5. Design of work in Human Resource Management

 

What is Work Design and how it's related to employee job satisfaction?

Work design is the creation of systems of work and a working environment that enhances organizational effectiveness and productivity, ensure the organization becomes a “great place in which to work” and are conducive to the health, safety, and well-being of employees (Armstrong, 2014).

An arrangement in the workplace that has the objective of overcoming employee alienation and job dissatisfaction that comes about from mechanical and repetitive tasks in the workplace. Work design is used by organizations to boost productivity by offering employees non-monetary rewards such as satisfaction from a greater sense of personal achievement. Also called job design.

What is the definition of Job Design?

 Job design specifies the contents of jobs in order to satisfy work requirements and meet the personal needs of the job holder, thus increasing levels of employee engagement.’

 

Factors affecting Job Design

 

 A well-defined job will make the job interesting and satisfying for the employee. The result is increased performance and productivity. If a job fails to appear compelling or interesting and leads to employee dissatisfaction, it means the job has to be redesigned based upon the feedback from the employees.

Broadly speaking the various factors that affect a job design can be classified under three heads. They are:

 Organizational Factors               :      Organizational factors that affect job design can be work nature or characteristics, workflow, organizational practices, and ergonomics.

Environmental Factors               :     Environmental factors affect the job design to a considerable extent. These factors include both the internal as well as external factors. They include factors like employee skills and abilities, their availability, and their socio economic and cultural prospects.

Behavioral Factors                     :    Behavioural factors or human factors are those that pertain to the human need and that need to be satisfied for ensuring productivity at workplace. They include the elements like autonomy, diversity, feedback etc. A brief explanation of some is given below:

Autonomy: Employees should work in an open environment rather than one that contains fear. It promotes creativity, independence and leads to increased efficiency.

Feedback: Feedback should be an integral part of work. Each employee should receive proper feedback about his work performance.

Diversity: Repetitive jobs often make work monotonous which leads to boredom. A job should carry sufficient diversity and variety so that it remains as interesting with every passing day. Job variety / diversity should be given due importance while designing a job.

Use of Skills and abilities: Jobs should be employee rather than process-centered. Though due emphasis needs to be given to the latter but jobs should be designed in a manner such that an employee is able to make full use of his abilities and perform the job effectively.

 

Job Specialization in Scientific Management by Federic Taylor

Job specialization, is a term the terminology that comes with scientific management and the basic idea here is that we are breaking down jobs into specific tasks and the tasks are being broken down into very simple components. Then each employee just get a silver or small piece of the task or of that job. Thus each person just do one thing over and over again. Nevertheless, an organizational perspective it's very efficient. It literally takes two minutes to hire somebody into a role where they're have to do one task or run over it. takes another two minutes to train them. It is simple and people can do learn the jobs and execute on the jobs very quickly and efficiently.  

 Positive Outcomes:

• Proposed to minimize waste by identifying the best method to perform the job
• Identified Job Specialization
• Negative Outcomes:
• Poor Motivation
• Boaring and repetitive
• Increased absenteeism
• Instead of Job specialization we can do things that are more motivational for employees.

 

Motivational Job designs in Hospitality Industry

 Job Rotation

 Rotating people periodically from job to job, Reduces boredom increases flexibility and Helps minimize repetitive strain injuries.

•  Associate can have cross training with other department.
• Able to apply to a next position or another position within the organization
• Hospitality management diploma has included all departmental theories- All students should work as a Intern trainee in a hotel in order to get working experiance.

 

Job Enlargement

This is a horizontal broadening of the job, meaning you have jobs at the same flat level. They are not more difficult or more empowering or more authoritarian. It is a same level of job duties.

•  Hotel associate might be a Cashier and a Accounts payable (Both are the same level of job duties putting them together)

Job Enrichment

Which is a vertical enlargement of the job or vertical enrichment of the job. in this level have more control over how employee perform their tasks, thus that should be more motoivational. Since now have more autonomy, more control and dicision-making powers.

•  Taking ideas from other supervisors on decision making time
• Hotel associate can do job crafting - Proactive changes employees make themselves in their own job description.
• Establishing client relationship - Direct Guest service
• Forming natural work units - Assigning employees to specific guests (Butler service) 

 

SMART goal example in Hospitality Industry

 

SMART - Which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Based, is an effectiveprocess for setting and achieving your business goals. Applying the SMART grid to your goals will help you to create more specific, achievable targets for your business, and to measure your progress toward them.

 Example: What is the SMART goal of Sales & Marketing Director in a Hotel

Specific: He will acquire three new clients for his consulting Hotel

Measurable: He will measure his progress by how many new clients he bring on while maintaining his current client base.

Attainable:  will ask current clients for referrals, launch a social media marketing campaign and network with local businesses.

Relevant: Adding additional clients to his hotel will allow him to increase his hotel revenue.

Time-Based: he will have three new clients within two months.

  

How Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs applying in Hospitality Industry

According to Maslow (1954), there are five basic constructs in the human hierarchy of needs. The hierarchy consists of five categories of basic needs:

(a) Physiological needs
(b) Security needs

(c) Belongingness needs

(d) Self-esteem needs, and 

(e) Self-actualization needs. 

Physiological needs can be defined as the most basic human needs, such as food, water, air, and shelter. As a result, it is not possible to satisfy higher level needs if the basic needs are not met. Physiological needs can be compared to salary, working environment, and welfare. 

The second one that would be met is security needs. In general terms, security needs refer to the basic human need for survival or self-preservation and can be compared to job security in working life. When the first two levels have been met, the next level of needs must be satisfied. 

Belongingness needs can be described in term of having a chance to participate in the activities at workplace, feeling as a part of the group, and getting recognition from others. 

Self-esteem needs are concerned with gaining respect from others in the workplace and social sphere, and can be based on achievement, independence, and confidence. 

The last need is self-actualization, which is the need for success, which is the highest order of human needs and can be compared to promotion, career advancement, higher salaries and bonuses. 

Maslow’s conceptualization of human needs is represented by a triangle with five levels that he referred to as the Hierarchy of needs. Maslow claimed that lower-level needs must be satisfied before advancing to the next higher level. 

In the Hospitality industry, how Employer make sure they are helping to employees to get all their needs met?

The thinking is that if they can get all their needs met by the organization, or at least the organization is doing their part, then the employees will be set up for success. Then they'll be able to be the best version that they can for the organization. for an example please refer to Figure 5.1,

Figure 5.1 - How Maslow's theory applied in Hospitality Industry

 

How five essential stages help to build the Team work in any organization?

Building a team takes time and effort. Do not expect a group of people to work together smoothly for the first time without proper leadership and management skills. You will not be able to build and exceptional team. Communication between members is also very important when developing a team. The following are five essential stages that an organization goes through  during team development. 

1. Forming stage - in this stage members are getting to know each others. they are trying to understand the roles that must be taken and the goals that are addressed to achieve. The leaders at this point is working together with the colleagues directing them to what this is all about. 

2. Storming stage -  In this stage conflicts arise members are comfortable with their fellow collegues. competition for roles and leadership arises, differences in perspectives and expetriances collide with each other. At this point the leader steps in to reduce tension. 

3. Norming stage - In this stage members are starting to communicate together. Trust is starting to build among them. By now everyone knows what their role is. Leaders at this point are settling communications between members anabling the start os a stable teamwork. 

4. Performing stage - In this stage a high level of communication, understanding and trust has been achieved between the team members. Individuals are working together efficiently to achieve their common goal, group decision making collaboration, motivation  and effective development is hapenning here. At this point leaders offer gratitide to the members individually and also as a team for their  striving performance. 

5. Adjourning stage - The delegated roles either been completed efectively or not, the goal has been achieved or not. According to the accomplishments the team either becomes permanent or temporary. Some members are forced to go back to their early stages due to their capability of achieving what was desired. Others remain as a stable team taking on more responsibilities on future projects. 

Achieving a hard-working, trustful and excelling teamwork is similar to achieving a valuable jumped for any organization. Over the years of taking care of its value increases giving prosperity to its owner.  

References: 

BNG Campus.(2021) Job analysis. BNG Hotel Management [Onine]. Available at https://www.bngkolkata.com/. Accessed on 20th May 2021. 

Belbin Associates. (2021) Team roles . Belin [Online]. Avaiable at https://www.belbin.com. Accessed on 20th May 2021. 

Suksaranruedee, S. & Sucaromana, U. (2013). Concept of  morale. Working Morale on Hospitality Employees in Thailand. pp 3 [Online]. Available at https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/. Accessed on 21st May 2021.