Question

Hello Profvale,
Need your assistant again.
Could you please respond to both

prompts.

Prompt 1:

 Effective leaders use a number of methods to inculcate morale and motivation in the workplace. Staying away from methods discussed in previous modules, this week, our textbook taught us about the impact that trust can have on employees. It is said that when an employee feels that their manager or supervisor trusts them, they are more likely to have confidence in their own abilities and act in a way that will maintain this trust. At the same time, it is important for employees to feel the same level of trust towards their superiors. If one’s employees believe that they have their best interest at heart and will do what is necessary to keep their organization running effectively, then morale and motivation levels are more likely to stay high. In addition, keeping the environment of the workplace positive and low in stress is extremely helpful when looking at morale and motivation. One way to do this is through the use of humor and fun (Bruce, 2011).

           When looking at the impact of environment on morale in the workplace, there is an emphasis put on the incorporation of humor and fun. It is said that: “…employee humor is associated with enhanced work performance, satisfaction, workgroup cohesion, health, and coping effectiveness, as well as decreased burnout, stress, and work withdrawal” (Mesmer-Magnus, Glew & Viswesvaran, 2012, p 155). However, it is important to use humor in the correct way. For example, one of the most positive ways to use humor and fun in the workplace is as a type of coping tactic to keep one’s stress levels down and perspective positive. In addition, humor can be used interpersonally to positively influence work relationships and decrease the likelihood of conflict. However, there are also negative ways to use humor in the workplace. For example, if one is using humor as a way to avoid certain aspects the emotions they feel towards their job or as a result of low self-esteem, then this is no longer a good environment for high motivation and morale. In addition, if the humor is being used in a way that teases and hurts other employees, then it can cause conflict as well as alienation in the workplace (Mesmer-Magnus et al., 2012).

           When thinking of an example of workplace initiative that was intended to increase motivation, my mind went to the “team huddles” that were put into place at one of my former jobs at Big Y Supermarket. The team huddle was a meeting that lasted for about 15 minutes, twice a day, that involved one member from each of the store’s departments coming together to have an open discussion about what was happening that day. During these meetings there would be discussion about sales, how the employees in the departments were doing, and if there were any employees that deserved special recognition for their performance. The goal was to increase employee interaction and communication, while also motivating individuals and increasing morale. This was achieved through the employees feelings that their contributions were being recognized, as well as the general knowledge that the store managers cared about each employee and wanted to know how they were doing (Bruce, 2011). Overall, there was a good amount of resistance from the employees when this idea was put into place. They felt that this huddle was a waste of time and they would rather not have to stop what they were doing twice a day to participate in it. In this situation, I believe that it would be important to explain to employees why these huddles are important and how they can personally benefit from them. It is during this time that employees can make themselves heard and feel like they’re a member of a team, rather than on their own. In addition, much like the articles for this week discussed, incorporating fun into these huddles may have been helpful as well. For example, making the climate of the meeting a more open, light-hearted environment may encourage higher levels of communication between employees, as well as a higher level of comfort. These changes would not only increase positive feelings about the meeting, but could also result in an increase in morale and positive attitudes throughout the workplace.

Prompt 2:

Some I-O based approaches for morale and motivation in the workplace include incorporating humor, fun, and teambuilding into day-to-day life for employees. Two recents studies conducted have verified that bringing humor into daily work operations is beneficial for motivation, morale, and productivity (Lehmann-Willenbrock & Allen, 2014). Environmental factors can certainly hamper or be conducive to motivation. In the restaurant industry, for example, it can be hard to maintain motivation on an extremely hot day while cooking on an open mesquite flame. (Solution= bring the cooks popsicles for break!). Likewise, a factor like restaurant overcrowding can significantly take away from a server’s ability to do their job. This brings to mind that even factors like the layout of a building can influence organizational efficiency. A good example of a company who takes concerns such as this into account is Outback Steakhouse. Outback has an exceptional company culture, based on the “founders’ idea that a company is its people” (DeCotiis, Sullivan, Hyatt, & Avery, 2004, p. 24). The layout of Outback was also designed ergonomically, to maximize productivity. This included creating a back-of-house much larger than the front of house, which consistently ensured that there would be enough cooks in the kitchen to serve the front-of-house. The steakhouse I worked out was designed in the opposite fashion, which was often a de-motivator as the cooks simply could not keep up with front-of-house seating.

Incorporating fun into the workplace can influence motivation and morale in that fun is unifying- by having fun together, teambuilding is occurring (Bruce, 2011). Such was seen in a workplace initiative created by the management staff of a restaurant I worked at. It was suggested that having some voluntary managers “switch roles” would drive motivation in that others would pick up on their enthusiasm for learning new things. Front-of-house managers were stuck behind the line, while back-of-house managers had the new task of greeting and seating customers. The humor of the situation greatly improved morale. As author Anne Bruce states, humor “helps us put things in perspective” (Bruce, 2011, p. 110). This was during a trying transitional phase at the restaurant and everyone needed the laugh. Watching cooks try to remember table numbers got both staff and customers laughing. Front-of-house managers honing their cooking skills was not only funny, but increased motivation since the BOH staff really pitched in to try to help them. Rather than resisting the change, it motivated the employees to show off their knowledge to the “transplanted” manager. Humor and trusting in employees’ abilities effectively addressed any resistance.