Organizational Behavior at Watson Public Ltd - Research Proposal Example

Name Class Unit Introduction Employee motivation and recognition is a very vital issue in organizations. In the workplace, employees yearn to be recognized by the management in their efforts. Organizations have also been formulating strategies that enable them to spend fewer resources and do more. One of the strategies is through having motivated workers. Employees’ recognition has been cited as one of the main motivators in employees’ performance (Saunderson 266). Employee recognition has been defined as the acknowledgment of an employee behavior efforts or results that advance the organisation goal that is done formally. In the competitive organisation era, recognizing the employees’ efforts have been hailed as the most relevant action. The employees have the potential for optimal performance, but using recognition, it triggers them. Not every employee is motivated by attractive salary and benefits; some are more motivated through other mechanisms such as recognition (Lawler 40). Failure to recognize the employee in an organisation may lower their morale and lead to reduced production. This case study analysis looks at the Watson Public Ltd a company which is well known for its welfare activities and employees oriented schemes for a long time and its problems in supplying materials over the past days. The analysis will establish whether poor employee recognition is the main cause of the problem. Literature review Human recognition has been recognized by several researchers as the vector for the employee motivation. Use of employee recognition has been used as an important binder in the organizational based relationships. Recognizing the employee has been established to hinder the psychological distress in the place of work (Jimenez 55). Several articles have cited employee recognition as the main mobilizing agent in employee engagement. An employee who is recognized in the workplace is able to enjoy job satisfaction. It have been established that in organizations, employees express their need to be recognized. Recognizing the employees is one way in which their feelings and emotions are addressed (Meyer & Herscovitch 310). The self esteem of the employees is also highly improved if they are recognized which leads to increased efforts towards the tasks. It have been established that employees who are highly motivated have less cases of absenteeism and their job engagement is high (Saunderson 264). A study proved that by praising an employee, the intrinsic motivation is boosted. It’s always important to recognize the employees by thanking them for their contribution. In an organization, the employees should be able to feel appreciated at all times for their contribution. The employees should be the first to be considered in case an opportunity arises based on their qualification and performance. If an employee is appreciated, they may feel obliged to reciprocate. It has been proved that employees may be forced to work hard to reciprocate the appreciation received. Though many studies looks at the wages as a vital motivational agent, it may not be powerful enough to trigger increase in work effort (Saunderson 261). The employee has a strong sense of belonging in the organisation if they are appreciated. Most of the organizations put a lot of efforts in ensuring that they are in close ties with their employees (Jimenez 55). The human resource management has been on the frontline to enable practices that help in retaining the employees. The studies done on the employees’ recognition have shown that it is an important factor in employee performance (Meyer & Herscovitch 314). Despite this, the field still requires more research as most of the studies are focused on other motivating factors. Methodology The analysis for the case study will utilize explanatory research. The research will use academic sources to explain why despite having well established welfare services and employee oriented schemes, Watson Public Company have been experiencing issues in supplying materials arising from employees. To explain this, the analysis will look for information from peer reviewed journals and compare different studies to come up with the best solution to the problem at the company. The argument that will be developed will be based on critical evaluation of different sources. The research will look deeply into employees’ motivation and the relationship between the employee recognition and performance. The case study will be analyzed critically and compared with the existing theory to come up with the conclusion. Case study The case study involves Watson Public Ltd Company which is known for its welfare activities and employee oriented schemes. The company is in the manufacturing sector. The company has been treating all the employees as equals and has 800 workers and 150 administrative and 80 in the management positions. All the facilities for the employees are same with the same infrastructure. The company has never lost an employee’s due to strike and have a single labor union. Though the employees are not highly paid, they do not complain due to the benefits that are offered to them. Over the recent past, the company has been experiencing issues related to supplying of materials. The issues experienced involve quality, mismatch, incorrect labeling and untimely dispatch among other issues. After the investigation by Human Resource on the issue, it is established that the issues are not due to the system but related to the workers. The casual approach by the employees have been due to the company hiring new employees for higher post levels without looking for potential candidate among the workers. The other issue was that the newly hired workers were having higher packages than the existing employees in the same positions. The case shows aspects of employee recognition versus employee equality (Indiaclass.com). Analysis Despite then company making the entire employee equal by providing same facilities and treatment, the employees are not satisfied (Indiaclass.com). The employees have started creating problems as they are not satisfied. The results from Human Resource investigations shows that the employees are not satisfied due to lack of recognition. The management employed new workers without looking for potential from the employees. The new employees are also paid higher salaries than the rest. As research suggests, employee recognition a vital organisation management tool and a basic need for the workers. There has been a growing need for employee recognition over the recent past (Meyer & Herscovitch, 304). It has been proved that worker engagement is improved through recognition (Jimenez 55). The employees in this case have lost engagement with the company tasks. The situation being experienced in the company is a form of boycott where the employees perform their duties with less enthusiasm. The employees may feel unwanted and may even come to a point of seeking new jobs. Employee recognition is a vector of motivation. In this case, the employees lack motivation as they are not recognized. The new employees have been given higher salaries despite having the same positions with some of the workers who are paid less. The employees may view this as a form of lack of appreciation for their work (Saunderson 265). Some of the employees may have stayed in the company for long time performing well expecting to be promoted. When new positions are filled with employees outside the firm, the employees who expected to be promoted became demoralized. Employee recognition should always be upheld in an organisation (Jimenez 55). As the study has indicated, poor employee recognition is observed as a risk factor in workers psychological distress. The employees in the company must have been psychologically distressed by poor recognition of their efforts. The fact that the management has gone for new recruitment makes the employees feel that their efforts and experience is not appreciated. Employee motivation needs more than workplace equality as seen in this case. The employees are all treated equally and enjoys a lot of benefits. The performance of the firm starts declining the moment, the employees feel they are not recognized. Human minds yearn to be recognized for their efforts. Social recognition serves a lot in enhancing employee well being (Jimenez 55). The existing employees’ feel that they have the talent required, hence they should be the first to be given priority in new positions. The slowdown in production is an indicator that the level of employees’ motivation is low (Saunderson 262). Slow down production have always been a form of strike. In situation where the employees are not satisfied in their work conditions and are not ready for a strike, they mostly result to slow down in production. The slowdown in production has adverse in companies which are seen later. Employees are more motivated by being recognized than being offered money. The employees in this case lacks motivated despite having all the amenities and benefits. Lack of recognition makes the employees feel like outsiders in the company (Jimenez 55). Organizations have been concerned in managing human resource in a manner that will enhance performance. The employees in their part expect the company to give a fair pay, fair treatment and a good working environment (Meyer & Herscovitch, 301). Despite this, employees still needs more to be motivated in their tasks as seen in this case. Employees expect rewards and recognitions to become motivated. Some of recognition programs are not successful while others are very successful. The level of employees’ recognition is in most cases related to their performance. If an employee makes a positive contribution to the company, the efforts must be appreciated to enhance performance. In this case, it seems some of the employees are qualified to have been selected for the positions. By considering the employees first, they would have felt appreciated. Successful organizations have well established employees’ recognition and rewarding systems (Appelbaum & Kamal 740). The case shows that employee’s recognition is an essential tool in encouraging the employees in their tasks. Recognition programs are important ways in which the employees can become more attentive to the organisation needs (Prendergast & Stole 1799). The employees need to be respected for their contribution and experience in their tasks. As a way of recognizing their expertise in the field, they should be the first to be considered for promotion. Most of the employee must have worked with the company for a long time establishing strong relationship and a sense of belonging. This means that these employees view the company as part of them and would feel rejected if they are not considered when new appointments are made. Another case raised in the case study is the fact that employee recognition is more important than employees’ equality. The company has succeeded in having equality among all employees (Indiaclass.com). There is use of similar uniform among the employees and all the facilities have similar utilities. The employees are thus all equal in aspects when it comes to their treatment. Despite this, the employees’ loss motivation the moment they are not recognized by the management. Recognition is an important aspect in an organisation whose impact can only be noticed when it is not availed (Saunderson 261). When employee recognition was eliminated thorough the hiring procedure, it was when the organisation noticed its impact. As proved by several studies, recognizing the employees increases their intrinsic motivation. In this case, recognizing the employees’ talent would have led to increase in their motivation. Conclusion The case study acts as a good example on the effect of employee recognition on job performance. The employee performance has been positively associated with the way in which the employees perform. The management should in future start by considering available talents before hiring new employees. The company has been standing on the employee equality to motivate workers and failing to recognize the importance of employee recognition. Employee recognition is one of the factors whose effects are felt when they are not present. It involves appreciating the employees for their efforts which are in line with company goals and strategies. The human resource manager is supposed to talk with the management on the issue and later discuss the reasons given with the employees. Employees’ have to be assured that the situation will not happen again in the organisation. There is also a pressing need to address equality in the salary. The new employees are paid more than the existing employees in the same cadre. By discussing these issues and resolving them, the company can eliminate the situation. In future, the company should always uphold employee recognition as one of their motivational factors. References Appelbaum, Steven & Kamal, Rammie. “An Analysis of the Utilization and Effectiveness of Non-financial Incentives in Small Business,” The Journal of Management Development, 19, 10(2000):733-763. Indiaclass.com. HRM case study 2, Human Resource Management Case Studies with solutions, Indiaclass.com, 2014. http://www.indiaclass.com/human-resource-management-case- studies/, 31 August, 2014. Jimenez, Reyez. “Managing Employee Retention through Recognition”. Training and Development Journal, 53, 10(1999):53-55. Lawler, Edward. Treat People Right. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc, 2003. Meyer, John. & Herscovitch, Lynne. “Commitment in the Workplace: Toward a General Model,” Human Resource Management Review, 11(2001):299-326. Prendergast, Canice. & Stole, Lars. “The non-monetary nature of gifts”. European Economic Review, 45(2001), 1793-1810. Saunderson, Roy. “Survey Findings of the Effectiveness of Employee Recognition in the Public Sector,” Public Personnel Management, 33, 3(2004):255-276. Read More