1. Evaluate at least two work motivation theories and how they can be applied in order to improve employee recruitment and retention at JC’s Casino.
It really seems that things are increasingly rough at JC's Casino, and are likely only going to get worse. One of the most important issues may be coming from the current staff, which seems dissatisfied with the environment at JC's. The first suggestion I would provide JC given the current state of affairs at his establishment would likely come by reviewing several work motivation theories to choose the most appropriate solution for the problems.
There are a number of different views as to what motivates workers. The first I would look at would be the concerns many of the employees have with the current rate of pay. According to theorist Frederick Taylor, workers do not naturally enjoy work, and so will need a good amount of supervision and control in order to perform their duties effectively. To meet this issue, Taylor suggest that managers break larger jobs down in to smaller tasks so that workers may be able to approach them in a more reasonable fashion. In addition, workers should then be given appropriate training and tools so they can work as efficiently as possible on one set task.
Of course, workers should then be paid according to the amount of work they do in a set period of time. In an ideal situation, the workers are encouraged to work hard and maximize their productivity. Unfortunately, this has not been the case for JC and his employees at the casino. Rising absenteeism has led to increased work for the remaining staff, with no real increase in their salary for picking up additional tasks. For example, several of the employees have had to cover for absent employees by cleaning rooms within the casino on a periodic basis. Furthermore, the workers hired to perform housekeeping are also tending to increased room cleaning without an increase in pay when compared to similar employees at other area casinos. As may be imagined, this is creating a great deal of dissatisfaction among the workers at JC's (Accel-Team, 2012).
If we go back to Taylor's concepts, close inspection reveals that workers soon came to dislike Taylor's approach as they felt they were being treated as little more than machines and being given only boring and repetitive jobs to do. The case at JC's is definitely going to encourage a number of the current staff to start looking for work at a higher paying position elsewhere.
Nevertheless, let's take a look at another popular theory. One that I particularly like is the thought of Herzberg. Frederick Herzberg had a theory of employee motivation that was very similar to another theorist I also enjoy; namely, Maslow. In any event, Herzberg introduced the idea of that there were certain factors that a business could introduce that would directly motivate employees to work harder that he named motivators. However there were also factors that would de-motivate an employee if not present but would not in themselves actually motivate employees to work harder. These factors he called hygiene factors.
Motivators are more concerned with the actual job itself. For instance how interesting the work is and how much opportunity it gives for extra responsibility, recognition, and promotion. Hygiene factors are factors which ‘surround the job’ rather than the job itself. For example a worker will only turn up to work if a business has provided a reasonable level of pay and safe working conditions but these factors will not make him work harder at his job once he is there. Importantly Herzberg viewed pay as a hygiene factor that is in direct contrast to Taylor who viewed pay very differently as outlined above (Cherry, 2012).
This information could be very useful if JC chooses to pay attention to it. His current staff needs to be treated with jobs that make them feel empowered rather than demeaned as the current situation certainly does. In addition, an interesting work environment will help JC maintain the employees he currently has because they will be enriched in a pleasant working environment. JC may also wish to consider adding additional, but nonetheless worthwhile, activities to the jobs the employees currently perform. They may also enjoy being given additional responsibilities while on the job.
2. Examine possible occupational stressors that are negatively influencing recruitment and retention. What improvements would you suggest to alleviate these stressors?
This is a critical question for JC to consider as he tries to maintain the cadre of employees he currently has. There are a number of undesirable issues that are likely hindering current workers while on the job. For one, JC has met the problem of a late check in time and angry guests with a room to stow their luggage until a room becomes available. Furthermore, the casino has had to hire new staff to man the luggage room for early guests, despite the fact that people are arriving at the industry standard time for the area.
The new employees are just making matters worse for the current staff by adding but not relieving any of the added pressure of unappreciated guests at the casino. Furthermore, this solution is really just a band-aid for a growing wound. It would make a great deal more sense to try to fix the issues without having to bring on new people to work in silly and uninspiring jobs.
If I were to make a suggestion to JC, it would be that he should move the check in time to the usual time as practiced by the casino earlier. I would also suggest that he hire more cleaning staff to deal with the rooms that need to be shown attention before creating another useless job for casino workers to worry about. Of course, I would also recommend that JC take the money he would use to pay the baggage handlers and funnel those funds in to the much needed maintenance personnel.
Another monumental problem at the casino is the perception of a nepotistic and toxic individual in a position of authority over a number of other employees. Given that this person is a relative of JC's, it may not be reasonable (although preferable) to fire him, JC can develop a new arrangement that limits Joe's influence over other hard working staff.
3. Examine the role of job satisfaction and its influence on retention at the casino. Provide recommendations for improving job satisfaction of the employees and how that can play a part in successfully improving retention.
Well, this is a huge problem for JC and his casino. As discussed above, the leading motivational theorists suggest that employees be given meaningful and useful jobs to do for their employer. Even if JC were to only approach the issue of the cleaning staff, he probably couldn't make the task much more exciting. However, he could allow the employees to work in teams or take turns cleaning different parts of the hotel. Even a simple shift as the one suggested here may improve overall employee morale and improve staff retention.
4. Discuss counterproductive employee behavior occurring at the casino. What suggestions would you make to reduce the counterproductive behavior and increase productive employee behavior?
When we think of the dismal situation at JC's Casino, we can see that many workers are contributing to the negative atmosphere by calling out for shifts, therefore making things worse for all the employees who do come to work as scheduled. Furthermore, the absenteeism is not helping encourage the remaining employees to perform well at their own tasks. I addition to these issues, is the problem of perceived toxic management at the highest levels and fear of retribution if they choose to complain.
JC should consider promoting some current staff to higher positions within the organization, as well as appointing one or more staff satisfaction experts to collect employee complaints and even suggestions as to how to make to work environment more enjoyable. JC should also implement a taskforce to create an atmosphere of non-retaliatory business practices at his establishment. This policy should include all managers, related to JC or not, in a code of conduct for behavior. In particular, Supervisors, managers or employees are not permitted to engage in retaliation, retribution or any form of harassment directed against an employee who reports a Compliance concern. Moreover, anyone who is involved in any act of retaliation or retribution against an employee that has reported suspected misconduct in good faith would be subject to disciplinary action (MMS, 2010). This information needs to come directly from JC and be distributed to all his employees to create a more nourishing work environment.
Lastly, it should go without saying that the current staff should be paid at a higher salary than comparable casinos in the local area. This should be implemented as soon as possible to reward the current staff for their hard work during the transition to the new methods and maintained for any employees who choose to remain at JC's Casino for long haul as the new policies take effect.
References
Accel-Team (2012) Employee Motivation: Theory and practice. Last accessed March 29, 2012.
Cherry, K. (2012) Theories ofMotivation. Last accessed March 29, 2012.
Minerals Management Service (2010) Non-Retaliation Policy. http://www.boemre.gov/ooc/newweb/nonretal.htm. Last accessed March 29, 2012.