Problems Associated with the Administrative Staff of Better Business Solutions - Coursework Example

Report on Problems Associated with the Administrative Staff of Better Business Solutions Table of Contents Executive Summary…………………………………………………….…..1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………1 The problem of stress……………………………………………………….2 The problem of high turnover rate………………………………………..…5 The problem of de-motivation…………………………………………..…..7 The problem of information misuse…………………………………………10 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………10 Recommendations……………………………………………………………11 References……………………………………………………………………12 Executive Summary High work stress and de-motivation are the primary causes of problems associated with the administrative staff at Better Business Solutions. Moreover, the inappropriate management attitude that does not believe in implementing progressive measures for the administrative staff, makes the staff feel isolated and singled out. These factors further lead to problems like high turn over rates and information misuse on the part of the employees. Developing a flexible approach towards administrative staff by providing them technological support, making them feel like an important part of the organization and not undermining the importance of their work to the organization can motivate this group to greatly contribute towards day to day functioning of Better Business Solutions. In addition, implementing various motivational strategies, opening communication channels and recognizing the efforts of the administrative staff are some best practices that the organization can implement to control the problems associated with this work group. Introduction Effective administration is critical to an organization’s day to day functioning. With the changing facet of work techniques, globalization, expansion and intervention of technology, the expectations from the administrative staff have also changed. Moreover, the novel work environment has made the role of administrative staff in any organization, more challenging and complex. In this light, it is imperative to keep the administrative staff highly motivated to ensure smooth functioning. The role of administrative managers has also become significant with the change in work techniques. It is essential for the managers of administrative staff to understand the complex interlink between the changing role of administration, the impact of technology on administrative services, legal and ethical issues commonly faced by administrative workers and human resource issues relating to administrative services. This would enable them to manage the staff effectively, and also keep them committed and motivated. This report analysis the case of Better Business Solutions, where quality of work of the administrative staff is at an all time low due to lack of motivation amongst the employees. Moreover, feeling of isolation, stress and inappropriate management is driving the administrative staff towards absenteeism, abuse of office resources and poor work quality. Various sections of this report discuss the common problems faced by the administrative staff of Better Business Solutions and the plausible solutions to these problems. The problem of high stress High stress level is the most common work place issue. Considering the case of Better Business Solutions, the Director of Administration holds a strong view that the administrative staff hired should already possess the requisite skills and is adverse to the idea of any in- house training. Now, even if administrative staff is apt fully skilled, he or she might take some time to get accustomed to the way of Better Business Solutions works. Subjecting the staff to an on-the job training kind of a situation in a new work environment can make them highly stressed and anxious. Repeated warnings associated with the daily tasks would further de motivate the worker resulting in loss of interest in the job. Overwhelmed staff is highly vulnerable to loosing confidence and becoming less productive and effective in their work. (http://www.helpguide.org/mental/work_stress_management.htm) Solution: To curb work related stress and make the administrative staff more comfortable with their work as well as the work place, the organization needs to initiate motivational programmes in forms of trainings, conferences and 1-2-1 communication channels. This would enable the staff to vent out their pain points and will give the management a clear perspective of the problem area. Subsequently, relevant initiatives can be taken to guide the employees in their respective lacking areas and motivate them to improve their work quality. Giving the administrative staff ownership of work would make them feel responsible and a part of the organization. This would further encourage them to take interest in their work and will effectively improve their quality of work. Managers and supervisors in the administrative staff can play a significant role in enabling their subordinates to control their stress and be more committed towards work. Following are some actions that a supervisor can take to reduce stress amongst his or her team members: (http://www.helpguide.org/mental/work_stress_management.htm) Improve communication Share information with your team members to reduce uncertainty which they might have about their job. Discuss their roles and responsibilities with them and the expectations that the organization has from them. Also discuss what they expect from the organization and how it can be achieved. Make sure that the communication in congenial and the staff is comfortable, It should mot seem like a management gimmick. Consult the staff Encourage the administrative staff team to participate in decisions that affect their jobs. Discuss the suitable time schedules with the staff before planning their work for them. Ensure that no administrative staff is over burdened or had long free hours. Overload will lead to stress and free time would encourage staff to indulge in other recreational activities that the organization may not support. Optimum work distribution is essential. Value the work done by the administrative staff and acknowledge its importance to the organization. Offer rewards and incentives Praise the good work performance of the administrative staff verbally and through mails. Guide the staff about the opportunities for career development within the organization so that they plan long term career with the organization. Cultivate a friendly social climate Encourage social interaction between the administrative staff of different locations. Implement employee friendly policies that secure interest of the administrative staff. Implementing these practices would not only reduce the work related stress amongst the administrative staff, but will also encourage them to feel like a part of the organization and be more committed. If the staff foresees good career prospects within the organization they would stay with it for long. This would control the next big problem that Better Business Solutions faces, the problem of high turn over rate and frequent resignations. The problem of Turn over rate Going by the human resources terminology, turnover rate is the rate at which an organization gains and loses employees. High turnover rate implies that the employees of Better Business Solutions have a shorter average tenure. This could be a potential hazard to the growth of the company as departure of trained staff and a majority of novices not only renders instability to the work environment, but also impacts the productivity. Moreover, since there is no formal in-house training for the new employees at Better Business Solutions, there are high chances that new employees will take comparatively longer time to get accustomed to their job and therefore the work quality may remain low for some time. Frequent replacement of staff costs the organization both, time and money. Instead of focusing of growth, the organizational focus shifts to hiring new people to meet the in-house requirements. To effectively handle the problem of high turnover rate, first it is important to understand what is forcing the employees to put in papers so frequently. Following are the common reasons for an employee to quit a job: Better Salary Dissatisfaction with the current employer No prospects of growth De motivation Though salary and career advancement are significant factors, yet various surveys indicate that commonly employees choose to leave because they don't believe their work is appreciated. Surveys reveal that more than 40 percent of people quit jobs only because they feel that their companies value their contributions. (Shehan Tom, 2005) Similarly at Better Business Solutions, lack of appreciation, lack of teamwork and the perception that management is insensitive towards the administrative staff are the prominent reasons for low job satisfaction amongst the administrative staff. As a result, the administrative staff has most frequent resignations and new recruitments. Solution: According to Shehan Tom, an effective way to control turnover rate is to revise remuneration and incentives for the employees. Further, implementing training programs that give the staff a foresight into their career development may also encourage them to stick with the organization. Adopting a modernised and more flexible approach and initiating such programmes would enable Better Business Solutions to retain its employees. Also, while hiring the managers need to have a very clear perspective of what they are looking for in a candidate versus the actual job requirements. Minimising the mismatch at this very stage can also greatly reduce the turn over rate. (Shehan Tom, 2005) Administrative staff is more likely to remain loyal to the organization if they see staff development and promotion being encouraged from the management side. Introducing a staff handbook that contains all relevant information that an employee can use to address issues at an individual level would also help in developing a feeling of belonging towards the organization. As the organizations turn techno savvy, having in place an online portal for addressing issues faced by the administrative staff would be a very effective tool in understating the pain points. Having a common online platform for the administrative staff would enable staff from different relations to interact with each other and share best practices. Moreover, highlighting best performers, tips for improving work and other administration related topics would encourage and motivate the staff. The problem of lack of motivation Lack of motivation is the root cause of several work related problems. A de-motivated employee would be least productive, have poor work quality, will practice absenteeism and is most likely to quit job frequently. At Better Business Solutions the de-motivation amongst the administrative staff stems from the indifferent attitude of the management. In today’s highly competitive world, not having an in-house training program that assists employees in honing their skills further and depriving them of a basic service like an online intranet portal are reasons enough to de-motivate them greatly. It is essential that the management alters this approach towards the administrative staff. A popular research referred to as the Hawthorne Studies, conducted by Elton Mayo from 1924 to 1932 also clearly states that employees are not merely motivated by money. Behaviour of the employer and supervisors is also closely linked to the attitude which the employees have towards their work. The Hawthorne Studies emphasized on the human relations approach to management, whereby the needs and motivation of employees become the primary focus of the managers (Bedeian, 1993). Motivated employees can be the key to success for any organization. Motivated employees are not only more productive and stable, but also have high work quality- characteristics that all organizations wish to see in their employees. However, keeping employees motivated can be quite a challenging task considering the complex work environment and varying motivational factors. For example, money could be a motivating factor for some, while for others an appreciation mail could do wonders. Therefore managers need to be extremely cautious and innovative while planning motivational strategies for their teams. The solution: Following are some guidelines that managers at Better Business Solutions can adopt for motivating their administrative staff. Hard work of employees would go waste if it does not contribute towards the growth of the organization. Therefore it is important to assign goals to them that are important for the organization also. Achievement of such goals would not only motivate the employee but would also make them feel more associated with the company. Each person is motivated by different things and it is important for managers to understand what motivates each of their team members. This can be gauged thorough open communication channels with the team and then the relevant motivational strategies can be implemented. Job expectations change with time and so do the motivational factors associated with it. Therefore, motivation should be a continual process, revised from time to time according to the changing need of the team members. Organizing recreational social events, team meetings and competitions can be an interesting motivational strategy. Work with each employee to ensure that their motivational factors are taken into consideration in the organizational reward system. This may include innovating newer ways of recognising their work, developing a personalised policy or giving them off on a desired day. Having one to one meetings with the administrative staff would be an effective motivational strategy in the case of Better Business Solutions Employees. Such interactions would make the employees feel that the management is concerned about them and pays attention to their needs. Rewarding team members at appropriate time is critical for all managers and supervisors. It is important for supervisors and managers to monitor and manage the performance of the team effectively. Identifying appropriate goals, continual attention and feedback about measures toward the goals, and corrective actions to redirect team activities back towards achieving the goals when necessary are some of the key activities of performance management. Celebrating the achievement of the team and encouraging words of appreciation from their internal customers can also greatly motivate the administrative staff. The problem of information misuse The misuse of information by the administrative staff is also rooted in the de-motivation and stress that the employees suffer at the work place. By implementing the motivational strategies and other practices discussed above the management can win over the trust of the administrative staff and prevent them from indulging in any activity that may be harmful to the organization. The misuse of information by employees could pose severe challenges to the organization including loss of productivity and revenue, legal liabilities and other workplace issues. Therefore, it is important for any organization to have in place effective countermeasures to control information misuse and minimize productivity loss. (Vijay Gawde, 2005) The Solution: To control misuse of information and promote mutual trust and integrity amongst employees, the following measures can be adopted: Develop an organizational policy that clearly specifies how employees are expected to use the office resources, norms for using the internet and the consequences of violating the policy. Implement comprehensive desktop security and controls to diminish the risks due to inappropriate use of technology resources. Initiate a training and awareness program about the emerging threats of misusing organizational resources and information. Informing them about the disadvantages and guiding them towards optimum usage of technology resources will develop integrity amongst employees while using organization resources Conclusion After analyzing the probable causes of the problems with the administrative staff of Better Business Solutions, it can be deduced that the partial and unprogressive attitude of the management is the primary cause of lack of motivation and commitment amongst the administrative staff. Moreover, lack of any social or recreational activity, rewards and communication channels further makes the staff feel isolated and singled out. Hence, there is the obvious decrease in job interest leading to poor work quality and eventually frequent resignations from the administrative staff. Recommendations To counter the problems like high levels of stress, high turn over rate, lack of motivation and misuse of office information, the following initiatives are recommended: Introduce in-house trainings to make the staff familiar with the organizational requirements and expectations management. Introduce weekly or bi-monthly meetings of the administrative staff to discuss the immediate problems and encourage them to advise a solution. Encourage the administrative staff by recognizing the importance of their work and rewarding them. Roll out policies for rewards, incentives and performance appraisals to motivate the staff to perform better. Introduce counseling sessions to guide the staff about optimum usage of office resources and generate awareness amongst them about the risk involved in misuse of this information. Initiate interaction between administrative staff of different locations through an online portal for sharing best practices, grievances, awards and appreciations. References: Bower, J. E. & Segerstrom, S.C. ,Stress management, finding benefit, and immune function: positive mechanisms for intervention effects on physiology, 2004. 1. Carter McNamara, Basics About Employee Motivation, 2008 2. Colvin, Fred H. Labor turnover, loyalty and output: a consideration of the trend of the times as shown by the results of war activities in the machine shops and elsewhere. 3. Dijkstra, Eelco What Drives Logistics Professionals?, 2008 4. Elton Mayo, The Hawthorne Effect - Mayo Studies in Employee Motivation 5. How to Reduce and Manage Job and Workplace Stress, 2004. 6. http://www.helpguide.org/mental/work_stress_management.htm 7. http://investor.websense.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=286249 8. http://www.healthyplace.com/addictions/center-for-internet-addiction-recovery/dealing-with-internet-misuse-in-the-workplace/menu-id-1105/ 9. Shehan Tom, How to retain employees: a high turnover rate is costly in both direct and indirect costs, 2005 10. Vijay Gawde, Information misuse at workplace and counter practices, 2005 Read More