Introduction
While cash rewards programs are an essential factor in many companies’ employee retention strategies, they do not alone guarantee satisfied employees. In every organization, there are managers assigned to ensure that employees complete their assignments in an efficient manner.
In order to achieve this obligation, the managers should have the capacity to motivate the employees. (Rosenbloom & Hallman, 1991) However, it is a pity to note that most managers lack the ability to motivate their employees thus leading to underperformance as witnessed in EatNGas, Inc. By looking at the situation, it is obvious that the problem cannot be solved through financial incentives since the officials have already set a maximum amount that they can offer in any given year.
By looking at the figure, it is obvious that this amount is not sufficient to keep the cashiers happy thus calling for the need to offer a different kind of incentive. (Worman, 2010)
In order to deal with the problems in the stores with cases of inventory losses and theft, it would be necessary for the management to come up with ideal incentives to deal with this problem. One way of achieving this would be to create a program where the performance of individual cashiers is appraised at the end of every month and the best given an award titled Cashier of the Month.
The cashier who is assigned this credit should also be given a signed certificate from the management along with a choice to pick a gift of about $15 from the company’s merchandise. On top of this, officials in EatNGas should also come up with quarterly rewards program where the best cashier is given a signed certificate and a savings bond of about $30.
This would make the employees feel appreciated something that would in turn reduce inventory losses and theft. Additionally, the organization can use the Maslow theory goal set of self-esteem to deal with cashiers who might be having problems in this area. It is amazing to note that some people might result to theft to fill in their low self-esteem. (Motivating Employees, 2011)
On top of individual incentives, the EatNGas, Inc, management should come up with corporation wide incentives to keep the cashiers happy. To begin with, the $500 allocated for corporate incentives should not be used to increase individual salaries since this would lead to jealousy and hence low job performance on the part of those employees who feel left out.
Instead, cashiers should be made aware of the existence of the incentive then let everyone be given a chance to compete for the money. Additionally, the management should come up with a reward program for perfect attendance and use disciplinary action for unwarranted absenteeism. It would also be wise to set up policies meant to help employees to cope with their children’s sickness, school activities among others. (Teasley, 2008)
Recommendations
Given the situation at EatNGas Inc, the management led by Jerry and Jill Clayton should do the following to save the company:
- Form a reward program where they present the Cashier of the month with a signed certificate and a gift option of $15. This would reduce inventory losses.
- Form quarterly rewards where the best cashier is given a signed certificate and a savings bond of about $30. This would naturally discourage theft.
- Avoid a situation where they give pay rises to some employees and disregard others since this would lead to jealousy
- They should set up a reward program for perfect attendance and use disciplinary action for unwarranted absenteeism (Worman, 2010)
Conclusion
It is surprising to note that employees do not give much value to pay rise, benefits and working conditions as much as they value the possibility of advancements and appreciation at the workplace. This negates the popular belief that money is a prerequisite for motivated workers. However, employers should not use this fact as a tool for rewarding their employees in a poor or unfair manner. Instead, what the management should know is that all employees are different and they should therefore be treated according to their needs.
References List
Motivating Employees. (2011)Role of incentives. Web.
Rosenbloom, S., & Hallman, V. (1991). Employee Benefit Planning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Teasley, C. (2008) Tips for Motivating Employees. Web.
Worman, D. (2010) 20 Ways to Motivate Your Employees Without Raising Their Pay. Web.