Employee Participation Verses Employee Involvement
Employee participation can be related to the pluralist approach to working. It understands that there are different groups and view points in the organisation (Befort, 2009). Therefore employee participation exists to reduce conflict.
It is achieved by giving employees opportunities to have a say in what decisions are made. New legislations now exist to ensure this is the case, giving employees in all organisations the right to receive consultations with employers or comities. The company must keep its employees informed of any important changes within the company.
Employee Involvement focuses more on encouraging all employees to think in the same way, and want the same results that the management want. This is a unitarist way of looking at organisations. Employers will look for individuals who will put commitment over conflict.
There are many good ways that employers can motivate their employees through involvement in decision making.
When a company issues staff with their own shares in the company, the employees may find they become entitled to a right to vote on company share holder decisions. Tesco reward their staff with shares, to motivate them, and make them feel more involved in the company.
Some companies will discuss the topic of work-life balance with their staff. The organisation may then find ways to improve this balance for the employees. For example, some larger organisations will run crèches and nurseries for the parent workers, so that they have a more convenient working life.
Corporate social responsibility creates a community within an organisation. Companies that agree to get involved and promote employee activities make their employees feel valued. The employees recognise that a wall has been removed between them and management, when the full organisation shows support in their interest (CIPD, 2010).
Social Networking
‘Twitter’ is a networking site which gets used by businesses for recruitment and communication. It has an application called ‘promoted tweets’ (Arthur, 2010). The application works a bit like the Google search engine, in that people can search Twitter for posts which relate to their needs.
Businesses have gotten on board with this. By creating profiles with notifications about certain needs, people can find the business, and get in contact. Also, the employer’s current employees can follow the businesses profile, and be updated about any new information in the company.
References:
Arthur, C (2010) Twitter unveils ‘promoted tweets’ ad plan. [online]. Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/apr/13/twitter-advertising-google [Accessed 4 May 2010]
Befort, S. F. (2009) Invisible hands, invisible objectives. 1st ed. Stanford: Stanford University Press
CIPD (2010) Employee communication. [online]. Available from: http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/comconslt/empcomm.htm [Accessed 4 May 2010]
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Monday, 3 May 2010
Reward
Rewarding Equally in an Organisation
From September 2007 to September 2008 I worked for a company called ABC Costume Hire.
The other staff and I would be rewarded with nice coffee, cookies, and other treats when sales and hires were high, to show that our place in the organisation was appreciated. We also received a 50% discount on all purchases, as well as free access to the costumes.
The managers would often take the staff out for dinner on special occasions. For example: Christmas, birthdays and leaving doo’s.
As the company was quite small, all the tasks were shared, and it was therefore hard to decipher who performed the best. However, this didn’t matter as the full organisation would be included in all rewards. People were happy to share rewards, as they were usually socially oriented prizes anyway.
This social atmosphere and the size of the company meant that everyone saw each other as friends as well as colleagues.
Rewards Despite Underperformance
Chief Executives are often known to receive large bonuses. Sometimes they receive them despite their organisation underperforming. Often this is seen as unethical, and frowned upon, but there are some pro’s to giving them bonuses despite poor performance.
The bonuses will encourage the executives to stay with the organisation, thereby reducing staff turnover.
It is easier to keep and motivate the same executives, rather than introducing new ones. New executives would have to be trained and gain experience in order to perform their role at their best. This would possibly be more costly than the bonus, and may result in an initial slump in performance from others in the organisation.
There may be an environmental or circumstantial reason why the organisation underperformed, and therefore the underperformance won’t have been the Chief Executives fault. It would not be fair to remove their reward because of reasons beyond their control.
There are, however, also reasons why the Chief Executives should not get the bonuses.
The money used for bonuses may have come from investors or tax payers. If an organisation being supported by public shares or the government is not making a justifiable profit, or increasing its share value, it cannot justify the bonuses.
If the company didn’t achieve the objectives, do the people in charge really deserve to be paid bonuses? If there is something wrong with their leadership skills, then they should not be in that position in the first place.
Rewarding Teachers
There are many financial and non-financial ways in which primary school teachers can be rewarded and motivated.
Financial rewards:
Receiving bonuses for high grades from students would be very rewarding (Democratic Staff of the House Education and Labour Committee, 2007).
When bought better teaching or learning equipment by the school, the teacher will feel like they can better their teaching methods or routines, and progress.
Professional development, such as training courses, will make the teacher more qualified, and therefore feel like they have a better understanding of their role. They will also feel that they can make a more valuable contribution to their organisation.
Non-financial motivation:
Seeing evidence that they have had an impact on the kids they have taught will motivate most teachers. If the students are successful with their tasks, the teacher will feel proud that they inspired the children to work hard.
Being given time by management for team for tasks is very important. Feeling like there is not enough time to perform tasks makes any job feel half done. So the more time to explore a subject or work on a project the better, as there will be more to show for the efforts at the end.
High levels of trust from managers within the school may allow teachers flexibility with the curriculum they teach. Being allowed to explore tangents which move slightly off the beaten track, shows that the management have confidence in that teacher.
If I were a teacher, I think the thing that would motivate me the most would be the opportunity to be flexible with the curriculum. This is because the subject can be made more personal at the teachers end, and they can be proud to teach the topic, rather than just feel bound by regulations and requirements. Tight rules in teaching can have an opposing effect and de-motivate.
References:
Democratic Staff of the House Education and Labour Committee (2007) Rewarding teachers for excellence. [online]. Available from: http://edlabor.house.gov/publications/20070917PerformancePayFactSheet.pdf [Accessed 3 May 2010]
From September 2007 to September 2008 I worked for a company called ABC Costume Hire.
The other staff and I would be rewarded with nice coffee, cookies, and other treats when sales and hires were high, to show that our place in the organisation was appreciated. We also received a 50% discount on all purchases, as well as free access to the costumes.
The managers would often take the staff out for dinner on special occasions. For example: Christmas, birthdays and leaving doo’s.
As the company was quite small, all the tasks were shared, and it was therefore hard to decipher who performed the best. However, this didn’t matter as the full organisation would be included in all rewards. People were happy to share rewards, as they were usually socially oriented prizes anyway.
This social atmosphere and the size of the company meant that everyone saw each other as friends as well as colleagues.
Rewards Despite Underperformance
Chief Executives are often known to receive large bonuses. Sometimes they receive them despite their organisation underperforming. Often this is seen as unethical, and frowned upon, but there are some pro’s to giving them bonuses despite poor performance.
The bonuses will encourage the executives to stay with the organisation, thereby reducing staff turnover.
It is easier to keep and motivate the same executives, rather than introducing new ones. New executives would have to be trained and gain experience in order to perform their role at their best. This would possibly be more costly than the bonus, and may result in an initial slump in performance from others in the organisation.
There may be an environmental or circumstantial reason why the organisation underperformed, and therefore the underperformance won’t have been the Chief Executives fault. It would not be fair to remove their reward because of reasons beyond their control.
There are, however, also reasons why the Chief Executives should not get the bonuses.
The money used for bonuses may have come from investors or tax payers. If an organisation being supported by public shares or the government is not making a justifiable profit, or increasing its share value, it cannot justify the bonuses.
If the company didn’t achieve the objectives, do the people in charge really deserve to be paid bonuses? If there is something wrong with their leadership skills, then they should not be in that position in the first place.
Rewarding Teachers
There are many financial and non-financial ways in which primary school teachers can be rewarded and motivated.
Financial rewards:
Receiving bonuses for high grades from students would be very rewarding (Democratic Staff of the House Education and Labour Committee, 2007).
When bought better teaching or learning equipment by the school, the teacher will feel like they can better their teaching methods or routines, and progress.
Professional development, such as training courses, will make the teacher more qualified, and therefore feel like they have a better understanding of their role. They will also feel that they can make a more valuable contribution to their organisation.
Non-financial motivation:
Seeing evidence that they have had an impact on the kids they have taught will motivate most teachers. If the students are successful with their tasks, the teacher will feel proud that they inspired the children to work hard.
Being given time by management for team for tasks is very important. Feeling like there is not enough time to perform tasks makes any job feel half done. So the more time to explore a subject or work on a project the better, as there will be more to show for the efforts at the end.
High levels of trust from managers within the school may allow teachers flexibility with the curriculum they teach. Being allowed to explore tangents which move slightly off the beaten track, shows that the management have confidence in that teacher.
If I were a teacher, I think the thing that would motivate me the most would be the opportunity to be flexible with the curriculum. This is because the subject can be made more personal at the teachers end, and they can be proud to teach the topic, rather than just feel bound by regulations and requirements. Tight rules in teaching can have an opposing effect and de-motivate.
References:
Democratic Staff of the House Education and Labour Committee (2007) Rewarding teachers for excellence. [online]. Available from: http://edlabor.house.gov/publications/20070917PerformancePayFactSheet.pdf [Accessed 3 May 2010]
Sunday, 2 May 2010
Training and Developement
When a retail chain needs to organise a training program for new employees, it must answer three main questions. What techniques will be used to teach skills and information? Where is the most ideal place to perform the tasks? And how can the information be analysed? It is worth taking into consideration the main audience of people who will be benefiting from the training. For example, new graduates, who may be going into full time work for the first time, will need an induction week, so that they can settle into the company and feel they have a secure place within the organisation. An induction week will also give the company a chance to assess the graduates’ performance, and decide whether or not they are right for the placement.
What to Include in an Induction Week
There are three important experiences that ought to be present in any induction week. These include simulation, discussions and practices, as well as lectures and talks.
Simulation such as short films could be used. By showing certain situations, employee relationships, and reasons why it’s a good company to work for, the graduates will gain a high opinion of the company, a better belief in the organisation, and improve their own levels of self respect in their job position.
Discussions and practices will enable new employees to discuss how to approach certain situations, and then perform role plays to practice the approaches. This will give them experiences to reflect on and use to their advantage at a later date. Also, it will help the group form team relationships, as role plays could be seen as a team building exercise.
Lectures and talks offer question and answer sessions between people from the company and graduates. The people answering questions should include a panel made up of workers and representatives from all levels of the organisation. By the panel containing such a wide variety of employees, the new workers will feel there is at least one person who can answer honestly, and share the questioner’s viewpoint. Not only will this give answers and knowledge, it will also improve the graduates trust in the company, as they will feel like they have networked, and therefore feel like an equal member of the organisation.
Best Places to Train
Dependant on the activity, each activity will have an ideal setting.
It would be good for some of the activities to take place in the other established stores of the retail chain. By gaining experience in a store while it’s being run, the new employees will be able to make observations and learn from what they see. Also a hands on approach to the job will be beneficial, as they will better learn routines.
The headquarters of the organisation or its meeting rooms would also be used. Some discussions and learning activities will be inappropriate for the shop floor, and so a more private environment may be more suitable. The graduates will be away from distractions, and therefore may be more focused on the topic or activity.
Evaluation of the Inductions Effectiveness
The organisation should make sure that the majority of results can be measured quantitatively. Quantitative results are easier to measure than qualitative results, because they are in the form of numbers and statistics. Therefore, comparisons between graduates cannot be bias, and are simple to make.
Line Managers must take the time to have a private discussion with each of the graduates. It is essential that both parties can feel confident that they will work well together, and so the manager must attempt to break down the walls which separate them, and get to know the individual a little better.
A report or grade sheet should be filled out privately by the graduates, explaining how the training process felt for them. This can then be used by the Human Resources department to edit future inductions. The reports will indicate what was beneficial to the induction process, and what was a waste of time and money.
What to Include in an Induction Week
There are three important experiences that ought to be present in any induction week. These include simulation, discussions and practices, as well as lectures and talks.
Simulation such as short films could be used. By showing certain situations, employee relationships, and reasons why it’s a good company to work for, the graduates will gain a high opinion of the company, a better belief in the organisation, and improve their own levels of self respect in their job position.
Discussions and practices will enable new employees to discuss how to approach certain situations, and then perform role plays to practice the approaches. This will give them experiences to reflect on and use to their advantage at a later date. Also, it will help the group form team relationships, as role plays could be seen as a team building exercise.
Lectures and talks offer question and answer sessions between people from the company and graduates. The people answering questions should include a panel made up of workers and representatives from all levels of the organisation. By the panel containing such a wide variety of employees, the new workers will feel there is at least one person who can answer honestly, and share the questioner’s viewpoint. Not only will this give answers and knowledge, it will also improve the graduates trust in the company, as they will feel like they have networked, and therefore feel like an equal member of the organisation.
Best Places to Train
Dependant on the activity, each activity will have an ideal setting.
It would be good for some of the activities to take place in the other established stores of the retail chain. By gaining experience in a store while it’s being run, the new employees will be able to make observations and learn from what they see. Also a hands on approach to the job will be beneficial, as they will better learn routines.
The headquarters of the organisation or its meeting rooms would also be used. Some discussions and learning activities will be inappropriate for the shop floor, and so a more private environment may be more suitable. The graduates will be away from distractions, and therefore may be more focused on the topic or activity.
Evaluation of the Inductions Effectiveness
The organisation should make sure that the majority of results can be measured quantitatively. Quantitative results are easier to measure than qualitative results, because they are in the form of numbers and statistics. Therefore, comparisons between graduates cannot be bias, and are simple to make.
Line Managers must take the time to have a private discussion with each of the graduates. It is essential that both parties can feel confident that they will work well together, and so the manager must attempt to break down the walls which separate them, and get to know the individual a little better.
A report or grade sheet should be filled out privately by the graduates, explaining how the training process felt for them. This can then be used by the Human Resources department to edit future inductions. The reports will indicate what was beneficial to the induction process, and what was a waste of time and money.
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