Hw-1740 exam 050023 outline and investigation report

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OUTLINE

I. To determine the causes of the problems faced by Roanoke branch, impact of the problems on the business and employee morale, and recommendations to resolve the problems. Problem faced are:

1. Lack of effective communication

2. Inadequate compensation

3. No incentive for overtime.

4. Accepting wrong projects

II. General approach to investigating the causes:

A. Interview of employees

1. Four of the ten employees from the Graphics and Design Department interviewed between June 1st to June 10th. 

2. Head of the graphics department interviewed on June 10th.

B. Analysis of payroll data conducted between June 10th to June 15th.

C. Analysis of policies related to compensation and overtime conducted between June 10th to June 15th.

D. Project analysis conducted between June 10th to June 15th.

III. Overall findings about the underlying issues 

A. Lack of effective communication

1. No laid down policy on communication. Prohibits lower level employees to communicate their concerns to higher management. Higher management unaware of  happening at ground level. Opinion are rejected by management without consultation. This is affecting employee morale and productivity.

2. Employees lack effective communication skills. Employees are unable to communicate clearly. Causing confusion and dissatisfaction.

3. Management not concerned about effective communication. Causing despair among employees. 

B. Inadequate compensation

No extra compensation for working for long hours and working on weekends. No incentives for working for extra hours – negative impact on morale and productivity.

C. No incentive for overtime

Roanoke branch policies do not allow payment for overtime, but, Phoenix Advertising agency policy does. Discrimination  causing dissatisfaction among employees.

D. Accepting wrong projects

1. No clear cut guideline on acceptance of new projects. New projects increasing workload – affecting health and family life of employees. 

2. Many projects not creating significant economic value. Per employee profit going down. May affect bonus payment.

IV. Recommendations

A. Improve effectiveness of communication

1.  Develop policy for communication: Employees should know whom to communicate, which communication channel to use, where to escalate. Management should what to communicate and what to kept confidential.

2. Training employees – acquire effective communication skills.

3. Create aware of the importance of effective communication. Involve top management including CEO. 

B. Increase total compensation

Reward for high performance. Redesign total compensation plan. Family friendly benefits. Link a part of compensation with performance.

C. Implement agency policies at branch level

All branches should follows same compensation policies. Uniformity of policies improves employees morale and productivity. 

D. Guidelines for selection of projects

Develop guidelines for selection of projects. Consider financial and non-financial factors.