Employee Motivation Research Paper Example

Employee Motivation Research Paper Example Employee Motivation Paper Employee Motivation Paper The Future of Business: The Essentials By Lawrence J. Gitman, Carl McDaniel Employee motivation: principles and practices motivation: principles and practices Philip C. Grant 0 Reviews Vantage Press, 1984 160 pages How McDonald’s tracks morale at the front line A successful engagement effort should result in happier customers Mark Blundell Mark Blundell started work in McDonald’s in 1985 and has gained experience working at all levels in the retail arm of the business. He has recently become head of HR Operations within the organization. Like most retail organizations, McDonald’s is well aware that a drop in engagement at the front line is likely to have an impact on customer service. So the company has a number of initiatives in place to motivate employees and build loyalty. Here, Mark Blundell describes the approach used to monitor the impact of its engagement efforts. Following my presentation at Melcrum’s Annual Employee Engagement conference in London in May 2007, I was asked many questions about the way we measure the impact of the recent employee engagement initiatives at McDonald’s. In broad terms, we use three categories of measurement: employee surveys, third-party review and operational outcomes. Employee surveys The McDonald’s â€Å"Your Viewpoint† survey is a long-term tracking study of employee opinion. It’s been conducted on a global scale for many years with ORC International, who provide an independent assessment of the results in every country in which we operate. A UK participation rate of 83 percent in 2006 demonstrates that it’s something everyone in the business takes very seriously. The data is analyzed and cut to mirror the structure of our organization in terms of job â€Å"families† (e. g. , hourly-paid restaurant staff, restaurant management, office staff, etc. ) and geographically, from national level right down to the level of the individual restaurant. The survey consists of 50 statements which cover five recognized drivers of commitment. Employees respond to these statements with a simple â€Å"agree†, â€Å"neutral† or â€Å"disagree†. In 2006 the results from our UK hourly-paid employees were as follows: Development and personal growth: 85 percent agree. Resources to get the job done: 82 percent agree. Values and leadership behaviors: 84 percent agree. Competitive pay and benefits: 77 percent agree. Respect and recognition: 80 percent agree. Although these results aren’t perfect they are, I think, better than many people assume McDonald’s would achieve. Third-party review We also regularly open our doors to tho se who would like to undertake a serious, objective study of our business and in recent years have welcomed Investors in People, the Work Foundation and the Great Places to Work Institute among others. Last year we gave Professor Adrian Furnham of University College London unrestricted access to our managers and crew to study the impact of working at McDonald’s on our employees. Regarding employee engagement he concluded the following: â€Å"Overall, McDonald’s staff felt good about themselves, experienced strong job satisfaction and had exceptionally high engagement levels. Indeed, nearly every staff member interviewed could be counted as engaged, whereas the typical figure is substantially lower. † Operational outcomes The McDonald’s business model is a simple People-Profit chain: engaged people delivering quality products and great service in a clean environment create loyal customers. Customer loyalty, in turn, drives sales and profitability. If we’re succeeding in engaging our employees we should be seeing a measurable impact in our mystery-shopper surveys. These assess quality, service and cleanliness in our restaurants – results of which are fed into a â€Å"People Scorecard†, which details annual performance data for the last five years, alongside quarterly data and targets for the current year. In addition, the People Scorecard presents snapshot data of staff perceptions and, as an inverse measure of customer satisfaction, information about complaints we’ve received. This data can also be analyzed by every manager in our business to clearly see how employee engagement influences our overall performance. Data that makes a difference By knowing which managers are creating a great place for their employees to work, we’re able to celebrate and reward individual excellence. And by knowing which restaurants are achieving the best mystery shopper results we can reward the whole team too. On the other hand, where performance isn’t what it should be, the depth of the data means that we can focus on the areas of a particular store that need support without condemning everything that’s happening there. So, any intervention we make can be positive, supportive and evidence-based rather than being critical, demoralizing and subjectively judgmental. Again, McDonald’s isn’t perfect, but we believe that by gathering and analyzing engagement data from a range of sources, we’re able to pinpoint exactly where our imperfections can be found. This article is from Strategic Communication Management June/July 2007 By Lauren Young updated 1/6/2009 11:40:15 AM ET Share Print Font: + - Inside the McDonalds off Interstate 270 in suburban St. Louis, manager Sadie Travis is hustling. Amid the beeping and buzzing of fry timers, Travis at any given moment is voiding orders at the register, handing out cups for drinks, wiping trays, or stuffing toys into Happy Meal boxes. If only the fast-food titan could get more people like her to run its 6,700 company-owned restaurants. While an average McDonalds grosses $2. 2 million a year, seasoned managers who motivate employees and keep customers coming back can add more than $200,000 to that total. Restaurant managers are in the most important position in our company, says Richard Floersch, McDonalds chief human resources officer. Yet despite generous salaries - up to $62,000 plus bonus and company car, say insiders - turnover is a constant concern in an industry that typically sees 43 percent of its staff leave each year. To stanch the bleeding of valuable talent, McDonalds in 2004 began offering a rich retirement savings perk. Employees who put 5 percent of their salary in the company 401(k) receive a company match of as much as 11 percent, turbocharging their savings right off the bat. To make sure employees take advantage of the program, McDonalds has made enrollment automatic. And to ease the pain of automatically deferring 1 percent of pay, the company gave managers a one-time, 1 percent salary increase. But persuading prized employees that the benefit is reason enough to stay with McDonalds for the long term is an ongoing challenge. Skepticism about investing runs especially high among African Americans, who make up 15 percent of the companys manager pool. Research shows that blacks, in the aggregate, are reluctant to save. According to a 2008 study by Ariel Investments and Charles Schwab, blacks save an average of $169 a month for retirement, while comparable whites (in terms of household income) contribute about $249 a month. Race and ethnicity trump gender - and even salary - in the factors that predict whether a person will save for retirement. Preparing for the future Why dont blacks save more? The reasons are complex, but the underlying theme is cultural. African Americans are distrustful of the financial system because it has excluded them for generations, says Andres Tapia, chief diversity officer at Hewitt Associates, the benefits-consulting giant. Hewitts research shows that African Americans consistently put home ownership and college ahead of retirement goals. Owning a home and educating children become a huge priority, explains Tapia, if you are the first person in your family to do it. Preparing for the future can also be controversial in the black community. If your mama lives with you - and others in your extended community are struggling to get by - putting aside money that you cant touch for the next 15 to 20 years feels selfish and inappropriate, Tapia says. Indeed, for many blacks, retirement is more a dream than a priority. The Ariel-Schwab survey found that African Americans under the age of 50 are nearly twice as likely as comparable whites to say they want to retire by 60, but they are half as likely to cite retirement as their most important savings goal. Adding to the skepticism, the great market meltdown of 2008 showed that even the most carefully crafted retirement plans can be ruined by forces beyond a persons control. This is a big setback that will affect all people, says Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel, the largest African American-run money manager. In our community, which has had less exposure to the market, people are especially nervous about investing. Such reticence has made McDonalds efforts to sell its perk to employees all the more difficult. Generous inducements to save Few employers offer 401(k) plans as lavish as the one at McDonalds. In fact, many companies have been cutting back on their matching contributions in recent months as the recession deepens. McDonalds corporate matc h is especially extravagant at lower levels of saving: employees who put just 1 percent of their salary in the plan get $3 for every $1 they invest. Most companies wont even match a contribution until an employee puts in at least 3 percent. ) McDonalds then makes a dollar-for-dollar match on the next 4 percent. After that theres a potential profit-sharing match of up to 4 percent. All told, workers who save 5 percent of their pay can see the total swell to 16 percent. But corporate 401(k) plans arent an if-you-build-it-they-will-come kind of benefit. Companies can send out pamphlets, but the burden of persuading employees that the plans are orthwhile ultimately falls on people like Kenny Sanders, who heads human resources for the Heartland region of McDonalds, overseeing 76 company-owned stores. Like Travis, Sanders, 44, started working at McDonalds in St. Louis when he was a teenager. Over the past 28 years he has risen through the ranks beyond store manager to corporate management. McDonalds crew members dont sit in front of computers all day, leaving little opportunity to check 401(k) balances or make tweaks to asset allocation plans at work. So Sanders spends much of his time out in the field talking to employees about their financial future. My goal is to get people to understand that this is more than a job. You can put away a nice nest egg for you and your family, depending on how long you stay at this company, Sanders says. Looking beyond paycheck to paycheck Sanders main goal is to keep people like Travis, who oversees one of the St. Louis areas most profitable McDonalds restaurants, interested in saving. Everything Travis knows about building a nest egg she learned at McDonalds - most of it gleaned during the four years since the retirement program began. Before t hat, I didnt realize that putting money in the bank and saving for retirement is not the same thing, she says. Its a real eye-opener to learn that McDonalds will match what you put in, Travis says. It helps relieve a lot of stress. Sanders was the first person Travis turned to for investment advice when she looked at her September retirement account statement and saw that her balance was down almost $11,000 for the year. Sanders recalls assuring her. You lose a little here, and then you gain a little there. Saving for the future has been a luxury that Travis, 47, could not afford until recently. For most of her life the divorced mother of two was just making ends meet, she says. Travis had her son, Lamar, at 20. Her daughter, Latisha, came along when she was 29. Buying a home, paying for braces, helping her elderly parents with living expenses - all those things derailed her plans to save for the future. I know you have to have a security blanket, but I was living paycheck to paycheck when I had my first baby, Travis says. Thats why Travis connects so well with Ebony Henderson, a second assistant manager at the same McDonalds, who gave birth to a boy named Jeremiyah in August and has a toddler son named Quian Jr. We each had babies young, Travis says. But Im not about collecting money from the state. Im a person who wants to make money and keep stability. Thats how Ebony seems to me. When Henderson, 26, joined McDonalds at age 15 to earn money for school supplies and clothes, she never thought it would be a serious career path. Today she eyes the golden rung of store manag er and plans to start the interview process this month. Im doing good now, but I want to be where Sadies at in the future, says Henderson, whose tinted hair matches her red cable-knit sweater. I dont want to be working all my life with nothing to show for it. Despite the market downturn, Travis says she remains on track for retirement. Shes confident shell be able to leave the work force in 10 to 15 years with a $200,000 nest egg. I dont want to shoot for a million, she says. I dont want to be greedy. Others arent so sure about the future. Since the stock market began to unravel last fall, Sanders says, more than 100 employees have asked him for investment guidance, often brandishing their retirement account statements. Im not an adviser, so I cant really tell them what to do, Sanders says. He looks over statements to make sure employees are well diversified and usually recommends the financial advisory services McDonalds offers to employees. But I always say that staying the course is the right thing for me, he says. Amid the market turmoil, its more important than ever for Sanders to reach out to workers. After all, he says, Whats good for employees is good for McDonal ds.

Everything You Need To Know About Feature Stories

Everything You Need To Know About Feature Stories Writing A Feature Story: What To Remember It is a well-known fact that students and even journalists find first feature stories one of the most difficult task throughout their educational or professional life. The writing process involves lots of data, honesty, tact and integrity. You need to depict a certain person to the audience, giving him or her enough credits and presenting in an unbiased way. That is why feature stories often ask the author to do something almost impossible: to get familiar with the person, appreciate personal treats of character, conduct an interview, hold a personal meeting and then write an article, which shouldn’t be all positive and nice. Remember, you are a subjective author and not a cheerleader of a described person. So how is it possible to balance everything? We have collected the six most important steps, which you will need in creating a feature story. With practice and devotion come great results, so take your time and you will surely succeed! Choose a subject, which will be interesting for the reader As you already know, choosing an interesting and timely topic for an assignment is the first and the most important step. However, everything is even more serious, when it comes to a feature story. You need to tell about a person, a certain group or a business, so picking a subject becomes a real challenge. Some of the subjects you may know personally, which is not the best subject for a story. Even if you know who you want to write about, some founders, directors and business owners simply won’t want to talk to you. Make sure you have enough time in advance in order to choose the subject without any hurry. Schedule an interview, suitable for both of you The next stage is when you dive deeper into the assignment. You should reach the chosen subject and ask for an in-person interview. This means a meeting, not a cell phone call or a Skype conference. If you are writing about a group, you will have to talk to several members and maybe at a different time. This makes the process even more challenging. In most of the cases, feature stories are not timely, so you don’t need to rush anything and should take some time to write a good story. Let the interviews take place when it is convenient for all of the participants. The only exception is when the story took place recently and hasn’t been covered in the media. In such a case, you need to rush and be the first one to publish it. Choosing quotes Once your interview is finished, you need to sit down and reread the material, listening to recordings and pulling quotes. The quotes you choose should be relevant to the topic and represent the chosen angle. Stick to a certain side of a personality and highlight it, omitting too many unnecessary details. This is the pillar, which will support your work and will make the story honest and clear. Write a draft Now you can start working on the first sample of your work. Usually, feature stories are built around the chosen quotes. Remember, the reader wants to hear the voice of the described person and not your own thoughts on the matter. This means that you can include as many quotes, as you want. Even if half of your feature story will consist % of quotes, it will be ok. Always try to remember that the discussed subject should be placed in the center of the work, so the more details you provide, the better. Get clarification and approval before publishing When your story is finished, it is necessary to send it to the editor or professor. In addition, you can send a copy to the chosen subject if he or she requires it. However, it doesn’t mean that the subject has a right to change the story or add any details. Make it clear that you won’t grant any changes because it is unprofessional. Simply send a copy and state that you want to make sure that all of the facts and quotes are correct. For the subject, it is another chance to be introduced to the audience. Majority of writers think that it is the reason why the subject shouldn’t interfere and has a right just to notify if some of the details or facts are conveyed in a wrong way. Submit the work Once your editor, professor or the subject don’t seem to have any remarks, you can submit the story.

How Hooliganism Is Seen in the Contemporary World Coursework

How Hooliganism Is Seen in the Contemporary World - Coursework Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that to give a reason for some of the key attributes of hooliganism, a division between impulsive, relatively secluded confrontations of spectator violence and the conduct of socially organized fan groups which participate in aggressive violent behavior should be drawn. This division is historically apparent through a change from a pattern in which assaults on football match officials and opponent players preponderated over assaults on opponent fans, to a practice in which fights against fans and the police became the dominant form of watcher muddled state. Pearson defines hooliganism as a violent, raucous and disparaging behavior. Hooliganism has closely been associated with sports activities due to violence among the spectators. There are numerous theories on the history and origin of hooliganism. In reference to the Oxford dictionary, hooliganism originated in the late years of the 19th century from the surname of an illusory unruly Irish family, Hooligan, in a musical-hall song of the 1890’s. Hooliganism has been used since the late 19th century. It described a street bunch of criminals in London in the 1890’s, just about the same time Manchester street mob were achieving disrepute. Exact first usage of the term hooliganism and how it came to be used in the present meaning is not well known. The Daily News reported a case at Southwark Police Court in London where it indicated that Clarke, 19 years old, arraigned for the attack on police was the ringleader of â€Å"Hooligan Boys†, a gang of youth. This gang had graced with their presence a music hall and caused disturbances which led to the police being called. Later the next month, two young men were brought before a court in London for unruly behavior.

Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Nursing - Essay Example It is necessary that every member of an organization must be involved in dealing with the problem of absenteeism. Nyathi and , Jooste ( 2008) point out that, if absenteeism among nursing staff occurs, this puts a greater workload on the staff who do turn up, and so this leads to a downward spiral of stress on staff, and eventually even more absenteeism. The authors mention factors such as† work attitudes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment and work/job involvement) and retention factors,† but admit that in many cases reasons behind absenteeism are poorly understood. Managers, especially those who see staff every day such as ward managers, should know their staff so well that they are aware when any members of staff feel themselves to be under stress at work, as this which is identified as being a major factor in absenteeism. . Communication is important. Staff need to hear and understand the organization’s plans, goals, and objectives in order that they can uphold and protect them. The executive team is charged with the mandate of ensuring that when a new employee is hired, they are taken through the organization’s corporate vision. This will ensure that that person understands what the institution is like and its ethos. If everyone is told and understands fully what is expected of him or her, it is easier in the course of business to remind them of what is expected of them, whether with regard to being available when required, or with regard to some other matter. Slater and William (1996) describe how letting staff have a greater larger degree of control of rotas led to better communications between management and staff. It was also discovered that many nurses had not realized the impact their negative behavior was having both on the organization and their colleagues. It was also felt that if mention was made of absenteeism staff might feel that they

United Nations Reform :: essays research papers

United Nations Reform Many of the UN's functions and responsibilities have come under weighty circumstances. For example, the delegation of revenue to it's ramifications and the standard of which â€Å"who† will â€Å"maintain† a seat on the security counsil are two of the main topics. First off, financing the United Nations 15 specialized agencies, the UN itself, and roughly 9,000 staff members (of which 40% are of professional grade) with the â€Å"Regular Budget† is a problem that continues to be a major threat to the continuation of the UN for two reasons: Some of the larger industrial countries, such as the United States and Russia, have been with-holding a portion of their assessed contribution due to their dissatisfaction with certain aspects of UN administration. The concern also exists that since all members must pay in U.S. dollars which are earned strictly through trade, the United States indirectly causes many developing nations to fall behind on payments. Secondly, the struggle just to maintain one of the two year seats on the SC has been a major concern. A yearning for a permanent seat on the SC has been expressed by many more countries. The European Union (EU)stated on April 9, 1996 that it feels strongly that the United States should not collect anything off of the UN because it is not contributing what it is supposed to. Many third world nations, such as Indonesia and Chile, are frightened by the attempts at cutting the UN's budget. Most countries feel Japan deserves a permanent seat on the Security Council. The UN proposed an elimination of 70 worldwide UN information centers on May 13,1996, With the supporting argument that with our current information superhighways these centers are becoming antiquated. Nations such as Indonesia and Chile argue that such cuts are unjust to those who have not been given the † Technological Gift.† The nation of Japan is going against what would normally be expected of us. We are not following along in the trail left by the United States in the ongoing struggle for the United Nations financial reform. Instead we hold ground in that everyone should pay their assessment. Japan also feels it is imperative for Japan to recieve a permanent seat on the SC, because it is the second largest

Interest Initiates Learning Essay

In Gerald Graff’s essay, Hidden Intellectualism, one is exposed to the author’s view of different means of intellectualism. Graff gives the reader an uncommon perception of what it means to be an intellectual. He expresses his views by stating that a person can be an intellectual in fields that have nothing to do with academia, such as street smarts or particular interests. He also states that if you incorporate these particular interests in the classroom, students deemed as unintellectual would be more likely to grasp the taught materials. These students could then perform to their true potential. To begin with, Graff uses many forms of logic to persuade the reader into his point of view. By employing logos into his writing he states logical arguments of how many students are street smart or interested in other things. Graff guides the reader into the realization that if a student is interested in a subject, it is only logical that when the subject is incorporated into the learning material then the student will comprehend the concept more easily. Graff states that â€Å"they would be more prone to take on intellectual identities if we encourage them to do so at first on subjects that interest them rather then ones that interest us† (Graff 199). Next, Graff uses his personal experiences to help the reader connect with his ideas through pathos. He tells us how, as a young man, he did not consider himself an intellectual and was not interested in scholarly matters. â€Å"I offer my own adolescent experience as a case in point. Until I entered college, I hated books and cared only for sports.† (Graff 199) He later reflects his newfound thoughts on intellectualism as he states, â€Å"I have recently come to think, however, that my preference for sports over schoolwork was not anti-intellectualism so much as intellectualism by other means.† (Graff 200) He then allows the reader to sympathize and relate by informing us that he â€Å"grew up torn, then, between the need to prove [that he] was smart and the fear of a beating if [he] proved it too well.† (Graff 200) Last but not least, by using ethos, Graff establishes his credibility. He writes extremely well and refers to other well known authors in his essay such as George Orwell, â€Å"Students do need to read models of intellectually challenging writing—and Orwell is a great one—if they are to become intellectuals themselves.† (Graff 199) He also speaks of the 1950’s, a time period when opinions on intellectualism varied and reinforces his statement by supplying a real life example when Marilyn Monroe married playwright Arthur Miller after divorcing baseball star Joe DiMaggio. It was â€Å"the symbolic triumph of geek over jock [and] suggested the way the wind was blowing.† (Graff 201) Overall I personally agree with Graff. As a student myself I feel that learning would be much easier if it was associated with things that I found to be interesting and enjoyable. I feel at times that the education system is very set in its ways. Times and people are changing, and so should the methods of teaching and involving students in the classroom. Many people with great potential might be limited by their lack of interest and may never be able to display to the world what they are capable of without Graff’s vision.

Goal Setting With Elementary Students

With the start of the new school year upon us, it is the perfect time to have your students begin school by learning how to set positive goals. Setting goals is an important life skill that all elementary students need to know. While the students may still be a bit too young to think about what college they want to go to, or the career they may want to have, its never too late to teach them the importance of setting, and achieving a goal. Here are a few tips to help your elementary students learn to set goals. Define What a "Goal" Means Elementary students may think the word goal means when you are referring to a sporting event. So, the first thing that you want to do is have students brainstorm what they think setting a goal means. You can use the reference of a sporting event to help you. For example, you can tell the students that when an athlete makes a goal, the goal is the result of their hard work. You can also have students look up the meaning in the dictionary. Webster’s Dictionary defines the word goal as â€Å"something that you are trying to do or achieve.† Teach the Importance of Goal Setting Once you have taught your elementary students the meaning of the word, now its time to teach the importance of setting goals. Discuss with your students that setting goals helps you become more confident in yourself, helps you make better decisions in your life, and gives you motivation. Ask students to think about a time that they had to sacrifice something that they really loved, for an even better outcome. You can give them an example if they are unsure. For instance, you can say: I really like to get a coffee and a donut before work every day but it can get really expensive. I want to surprise my children and take them on a family vacation, so I need to give up my morning routine in order to save money to do that. This example is showing your students that you have given up something that you really liked, for an even better outcome. It explains how powerful setting goals and achieving them can really be. By giving up your morning routine of coffee and donuts, you were able to save enough money to take your family on a vacation. Teach Students How to Set Realistic Goals Now that students understand the meaning of a goal, as well as the importance of setting goals, now its time to actually set a few realistic goals. Together as a class, brainstorm a few goals that you think are realistic. For example, students may say My goal is to get a better grade on my math test this month. Or I will strive to complete all of my homework assignments by Friday. By helping your students set small, achievable goals that can be achieved quickly, you will help them understand the process of setting and achieving a goal. Then, once they grasp this concept you can have them set even bigger goals. Have students focus on which goals are most important (make sure they are measurable, achievable, as well as specific). Develop a Method to Achieve the Goal Once students have chosen the specific goal that they want to achieve, the next step is to show them how they are going to achieve it. You can do this by showing students the following step-by-step procedure. For this example, the students goal is to pass their spelling test. Step 1: Do all spelling homework Step 2: Practice spelling words each day after school Step 3: Practice spelling worksheets each day Step 4: Play spelling games or go on the Spellingcity.com app Step 5: Get an A on my spelling test Make sure that students have a visual reminder of their goal. It is also wise that you have a daily or weekly meeting with each student to see how their goals are developing. Once they achieve their goal, its time to celebrate! Make a big deal out of it, this way it will want them to make even bigger goals in the future.