Improve Employee Satisfaction Research Articles

Effects of HRM on client satisfaction in nursing and care for the elderly

PurposeHRM is supposed to increase job satisfaction. But does it also increase client satisfaction? Sets out to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approachThe unit of analysis is the home. Using data from a benchmark study among Dutch homes for elderly care, 154 homes were scored on three groups of indicators: HRM activities as experienced by employees, employee satisfaction, and client satisfaction. Scores were based on interviews with 3,542 patients and surveys of 12,193 employees.FindingsHRM does affect job and client satisfaction. Correlations between HRM and client satisfaction were generally rather low. Employees’ satisfaction with their organisation is a better predictor of client satisfaction than job satisfaction. Job‐related training showed no relation with job satisfaction, but a clear relation with client satisfaction, while leadership style of their manager had a significant relation with job satisfaction, and a more limited one with client satisfaction. Regular performance reviews are important for job satisfaction and client satisfaction. Employee and client satisfaction can also conflict: more regular schedules increase employee satisfaction, but decrease client satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsTo decide on best practices the correlations found need to be explained. For instance, why do performance reviews correlate with employee satisfaction and with client satisfaction about employee expertise?Practical implicationsThese results confirm the importance of the leadership style of line managers. Helping middle management to develop a supportive and transparent leadership style can improve employee satisfaction. The HRM activity most relevant for client satisfaction seems to be job‐related training.Originality/valueThe paper is unique in combining data on employee and client satisfaction. It is of interest both to HRM researchers and to health‐care management.

Development and Implementation of a Professional Recognition Program for Clinical Dietitians

1. Identify steps involved in creating a professional recognition program. 2. Identify ways to improve employee satisfaction and recognize professional achievement.

Organizational citizenship behavior: a case study of culture, leadership and trust

The case will test two hypotheses regarding three variables influencing the level of employee satisfaction and organizational citizenship at GAMMA, a manufacturer of plastics. Two hypotheses were developed from a review of the literature and initial results from exploratory research ( H1: low employee satisfaction at GAMMA is a direct result of an autocratic leadership style, low trust environment and weak corporate culture; H2: low employee citizenship is a direct result of low employee satisfaction). Results suggest that although the perception was that employee satisfaction and organizational citizenship were low (from the exploratory research); both quantitative and descriptive data indicated these were not. Moreover, the hypotheses were not conclusively supported quantitatively. High trust was not obtained. Also a specific high leadership style and a specific culture resulting in high employee satisfaction were also questionable. Moreover, it was not observed that a strong correlation existed statistically. H1 is therefore not conclusive quantitatively. H2 does not demonstrate a high level of employee citizenship and employee satisfaction correlation. Despite these results, it is recommended management employ the following action plan: do not change current leadership style; develop an action plan to increase trust starting with increasing accessibility of management to employees; develop an action plan to move from current culture to preferred expressed culture starting by rewarding team activity rather than individual activities; improve employee satisfaction even if the observed level is medium to high.

Recruitment and retention. The Derby Theatre Project experience.

The National Theatre Project was set up in March 2001 by the Modernisation Agency to improve the patient and carer experience, improve employee satisfaction, optimise theatre utilisation and reduce cancelled operations. This is the second article in the series where David Ainsworth, manager of a pilot site project in Derby, describes issues around the Theatre Project. This month the focus is on recruitment, retention and staff morale.

Managing a national pilot site project. The Derby Theatre Project experience.

The National Theatre Project was set up in March 2001 by the Modernization Agency to improve the patient and carer experience, improve employee satisfaction, optimise theatre utilisation and reduce cancelled operations. This is the first in a series of four articles, looking at issues involved in managing a national project, improving operating theatre performance and how to engage the organisation in innovation and change.

The next stage in the health care economy: aligning the interests of patients, providers, and third-party payers through consumer-driven health care plans

This article reviews employers’ attempts over the past 25 years to address the cost and accessibility of health care services for their employees and the effect these efforts have had on U.S. health care delivery. The difficulties in aligning the interests of all parties in a third-party health beneficiary contract are examined. Many employers are considering consumer-driven health care plans as an alternative to managed care plans to both control health care costs and improve employee satisfaction. Such plans differ from fee-for-service and managed care models in terms of the economic alignment of the parties. Consumer-driven plans align the employer’s economic interest with the employee/patient, and reduce health benefit costs by providing information, tools, and direct economic incentives to employees for self-management of health care dollars. Because these incentives are designed to reduce the consumption of services, providers are the party left out of economic alignment under the consumer-driven model.

The impact of a worksite health promotion program on short-term disability usage.

This study examined the impact of a worksite health promotion program on short-term disability (STD) days in a large telecommunications company. The evaluation used a quasi-experimental, multiple time-series design with between-group comparison of workdays lost due to STD to determine impact. The study period was 3 years and included 1628 employees on STD leave. Self-selected program participants were compared with non-participants on net days lost at three assessment points: the year before the launch of the program, and each of 2 years post-launch. A comprehensive health promotion program was developed to reduce health care costs, improve employee satisfaction, and enhance the employer's image. Key features of the program included reimbursement for employees participating in the Health Risk Assessment and in wellness or fitness activities. Other features included occupational health services, targeted interventions for high-risk employees, self-care materials, and a nurse advice line. Results revealed no significant differences at baseline between participants and non-participants for net days lost while on STD leave. At the post-program launch, non-participants' net days lost significantly increased from 33.2 to 38.1 when controlled for age, gender, job type, tenure, and STD category, whereas the participant group average net days lost decreased from 29.2 to 27.8. After adjusting for baseline differences, we found a 6-day difference between groups, which represented a 20% program impact. This study found that participation in a health promotion reimbursement program had a significant impact on average net days lost for employee STD absence. These findings represented potential savings in excess of $1,371,600 over a 2-year period. Future program evaluation efforts will address the impact on medical care costs related to program participation.

Fifty-two effective, inexpensive ways to reward and recognize hospital employees.

Effective reward and recognition programs are important in order to retain well qualified hospital employees and actively engage them in satisfying patients, managing scarce resources, and improving performance. The rewards and recognition bestowed may be modest in scale but must be symbolic of genuine caring and appreciation by management. This article outlines a number of reward and recognition tactics that can be used singly or in combination to begin demonstrating management's commitment to improving employee satisfaction.

COMMUNITY POLICING, DECENTRALIZED DECISION MAKING AND EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION

ABSTRACT Literature describing the theoretical components of community oriented policing (COP) generally hold that decentralization of decision making is a necessary attribute of any such effort. The literature further suggests that COP will increase employee satisfaction. Organizational behavior literature has claimed for some time that decentralized and collaborative decision making will improve employee satisfaction. This study tests whether decentralization and collaborative decision making techniques, employed as a portion of a COP implementation, enhance employee satisfaction. While the findings support both the hypotheses of COP and the organizational behavior literature, other factors condition the positive effect of such material.

Adding value through human resources: Reorienting human resource measurement to drive business performance

Building upon the balanced scorecard framework, this article addresses three central issues of human resource (HR) measurement: (1) Do HR practices impact business results? (2) How can HR practices add value to business performance? (3) What HR measures can drive business performance? Using Eastman Kodak as a case study, this article identifies three paths through which HR practices contribute to business performance: (1) by building organizational capabilities; (2) by improving employee satisfaction; and (3) by shaping customer and shareholder satisfaction. Three clusters of measures are proposed: internal operational HR measures, internal strategic HR measures, and external strategic HR measures. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Adding value through human resources: Reorienting human resource measurement to drive business performance

Building upon the balanced scorecard framework, this article addresses three central issues of human resource (HR) measurement: (1) Do HR practices impact business results? (2) How can HR practices add value to business performance? (3) What HR measures can drive business performance? Using Eastman Kodak as a case study, this article identifies three paths through which HR practices contribute to business performance: (1) by building organizational capabilities; (2) by improving employee satisfaction; and (3) by shaping customer and shareholder satisfaction. Three clusters of measures are proposed: internal operational HR measures, internal strategic HR measures, and external strategic HR measures. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Humanizing Re-Engineering for True Organizational Effectiveness: A Macroergonomic Approach

The reported widespread failure of re-engineering projects is noted. Based on assessments of over 200 organizational units, a technology centered approach to work system design and two related factors are proposed as some of the root causes of these failures. Based on these assessments, three criteria for effective re-engineering approaches to work system design are identified. Macroergonomics is proposed as a design strategy that meets all three criteria and avoids the pitfalls of traditional re-engineering efforts. Recent macroergonomic interventions which have resulted in improved employee satisfaction and dramatic reductions in lost time accidents and injuries are cited as partial support for this proposal.

The Virtual Oil Company

In anticipation of continuing declines in upstream activity levels over the next 15 years, the virtual oil company model articulates a vision of fewer, leaner, but financially stronger firms that concentrate only on their core competencies and outsource the rest through well-structured partnering arrangements. Freed from the ``clutter,`` these leading companies will be in better position to focus on those opportunities that offer the potential for renewed reserve and revenue growth.

Quality improvement--boon or boondoggle?

Is quality improvement (QI) reducing healthcare costs while improving patient care? Researchers find that QI has improved employee satisfaction and morale, but it was designed to do more. One solution is to use problem-solving techniques to help teams identify the level at which they want to address a problem, whether that be the subinstitutional, institutional, or system level. If QI is to fulfill its promise, skilled managers must create effective teams capable of defining and solving complex problems.

A research model for relating job characteristics to job satisfaction of university foodservice employees

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between job characteristics and job satisfaction and between demographic variables and job satisfaction for university foodservice employees. A three-part survey was developed which included the 30-item Job Characteristics Inventory, 6 items related to job satisfaction, and 7 demographic items. Separate written questionnaires were administered to 32 managerial and 147 non-managerial employees of a large state university foodservice department. The response rate was 98% (32 managers and 143 non-managers). The reliability for the instrument, as determined by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.88 for employees and 0.91 for supervisors. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to test research hypotheses at a significance level of p less than or equal to .05. There was a positive relationship between job characteristics (autonomy, task identity, feedback, variety, dealing with others, and friendship opportunities) and job satisfaction for both employees and supervisors. Feedback and dealing with others were the individual job characteristics that were significant. Only one job characteristic, dealing with others, was rated higher by managerial than by non-managerial employees. There was no difference in job satisfaction by role (managerial vs. non-managerial) or demographic variables, except age for non-managerial employees. Older, non-managerial employees tended to be more satisfied with their jobs than did younger employees. Dietitians and foodservice managers can use the findings for implementing job design strategies, such as job enrichment and job rotation, to improve employee satisfaction.

“Job 1” at Ford: Employee Co‐operation

The Ford Motor Company is undergoing an evolutionary change in its corporate culture and operating procedures, hoping to transform itself into a twenty‐first century organisation capable of competing around the globe with other world‐class producers. Beset with simultaneous strategic, financial and design crises it has become obvious that revitalisation of the company is dependent on recasting the labour‐management relationship, and that cost increases must be offset by productivity. The 1979 negotiations between Ford and the Union of Automobile Workers (UAW) resulted in the creation of the National Joint Committee on Employee Involvement (NJCEI) specifically considering quality circles and team building; while 1982 negotiations outlined specific functions of local steering committees, career counselling and guidance, targeted vocational retraining projects and introduced the Employee Development and Training Programme. Through the use of joint governing boards, local steering committees and the National Joint Committee, Ford and union officials meet frequently to discuss topics of mutual concern. With eleven major product re‐configurations either in progress or recently completed, it appears that the company has made a major gamble on the future. The UAW‐Ford NJCEI has been successful in achieving its aims of improved employee satisfaction, labour‐management co‐operation and improved product quality.

Quality circles in a department of dietetics

Quality circles can be an excellent approach to managerial effectiveness in the 1980s. For the Department of Dietetics at Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton , Ohio, quality circles have demonstrated excellent return on investment. Their many benefits include increased productivity, improved employee satisfaction and morale, and cost savings. In order to ensure success, the team needs to be selected carefully and trained thoroughly in problem-solving techniques. Initial meetings should be directed to defining the objectives and code of conduct as well as establishing a trusting environment in which to grow and develop.