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To: The Management Team
From: Sender’s Name
Re: Resolving the Decline in Employee Motivation after the Merger
Purpose:The Need for a Reward and Recognition Program
Therecent merger has elicited concerns among the employees. Adistressing problem that worries the employees is job security. Theconcern emanates from the fear that the partner organization hascarried along its staff and as a result threatening the existing jobswithin the company. As a manager, my perception is that though themerger will be prolific for the business, an issue of concern is thatthe firm’s employees are exhibiting low motivation and moraletowards executing their duties at the workplace. As a result, Ipropose that the implementation of a rewards and recognition programis appropriate for the workforce.
Problem:
Theissue of job security has cropped up among employees on severalinstances following the decision of the company to enter into amerger. Personally, I have noted that motivating the employees wouldcontribute immensely towards boosting their morale. The issue of lowemployee morale did not feature among employees before the merger.However, employees feel that the merger would subject theorganization to new management strategies that could eliminate someof their positions thereby rendering them jobless. Some of thepotential effects of the merger would be the declaration ofparticular jobs redundant and the need to reduce the number ofexisting staff to accommodate other employees coming in from thepartner organization. Personally, I attribute the current state ofanxiety to poor communication between the organization and itsemployees as concerns the objective of the merger. The workforceneeds to understand that the competitive business landscapenecessitates exceptional performance on the part of the employees.
Solution:
Apparently,retaining existing employees would not be considered adequate toimprove employee morale and productivity. Implementing a reward andrecognition program will be effective. The system would entail acombination of approaches. This includes day-to-day recognition,informal recognition, and a formal recognition. Day-to-dayrecognition requires the implementation of regular appreciationpractices either on a weekly or daily basis. The recognition approachshould be intangible and attract minimal or no cost. Positivefeedback on interpersonal skills forms the foundation of therecognition exercise. The system applies to all employees regardlessof their level. The method entails affixing a star-shaped note to thedoor of another associate by an employee that feels that theindividual in question deserves recognition for a job done. Theaction of the person receiving the credit note should exemplify theguiding principles of the organization thereby enabling the businessto meet its goals. It is evident that introducing a day-to-day rewardand recognition system would ensure that all the employees have alevel playing field in the workplace.
Thereward and recognition system also entails an informal recognitionprogram that concentrates on goal accomplishments and performanceachievement aspects of the employee. The appreciation program shouldapply to either individuals or teams on a quarterly or monthly basis.In the implementation of the program, the organization can usecertificates, gift cards, point-value incentives, refreshments, andlow-cost awards. Both managers and peers can utilize informalrecognition programs. When implementing the peer-to-peer recognition,management approval is mandatory.
Besidesinformal recognition programs, the company should also implementformal recognition programs. As opposed to simple recognition, theofficial recognition should entail a clearly defined criterion,process, and objectives that are associated with recognizing andrewarding employees at the workplace. Rather than recognizing theefforts of individual employees, formal appreciation can also includeteams and departments within the organization. The rationale behindthe use of official recognition is the need to achieve specific goalswithin the company. Other objectives involve encouraging actions thatextend beyond standard work expectations and exemplifying particularvalues of the organization. Formal recognition programs may includetheissuanceofmore costly awards since they occur less frequently thanunceremonious programs. They should also target a small percentage ofemployees (1% – 10%).
Itis also evident that the success of a reward and recognition programalso requires management responsibility. As a result, all members ofthe management team and senior leaders should take part in theendorsement of the reward and recognition program. They shouldactively plan, review, support, and take part in the reward andrecognition practices. In the quest to ensure full participation fromleaders, the organization can form the Leadership Advisory Committee(LAC), the Solutions Group, and the Associate Advisory. The rewardand recognition system would maintain the focus on motivating theemployees to deliver exceptional service to the organizationregardless of the imminent threats emanating from the merger.
Outcomes:
Theprimary results of the reward and recognition program include
Increased productivity of the employees: The workforce will be more committed to their work, which will lead to efficient performance and thus enhance productivity.
Reduced employee turnover rates: If employees are recognized and rewarded effectively, none will be willing to leave the organization, therefore leading to a reduced turnover.
Increased profits emanating from increased productivity and cost reduction previously incurred in training new employees
Enhanced customer satisfaction: When employees are contented with their rewards, they are bound to provide quality services to the customers, therefore leading to customer satisfaction (WorldatWork, 2011).
ReferenceList
WorldatWork.(2011).WhyImplement an Employee Recognition Program? Research and CasesSupporting the Benefits of Employee Recognition Program.USMotivation.
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