Archives for the Month of November 2006 on Asta Gerbec's MGMT 250 Journal
Desk Rage
There's a problem sweeping corporate America. No, it's not the flu or decreasing profits. It's known as desk rage. It usually hits lower level employees who feel helpless and emotionally abused in the workplace. They feel their work is not valued and they are out of touch with the reason behind their work. These feelings can lead to job resentment. Employees who resent the workplace can abuse sick days, steal from the company, backstab other employees, and even become physically abusive.
To prevent these feelings lines of communication in the workplace need to stay open, conflicts need to be resolved sanely, and there needs to be a general appreciation of everyone's work. As a manager, creating a team with a shared goal can curb employee desk rage.
Healthcare or Big Brother
Microsoft has a special healthcare option to deal with overweight employees. Their employees have the option to have the company pay for a year's worth of fitness club memberships and nutritionist meetings. This has led employees to lose a lot of weight and become healthier.
With all these expenses coming from all these employees, what is the upside for the company? Healthcare costs are down, absenteeism is down, and production is up. Employees are feeling healthier, leading them to work more and do their jobs better. This is part of the benefit package that employees can choose to participate in. Having a benefit plan is something positive within a company. It makes workers happier.
Although some may see this as getting too involved in employee's personal lives, I think this idea is both profitable and helps create healthier people. Where is the downside?
Big Business
A man approached my little sister in a mall. He told her she should be a model. He works for Elite Modeling.
The modeling industry is big business. Companies use models to give an image to a product. Their beautiful face is associated with the product. Women want to be this woman, or at least have the product, so they spend the money. The psychology behind advertising is amazing.
Jay Leno
I watched Jay Leno last night. He announced that Walmart is coming out with a new wine. It will cost between two and five dollars. This is truly the Walmart business strategy. Extremely low prices regardless of quality.
This is a business strategy that is doing very well in modern America. People have the desire to spend less money. Walmart obliges.
When this product is released managers at Walmart must find a way to motivate employees to make this product a success. This can be done by rewarding shift workers who sell the most product. This will help workers focus on getting product off the shelves.
Benefits
A company's employee benefits can draw in new employees. It can also help to keep turnover low. Knowing what your employees want, be it a higher salary or better benefits, can help your company succeed. This is why companies need to put more money into employee surveys and meetings that address this issue.
In our simulation company, we are putting more money in employee benefits, rather than increasing wages. Morale is going up, which is what we were trying to acheive.
Advertising
It is amazing how much advertising effects the way a product is viewed by the public. If a product is advertised in the wrong way, no one will buy it, no matter how great the product actually is. This is unfortunate, as many great products are ignored as consumers flock to big budget ad campaigns to find their next buy.
Little companies need better access to advertising to get their product on the market. This can be difficult, and costly, but it will be worth it in the long run.
Management Jargon
A recent MSNBC article discussed the need for management to watch the way they speak to employees. According to a recent survey, managers who use cliches are perceived as lacking confidence and lying.
I can understand how those employees feel. When I worked as a waitress, my manager would use cliches and jargon to boost morale. It had the opposite effect on the employees. I thought he did not have anything of importance to say to the employees. This led him to he use statements that meant nothing to fill the time. It hurt his credibility.
Managers need to understand that what they say, and how they say it, to employees has an effect on them.
Customer Service is Important
On msnbc's website, shown here, I found a very interesting story. It discusses the business strategies that have made one industry very successful. It is also about pot. It seems that the drug dealing industry is applying big business customer service strategies to increase profits. Delivery service, product quality, and the use of technology to keep track of customers are some of the ways the pot industry is increasing customer service.
With such awesome customer service found in drug dealing, maybe corporate giants such as Wal-Mart and Kohls have something to learn from the little guy.