Improve Employee Satisfaction Research Articles

AN ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK APPROACH TO HOTEL EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION: THE CASE OF CHINA

At present, the hotel employment sector in China has a high rate of employee turnover compared to other services. This is not unlike other countries. The reason for the turnover among hotel employees may be lower worker satisfaction resulting in decreased – or no – loyalty to employers. This study was based on an Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The factors influencing employee satisfaction were examined and the impacts of demographic characteristics on hotel employee satisfaction were analyzed. Results show that hotel employee satisfaction in China is low, hotel employee satisfaction differs by age and gender, and that professional development opportunities for employees and the long-term growth prospects of the hotels themselves are the most important contributors to employee satisfaction. On the basis of these findings, several recommendations for improving employee satisfaction, thereby sustaining the long-term economic health of China's hospitality industry, are provided.

Implementing a corporate career lattice: the Mass Career Customization model

PurposeThis article introduces mass career customization, a system that encourages a continuous collaboration between employer and employee to design customized career paths, taking into account both the changing needs of the business and employees' changing lives. mass career customization is an adaptive model of career progression that offers employees career‐long options for keeping their work and personal lives in sync and employers the long‐term loyalty of their best and brightest.Design/methodology/approachMCC was first introduced through a 120‐participant implementation pilot that began within Deloitte Consulting LLP in 2005 and then continued through a year‐long second round pilot with approximately 300 participants in 2006.FindingsSatisfaction with career‐life fit improved, in some case sharply. Nearly 90 percent said MCC positively influenced their decision to remain with the organization. Team leaders said the ongoing MCC process was an advantage in staffing new projects with top talent. Client service standards were maintained. Significant savings were achieved, primarily driven by positive impact on retention and associated revenue. Positive correlation between MCC and retention was identified. Improved employee satisfaction, morale and productivity.Practical implicationsThe MCC framework lays out a definite set of options along each of the four core dimensions of a career – Pace, Workload, Location/Schedule and Role – with specified tradeoffs for each choice, allowing for choices to change over time.Originality/valueCustomizing careers within a corporate lattice system offers significant benefits over the traditional corporate ladder. Deloitte's MCC model has the power to inspire greater employee productivity, reduce the costs of turnover and generate greater loyalty through a collaborative approach to designing careers.

Frontline police employees’ social construction of client service

The social construction of frontline employees’ client service plays a major role in organisational success. This study illuminated why frontline personnel are reluctant to accept organisational change which is in line with new policing philosophies. Applying modernist qualitative methodology, and particularly grounded theory within a case study design a ‘process satisfaction model’ was developed with the aim to improve employee satisfaction with internal processes and ultimately service delivery. This model may be used for change in the South African Police Service SAPS) and other government departments.

State Government Employee Health Benefits in the United States

Employer-sponsored health benefits are an important but relatively understudied area in public sector human resource management. This study examines the choices that state governments make in the United States and the views of state human resource directors (HRD) on health benefits. Survey data, gathered from state HRDs in fall 2005, reveal several important findings: In terms of choices, the most common plan offered is the preferred provider organization (PPO); less than one third of states offer health benefits to nontraditional partners; health benefits improve employee satisfaction and the performance of the state government; and cost to the state government is the most important factor that affects choice of plan. There is not a high level of agreement on what strategies state government should pursue to reduce costs of health benefits; however, there is some agreement that premiums will be increasing in the near future.

Using Appreciative Inquiry to measure employee engagement

Focusing on the positives and introducing initiatives around those themes helped to improve employee satisfaction at O2 UK, a mobile communications company, says its customer director, Cath Keers.

TQM practice in maquiladora: Antecedents of employee satisfaction and loyalty

In this study, we investigate the transferability of TQM practices to offshore manufacturing firms by validating direct and indirect relationships among top management commitment, HR-focused TQM practices, employee satisfaction, and employee loyalty. Our research objective is to isolate critical TQM practices that would enhance employee satisfaction and loyalty among maquiladora workers. On-site surveys were conducted at two leading maquiladora firms that have long implemented TQM. The statistical results indicate that employee empowerment, teamwork, and employee compensation have a significant and positive influence on employee satisfaction. The improved employee satisfaction leads to a higher level of employee loyalty. In addition, the results indicate that the effects of top management commitment on employee empowerment and teamwork are significantly mediated by employee training, implying that the success of employee empowerment and quality teams can be dependent upon the level of employee training.

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.