Work Arrangements of Woolworth Corporation - Literature review Example

1.0 Introduction The success of a company is dependent on the efforts of its human resources. At Woolworth Corporation the company created a corporate culture where the employees work extremely hard to increase the profitability of the firm. Despite the financial achievements of the company there are underlying problems with the operation that could affect its ability to operate efficiently in the future. A major problem at Woolworth is the excessive hours the administrative staff are working. When employees are pushed beyond their limits it leads to stressful business environments, health issues, inefficiencies, and potential worker liability. This literature review analyzes the problems associated with overworking employees and provides alternative solutions. 2.0 Workaholics When employees work beyond a normal 40 hour week people sometimes develop an addiction to work. These types of employees are workaholics. According to a study performed at the University of North Carolina about one-fourth of the American workforce suffers from “workaholism” which is defined as a compulsive need to work at the expense of everything else in one’s life (All the Work and no Play Makes Your AP Staff Less Productive, 2008). When people put in extra hours at work it does not necessarily mean they are being more productive. These workers are typically exhausted from the excessive work load. They become more inefficient as a consequence and it takes them longer to accomplish tasks. Giving your employees excessive work tasks is not a sound business strategy and is actually counterproductive. In the United States businesses lost nearly $150 billion last year due to overworking their employees (All the Work and no Play Makes Your AP Staff Less Productive, 2008). 2.1 Health problems associated with overworking Overworking employees is detrimental to both the company and to the health of the employees. Overworked employees developed health issues such as panic attacks, headaches, tiredness, fatigue, sleeping disorders, irritability, and chronic stress among others. These health issues many times cause employees to lose work days due to sickness. When employees are overworked they lose motivation in the workplace and their job performance suffers. Overworking create a hostile business environment in which the employees feel consumed by the long hours they have to put in everyday. Employees that suffer from work related stress are susceptible to weight loss and to developing bad habits such as caffeine and nicotine addiction (News from Personnel Today, 2009). These addictions cause the employees to take extra breaks from work in order to feed the habit. A person that is a victim of overwork becomes frustrated and at times the person feels like they are losing control over the lives because they don’t have a proper work-life balance. The family life of overworked employees suffers because the workplace is taking away an extra couple of hours a day. 2.3 Productivity issues The job performance of the workers is extremely important for the success of a business. Since the start of the global recession last year there have been a lot of layoffs of employees. Many employers are committing the mistake of assuming a compressed staff can perform the same work output. The overworking of employees is a symptom that is spreading across America. According to Butler (2005) 54% of American workers feel that they are overworked. Companies that overworked their employees are damaging the corporate culture of the company. These employees begin to resent their workplace. Such an employee does not have the proper motivation to contribute more than the minimum. The overworked employees lose their creativity and their ability to concentrate. If employees are pushed to produce beyond their limits the company is going to receive a declining work quality from them (Breaking out of “Internal Prisons”, 2005). Also these employees are not able to benefit from professional development opportunities because their excessive workload does not provide the person the time needed to get involved in activities to improve their skills and abilities. Companies that overwork their employees are forgetting the importance of developing human capital. In order to increase the performance of the employees companies have to improve the capabilities of their staff. 3.0 Flexible schedules and alternative work arrangements The first step towards finding viable solutions in a company faced with employee overworking issues is to accept the existence of the problem. Companies must look for ways to remedy the situation in order to satisfy the needs of the employees. It takes time and money to properly train employees, thus businesses do not want to lose their employees. When a staff is overworked the chances of the employees leaving for a better job situation increase. An alternative solution to deal with over working employees is flexible schedule and the utilization of alternative work arrangements. Flexible schedule or flex-time is a human resource practice that gives the employee some daily choice in the timing of their work commitments (Schermerhorn & Hunt & Osborn, 2003). Employees do not have to worry about the regimen of a fixed schedule and the detrimental effects overtime has on the body. Employees that suffer from excessive work hours hate their situation because they do not have any time for themselves. Flex-time gives the employee the ability to leave work during the middle of a traditional shift and come back later in the day to make up the hours. For example a single mom that has the obligation to pick up their kids in the early afternoon can schedule her hours to have two hours off in the afternoon to take care of her family responsibilities. An alternate work arrangement that can help companies deal with overworking issues is telecommuting. Telecommuting is a work arrangement in which the employees are able to perform work from the comfort of their homes. A company that identifies employees that are being overworked can reduce the work hours of these employees by assigning them work to take home. When an employee enters into a telecommuting work arrangement they must set up a home office that with the help of latest communication technology is able to link itself to the company information network. The employee is able to keep in touch with coworkers by using technological advances such as instant messaging. The stress associated with working excessive hours in the one location is reduced when employees enter into telecommuting work arrangements. 3.1 Improving the corporate culture Companies must change their attitudes and policies in order to deal with overworked employees. Since working becomes an addiction it is the responsibility of the company to help the employees deal with the problem. A company that changed its philosophy to deal with overworked employees is Motek Corporation, a Beverly Hills software firm. The company offers five weeks paid vacation and it gives the employees an extra $100 bonus for travel expenses. In addition the company offers a financial vacation package incentive of $5000 for hotel, luggage, car rental, and other vacation expenses if the employee takes at least three consecutive weeks of time off (Butler, 2005). The work environment has to be changed in order to ensure people enjoy their time at work. Sometimes small initiatives such as free donuts allow the employees to relax and share time with their co-workers during break times. Increasing the amount of breaks employees receive during the work day is a good way to keep the energy of the employees up when they have to work long hours. Communication between the employees and the managerial staff is very important. Managers have to take time to talk to the employees and provide them with support. The efforts of the employees should be recognized and rewarded. A good way to build company spirit is having monthly company sponsored activities such as a company picnic, baseball game, or a party. 4.0 Conclusion and recommendations. In the competitive business environment of the 21st century companies have to look for ways to improve their operations to stay ahead of the competition. Exploiting employees by overworking them is not the answer. Overworking employees is a counterproductive strategy because it decreases their productivity, leads to health related problems, and can lower employee motivation. Since overworking employees can negatively impact an operation companies have to be proactive when dealing with the issue. Improving the work environment is a good way to keep the employees motivated. The problem sometimes occurs because people become addicted to work. We are not robots and the human body and mind needs rest. The government has laws in place that protect the workers. In China for example the employees can only work 36 extra hours per month beyond their weekly routine. Companies have to monitor and control better the amount of hours their employees work. Businesses have to become more flexible in their dealings with employees. Alternative work arrangements such as telecommuting are a way to obtain work output from employees without the need for the person to be in the physical facilities of the business. Successful companies realize that human capital is its most valuable asset. The business practice of overworking employees hurts their ability to perform at a high level, decreases job satisfaction, and increases employee turnover rate. References All Work and no Play Makes your AP staff Less Productive (2008). Managing Accounts Payables, 8(1). Retrieved September 19, 2009 from EBSCOhost database. Breaking Out of “Internal Prisons” (2005). Teller Vision, 1331. 5. Retrieved September 19, 2009 from EBSCOhost database. Butler, K. (2005). Faced with worker burnout employers pay employees to get away. Employee Benefits News, 19(7). Retrieved September 19, 2009 from EBSCOhost database. News from Personnel Today (2005). Occupational Health, 57(6). Retrieved September 19, 2009 from EBSCOhost database. Schermerhorn, J., Hunt, J., Osborn, R. (2003). Organizational Behavior (8th). New York: John Wiley & Sons. Read More