULTER M, (2003) Foundations of Management, Prentice Hall. FLORETTE, C., & Lee, J. (2009). Modern Attitudes Towards Employers by Employees . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Volume 97, Issue 2 , 290-306. MARCUS, K. L. (2010). Employee Rights at the workplace . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press STAUBER, R. (2010). Employment Worldwide 2010; General Analysis. The Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary studies (pp. 1-23). Tel Aviv: University Of Tel Aviv. BECHLER, J.G (2004). The Productivity Management Process. American Productivity Center. KENDRICK, J. CREAMER, D. (2005). Measuring Company Productivity: A handbook with Case Studies. The National Industry Productivity Board KENDRICK, J.W. (2004). Improving Company Productivity. The Johns Hopkins University Pres Read More