1. Employee Attitudes and Their Effects
Chapter Nine
Employee Attitudes and Their Effects
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Introduction
Negative attitudes are:
A symptom of underlying problems
A contributing cause of forthcoming difficulties
Linked to reduced organizational competitiveness
A key challenge is dealing with employees who have developed an attitude of entitlement
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3. The Nature of Employee Attitudes
Attitudes affect perceptions
Perceptions affect attitudes
Employee predispositions
Positive affectivity
Negative affectivity
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4. Job Satisfaction Elements Feelings, thoughts, and intentions
Individual Focus
Job satisfaction is an individual’s attitude
Moral is group satisfaction
Elements of Job Satisfaction
Overall attitude or can apply to various parts of an individual’s job
Job-related attitudes predispose an employee to behave in certain ways
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Job Satisfaction
Stability of Job Satisfaction
Attitudes are acquired over time
Satisfaction can vary and can decline more quickly than it is developed
Environmental Impact (spillover effect)
Off-the-job environment indirectly influences feelings on the job
Job satisfaction influences general life satisfaction
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Job Involvement
The degree to which employees:
Immerse themselves in their jobs
Invest time and energy in them
View work as a central part of their overall lives
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7. Organizational Commitment
Employees can choose to be involved, committed, and positive
Commitment is stronger among:
Longer-term employees
Those with personal success in the organization
Those working within a committed group
Organizationally committed employees:
Have good attendance
Adhere to company policies
Have lower turnover rates
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8. Organizational Commitment
Inhibiting Factors
Excessive blaming
Insincere gratitude
Failure to follow through
Inconsistencies and incongruities
Inflated egos and bullying
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9. Organizational Commitment
Stimulating Factors
Clarity of rules and policies
Investments in employees
Respect and appreciation for efforts
Employee participation and autonomy
Making employees feel valued
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Work Moods
Variable, highly dynamic attitudes toward a job
Positive moods produce energy, passion, vitality, and enthusiasm
Results in better customer service, lower absenteeism, greater creativity, and interpersonal cooperation
Work moods are directly affected by managerial actions
Praise, fun atmosphere, pleasant surroundings, social interaction
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11. Effects of Employee Attitudes
Dissatisfied employees engage in:
Psychological withdrawal
Physical withdrawal
Aggression
Satisfied employees:
Go beyond the call of duty
Have good work records
Actively pursue excellence
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Employee Performance
High satisfaction does not guarantee high performance
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13. Turnover Negative effects of turnover: Separation costs Training costs
Vacancy and replacement costs
Morale effects
Functional effects of turnover:
More opportunities for internal promotion
Removal of disruptive employees
Infusion of expertise from new employees
Satisfied employees are less likely to quit
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14. Products of Employee-Organization Attitudes
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15. Absences and Tardiness
Employees with low job satisfaction are absent more often
Tardiness is short-term absenteeism
A pattern of tardiness is often a symptom of negative attitudes
Presenteeism
Working when you shouldn’t be
Reduces productivity by 33 percent or more
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Theft
Acts of Theft
Using company services without authorization
Fraud
Unauthorized removal of company resources
Causes
Reestablishing lost equity
Revenge for ill treatment
Severe dissatisfaction
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Bending the Rules
Intentionally interpreting organizational policies to obtain personal gain
Often committed by dissatisfied employees
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Violence
One of the most extreme consequences of employee dissatisfaction
Millions of workers are victims annually
Many more live under the direct or perceived threat of harm
Cost to U.S. businesses is $36 billion per year
Work stress can be both a cause of violence and the aftermath of it
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19. Other Effects of Attitudes
Negative Effects
Low productivity, turnover, absenteeism, tardiness, theft, and violence
Positive Effects
Organizational citizenship behaviors
“Good Soldier” Motivation
Personality traits
Desire for special recognition or rewards
Image enhancement
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20. Studying Job Satisfaction
A job satisfaction survey can:
Identify broad employee problems
Indicate levels of satisfaction
Pinpoint problem areas in jobs or groups
Improve the flow of communication
Serve as an emotional release
Identify training needs
Help managers plan and monitor new programs
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21. Ideal Survey Conditions
Desired Prerequisites
Top management support
Employees are involved in survey planning
Past surveys produced noticeable changes
A clear objective exists
Study standards are consistent with sound research
Management is willing/able to follow-up
Both the results and action plans are communicated to employees
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22. Other Job Satisfaction Information
Daily Contacts and Existing Data
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23. Survey Design and Follow-Up
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24. Types of Survey Questions
Closed-end Questions
Easy to administers
Does not give employees a full opportunity to express themselves
Open-end Questions
Permits employees to express feelings, thoughts, and intentions fully
Makes stronger impression on management
Can be directed or undirected
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Critical Issues
Reliability
Capacity to produce consistent results, regardless of who administers it
Validity
The capacity to measure what they claim to measure
Response Rates
Improve with short time period, periodic reminders, keeping form short and easy-to-understand, offering incentive
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26. Using Survey Information
Communicate the results
Use comparative data to spur competition
Set up committee to do review and follow-up
Feed results back to employees
Take action on results
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27. Changing Employee Attitudes
Tie rewards to performance
Set challenging goals
Define clear expectations
Use active listening skills
Provide frequent feedback regarding performance
Show concern for employee feelings
Allow employees to participate in decision making
Show appreciation for effort and citizenship
Provide new data
Have co-workers share their attitudes
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28. Issues Between Organizations and Individuals
Chapter Ten
Issues Between Organizations and Individuals
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29. Legitimate Organizational Influence
Every organization develops policies and requirements for performance
If the organization and an individual define the boundaries of legitimate influence differently, conflict is likely
Areas of Organizational Influence
Job conduct (high legitimacy)
Personal activities off the job (low legitimacy)
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30. Legitimacy of Organizational Influence Model
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Off-the-Job Conduct
The power of business to regulate employee conduct off the job is limited
The more job-related the conduct is, the more support there is for organizational influence
Current Issues
Surveillance
Substance abuse
Genetic screening
Office romances
Feelings of territoriality
Assessments of ethical values
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Rights of Privacy
Areas that employees, customers, and others believe should be off limits:
Religious, political, and social beliefs
Personal acts and conversations
Non-business locations
Personal-use locations in a business, such as rest rooms
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33. Conditions Defining Invasion of Privacy
Personality (versus performance)
No permission obtained before disclosure
Unfavorable consequences
External disclosure
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Honesty Testing
Employee theft is a major problem
Costs employers over $40 billion per year
Up to 3/4ths of employees have stolen
Polygraph
Detects physiological changes
Is largely prohibited as a screening tool
Validity is questionable
Paper-and-Pencil Tests
Overt
Personality-based
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35. Treatment of Alcoholism
Alcoholism presents medical and job problems
Costs employers more than $10 billion annually
Absence rates are two to four times that of other employees
Alcoholics are in all industries, occupations, and job levels
The job environment can contribute to the problem, as can personal habits and problems
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Drug Abuse
Can cause serious problems for:
The employee
The employer
Other employees
Customers and the general public
Costs Related to Drug Abuse
Employee theft to support habits costs billions
Absentee rates can be up to 16 times higher
Accident rates are 4 times higher
Lost productivity and additional health costs are as high as $70 billion annually
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Genetic Testing
Genetic testing is a more aggressive tool than genetic monitoring
Positive uses of genetic testing information:
Moving susceptible employees to safer areas
Health warnings
Development of protective measures
Negatives
Discrimination based on results
Impacts individual privacy and opportunity
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Discrimination
EEO issues related to privacy:
Sexual harassment
AIDs
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Discipline
Types of Discipline
Preventive
Corrective
Objectives
Reforming the offender
Deterring others from similar actions
Maintaining consistent, effective group standards
Progressive Discipline
Stronger penalties for repeated offenses
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Quality of Work Life
The favorableness or unfavorableness of a total job environment for people
Open communications
Equitable reward systems
Concern for employee job security and careers
A caring supervisor
Participation in decision making
Development of employee skills
Reduction of occupational stress
More cooperative labor-management relations
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41. Job Enlargement versus Enrichment
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42. Job Enrichment Benefits
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43. Core Job Characteristics and Work Outcomes
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44. Enrichment Increases Motivation
Enriched jobs increase motivation provided that employees:
Have adequate job knowledge and skills
Desire to learn, grow, and develop
Are satisfied with their work environment
Most enrichment attempts have been conducted in manufacturing operations
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45. Social Cues Affect Perceptions
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46. Contingency Factors Affecting Enrichment
Job enrichment does not apply to all types of jobs
The costs may be too great in relation to rewards
Some workers may not want an enriched job
It may upset pay relationships
Expensive equipment may not be adaptable
The program may unbalance the production system
Supervisory or staff roles may be reduced
Union opposition
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47. The Individual’s Responsibilities
Individual responsibilities to the organization:
Honest and ethical behavior
Acting productively and creatively
Organizational citizenship
Whistle-blowing
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Dues-Paying
“Costs” that an individual pays for group acceptance and continuing membership
Minimum qualifications
Willingness to work without complaint
Showing respect to others
Not acting superior to others
Performing at an above-average level
Spending the appropriate amount of time on the job
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Dues-Paying
Key characteristics:
A perceptual phenomenon
Judged by many observers
Situation-specific
Group’s memory of dues paid may fade
Idiosyncrasy credits
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50. Forms of Whistle-Blowing
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51. Most Likely Whistle-Blowers
Workers who have observed wrongdoing
Who believe it to be a serious problem
Who feel that it directly affects them
Conscientious people
Professionals with long service
Those previously recognized as good performers
Those perceived to be responsive to complaints
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Mutual Trust
Whistle-blowing often occurs because mutual trust has deteriorated or been broken
Results in a breakdown of the psychological contract
Mutual trust:
Occurs over time
Requires mutual understanding, emotional bonds, and trustworthy behaviors
Can be broken in an instant
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