Employee Attitude and Work-Related Behavior - Case Study Example

Employee Attitude and Work-Related Behaviour By Professor Class University City Date of submission Employee Attitude and Work-Related Behaviour Introduction With the rising level of competition in almost every aspect business, institutions are beginning to realize the importance of having satisfied employees. From such background, the essay would be focusing on the analysis of employee and work related behaviours within Apple Inc. The company boasts of its market position in the manufacturing of quality electrical and electronic products that satisfy the needs of the customers. Apple products are quite expensive; however, the company guarantees the quality of services and satisfaction of the customers. Through the years, The Company has been focusing on building quality employees, ensuring their high levels of satisfactions, and commitment to ensuring the achievement of the desired results. In Apple Inc, the management of workers is an integral part of the management process. Moreover, to understand the vital significance that employees play within the organization, the company recognizes various human elements (Haile, 2015, 228). The company has a proper management structure that sees average employees as the root source of quality and productivity improvements. Considering the fact, the company do not major on the capital investment rather focuses on employees as the vital source of improvements. Every business is effective to the degree to which it achieves its desired goals. An effective institution often makes sure there is existence of the spirit of corporation, a sense of commitment, and high level of satisfaction with the sphere of influence. With the current high rates of employee turnover and floating working population, the company has been facing several challenges on the mechanism of knowing the employees to retain and gain their loyalty. For the analysis of satisfaction and commitment of the employees, Apple Inc. mainly uses the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory which involves physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization needs. Apple Inc. satisfies psychological needs through provision of reasonable refreshment break, physical comfort, and flexible work hours; safety needs through provision of base compensation, working environments, and benefits. Moreover, the company could still improve its job security, which eliminates the threats since most workers fear losing their jobs due to performances. Apple Inc. satisfies social needs through improving working environment, communication, and networking among the employees to improve a sense of belonging; esteem needs are satisfied by proving to workers responsibility for vital jobs, offering them promotional chances for higher job status, and recognition from the CEO. The company fulfils self-actualization through provision of creative and challenging works to the employees through the developed products. Relationship between job satisfaction, organizational commitment and job performance With the advent globalization, the major challenge for most organization is execution of effective human capital strategies to improve the performance of businesses. Consequently, due to “pressure to perform”, the value of satisfied workers is becoming more indispensable. Job satisfaction majorly describes the extent to which the workers are happy with their jobs. Moreover, job satisfaction is a pleasurable and a position state of emotion that result from the appraisal of the jobs and experiences.The level of job satisfaction direcly relate to the level f employees motivation. Most research often assume that positive attitude towards work and greater commitment of the organization increases job satisfaction level which in turn improve the level of performance. Consequently, with the increment in performance of the workers, there would be great influence on the organizational performance and ultimately the profitability (Babalola, 2016, 935). From simple definitions, organizational commitment refers to the strength of individual’s identification with and the involvement within an institution while attitude is a hypothetical construction representing the like or dislike of individuals for nay behaviour. The most studied variable is job satisfaction considering its significance within organizational behaviour. The satisfaction of the employees is priceless. Frustrations and discouragements among the employees could influence the willingness to do the job negatively. There is less commitment to the organization among the unsatisfied employees, which in turn affect their level of performance and eventually institutional performance. With the rising level of competition, organizations such as Apple Inc. are recognizing the significance of employee’s satisfaction and performance; as a result, businesses are developing their human resource capital in competing within the global market. However, some empirical studies do not endorse the link between job satisfaction and performance citing that it is not clear that either job satisfaction depends on job performance, or job performance depends on job satisfaction (Saari & Judge, 2004, 401). What the case might be but the supposition that workers considered to be attached emotionally to the organization tend to work hard is common and could provide justification for several institutional attempts to ensuring workers’ organizational commitment. Due to such popularity, attempts are made test empirically the assumptions of checking the significant relationship between job performance, satisfaction, and organizational commitment. From the reviewed literature, there is a positive relationship between attitude towards work, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment (Wang, Lin, & Yang, 2011, 99). However, such relationships are not coherent within the contemporary studies that job satisfaction contributes to performance or performance leads to job satisfaction. Changing nature of work, workforce, society, technology, and globalization effect on job satisfaction In Apple Inc. several factors contribute to the ever-changing patterns of work which organizational theorists point to two vital drivers: rising pressure on the institution to be more competitive, customer focused, and agile and opportunities associated with communication and information technology breakthroughs. Within the company, work is increasingly changing to short-term and renewable contracts based on performance, with long working hours, declining sense of loyalty among the workers to the employers, and intrinsic job security (Liu & Zhou, 2014, 130). As a result, there are repercussions on the health of the employees, the families, and the level of job satisfaction. Globally, the numbers of available job opportunities are limited compared to the rising levels of the workforce. Moreover, acquiring jobs depends on the level of experience and output, which might as well be difficult to guarantee. As a result, irrespective of the changing nature of works and available workforce seeking opportunities, Apple Inc. workers continue to show high levels of job satisfaction. Apple Inc. is a multinational company, which makes it, draw its employees from varied regions that exhibit differences in culture. Culture is critical in determining the level of employee satisfaction. Since the establishment of the company, Apple Inc. has been focusing on proving quality products that meet specific needs of the customers. However, the company often goes extra mile to ensure that it involves the members of the local communities through organizing communal events. These relationships make is easier for the company’s sales teams to interact with the local communities while doing promotions and market researches. The modern societies are concerned with environmental issues which the company participates in. the changing societies provides an opportunity for job satisfaction as it gives the employee the opportunity to display institutional products and services (Lange, 2008, 87). In a mid of increasing competition level, most companies are leveraging their services on high level of expertise to meet cunsumer needs and improve the level of efficiency. Through its Research and Development (R&D) Department, the company trains its employees on the advanced technological features which keeps them updated. With the stiff competition in the market, companies are seeking new areas of ventures across various international borders (Srivastava, 2004, 35). These cross boundary expansions contribute to globalization, which has impacts to both the organization and its employees. With many branches, the company increases its scope of operation and reaches to numerous customers, which in turn has positive effect on institutional level of profitability. To some extent, globalization allows promotion of employees across the boundaries that increase the level of job satisfaction in Apple Inc. Factors that influence an employee’s job satisfaction and organizational commitment Job satisfaction among the employees is important to ensure the achievement of the desired results. However, several organizational practices and employees behaviours affect such satisfactions. The management style used by the supervisor could have negative impact on the job satisfaction. Employee level of satisfaction tend to rise when the immediate supervisors I quite understanding, friendly, offer praise for proper performances, shows personal interests in the employees, and listens to the issues forwarded by the workers (Han, 2008, 87). The supervisors have the ability of influencing the nature of work. The nature of work satisfaction refers to the employee’s satisfaction concerning the type of job they undertake. Most employees often prefer jobs, which are challenging mentally with the ability of providing them with opportunities to utilize their skills and abilities and consequently offering freedom, variety of tasks, and provision on how well they are undertaking their roles. The formation of such specific goals, reinforcement of the desired management style and behavior, feedback on the progress towards such goals could assist in the stimulation of motivation and job satisfaction through the existence of an effective communication mechanism. The fewer the amount of distortions, incongruities, and ambiguities occurring within organizational communication, the more satisfied the workers would feel concerning their jobs. Working environment and co-workers could influence job satisfaction as well. The perceptions on the level of fairness are important determinants for the behaviour and reactions to work. The integration of employee needs and objectives affect employee motivation and organizational culture. Other influenced factors are work-life balance practices and physical work environment (Darr & Johns, 2008, 295). There is need for work to fulfill the social needs of the employees. Therefore, having friendly and supportive co-workers could lead to increased level of satisfaction among the employees. Personality of employee could as well affect the level of job satisfaction. Moreover, the coworkers, groups in which the employee belong to, and culture in which the worker is exposed to could have potential influence on the level of job satisfaction. In addition, specific characteristics on the job could lead to positive psychological states, for example, the experiencing the meaningfulness of the job, feeling of responsibility, and knowledge regarding organizational products of work which could, in turn, lead to job satisfaction. Through autonomy, the employees embrace the feelings of responsibility. Conclusion The essay focused employee attitude and work-related behaviours within the Apple Inc. context. Employees often acquire the knowledge on the product of work through job feedback. Through combination of these characteristics, there is definition of the scope and job complexity. High scopes often result in high levels of job satisfaction while low scopes lead to boredom and dissatisfaction. Employees are the greatest organizational assets; therefore, it is important that managers ensure effective human resource management that aim at building and sustaining the level of job satisfaction and organizational commitment of institution’s employees. Job satisfaction is an attitude that the workers have on their work and is based on various factors, which include both intrinsic and extrinsic to the individuals that the managers need to consider. Job satisfaction is important from different perspectives in ensuring that the managers maintain and retain the appropriate employees within the institutions. It is from such background that Apple Inc. has been focusing on fitting the right people to the right jobs within the right culture and ensuring their high level of satisfaction. In the present business environments, the major factors defining the markets are weak economies, the ever-changing technologies, re-engineering of the organizations, shortened length of employment, and outsourcing some peripheral business activities, which often affect the level of job satisfaction. Electrical and electronic industry from which Apple Inc. operates is a reflective of such environment. Under such circumstances, it is important that the managers concentrate on the mechanisms of removing different sources of dissatisfaction from the workplace with an aim of keeping the workers busy, productive, and satisfied. Consequently, the employees often need to take the responsibility of the satisfaction within the jobs to ensure the achievement of the required objectives. Job satisfaction is critical to high institutional productivity, low employment turnover, and motivation. In most cases, workers face numerous challenges in identifying the methods of increasing job satisfaction ensure their business remains highly competitive. The managers face challenges of maintaining high level of productivity, profitability and keeping the employees engaged and satisfied. The managers have the responsibility of creating high levels of job satisfactions. Provision of a motivating environment could give the employees a sense of pride in things they are able to do. The common ways used to ensure job satisfaction are provision of positive working environment, reward and recognition, involvement and increment in employee engagement, development of employee skills and potential, and evaluation and measuring of job satisfaction. References Babalola, S. S. 2016. The Effect Of Leadership Job Satisfaction, Style, And Employee-Supervisor Relationship On Job Performance And Organizational Commitment. JABR, 32(3), 935. Darr, W., & Johns, G. 2008. Work strain, health, and absenteeism: A meta-analysis. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 3, 293-318. Haile, G. A. 2015. Workplace Job Satisfaction in Britain: Evidence from Linked Employer-Employee Data. Labour, 29(3), 225-242. Han, Y. 2008. The Relationship between Job Performance and Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Goal Orientation. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 40(1), 84-91. Lange, T. 2008. Attitudes, attributes, and institutions. Employee Relations, 31(1), 81-97. Liu, J., & Zhou, J. 2014. The relationship between employee involvement and participation (EIP), organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Modern Engineering Solutions for the Industry (Set), 5(2), 122-132. Saari, L. M., & Judge, T. A. 2004. Employee attitudes and job satisfaction. Human Resource Management, 43(4), 395-407. Srivastava, S. K. 2004. Impact of Labour Welfare on Employee Attitudes and Job Satisfaction. Management and Labour Studies, 29(1), 31-41. Stride, C., Wall, T., & Catley, N. 2007. Measures of organisational commitment, job satisfaction, mental health, and job-related well-being: A bench-marking manual. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons. Wang, Y., Lin, G., & Yang, Y. 2011. Organizational socialization and employee job performance: An examination on the role of the job satisfaction and organizational commitment. ICSSSM11, 2(2), 97-102 Read More