Introduction
When people end their education and obtain the required degree, they are interested in finding the best employment opportunities to meet their personal and professional needs and earn a living. According to van Hooft et al. (2021), job search is a significant activity people may engage in during any phase of their lives. However, when the ideal job is finally found, it is also essential to maintain adequate working conditions, regardless of current achievements or failures.
The situation at TravelinkSolutions Canada illustrates that first impressions may not align with reality over time, and employee or customer dissatisfaction can easily undermine an organization’s success. In the case under analysis, issues such as employee engagement and morale, customer support, responsibility levels, and human resource adequacy must be addressed to assess the situation, identify key problems, and demonstrate the urgency of change.
Travelink Situation Assessment and Problems
Over the last several months, Travelink Solutions has faced several challenges, including a shortage of employees, an increase in customer demand, and difficulties sustaining adequate financial performance. Will, whose working experience was 16 months, shared his documentation of the company’s current problems with his friend, Robert, who has been working there for the last three years (Deszca et al., 2020). Both were stunned by Travelink’s leadership and management and considered quitting as one of the only available options. In most cases, organizational change must be implemented to update structures and practices, thereby meeting the needs of all stakeholders (Hubbart, 2023).
However, the assessment of this situation at Travelink allowed me to discover that not all companies are always ready to implement prompt changes and avoid problems. Instead of listening to employees and truly examining adverse outcomes, the company’s leaders continue to expand their services, attract more clients, and neglect employees’ concerns. Albrecht et al. (2022) acknowledge that employee attitudes play a crucial role in predicting the success of organizational change. In this case, success is unlikely due to a lack of engagement and cooperation between the departments.
Currently, the company must address several underlying issues. First, in its intention to take on new business contracts and gain additional profit, Travelink management has neglected the need for new employees to complete all the necessary tasks. Absenteeism and turnover rates have increased, as has the workload, resulting in additional difficulties and frustration. Instead of sharing retention strategies to improve work relationships and morale, leaders often fail to recognize the importance of change and collaboration, instead prioritizing their own ambitions (Al-Suraihi et al., 2021).
Many employees, including Will, should return to their old jobs and lose promotion opportunities. New individuals often lack professional supervision, which negatively impacts the quality and timeliness of the services they receive. Thus, employees are poorly motivated and unsatisfied with their working conditions. Leading managers offer no assistance, and most of Travelink’s promises are neglected. Customers, in their turn, have to wait more than 30 minutes to ask for help. They have already increased their complaints, and some of them are unable to speak with a call center employee. Thus, stress, disorganization, losses, and low-quality services pose challenges to the company.
Will and Robert’s Situation
Today, employees might find themselves in a similar situation to Will’s or Robert’s. In my experience, I have never observed such problems. However, if I found myself in their situation, I would take several steps to change it. For example, employee engagement is based on active listening and promoting formal and informal communication (Lemon, 2019). Instead of postponing face-to-face communication, I would emphasize the importance of a meeting and share my ideas earlier, rather than making a quick decision.
In addition, Lee and Lee (2020) acknowledge that the digital age is provoking unprecedented changes in the business environment, and the importance of connections between people should be recognized. I intend to reveal new forms of communication between leaders and their employees, ensuring that all unclear moments and recommendations are discussed. Ultimately, a good leader should never overlook the importance of training and supervision within a team, as they facilitate testing general assumptions and analyzing personal contributions (Marques-Quinteiro et al., 2019). Therefore, as soon as I noticed a lack of training and support within a team, I would discuss the situation at the department level first and then address it with my senior manager to obtain answers.
Recommended Changes
If Will and Robert decide to stay and try to change the situation, I would recommend addressing Lewin’s change model. Travelink Solutions has already demonstrated its inability to allocate sufficient time for each employee, and making harsh decisions is its specialty. Thus, taking the necessary steps that require minimal time is essential. Lewin proposed three steps to address organizational crises, namely unfreezing, change, and refreezing (Deszca et al., 2020).
The company should pause for a moment to evaluate its current beliefs and resources, recognizing that some problems can no longer be ignored. Then, a solution should be developed based on open communication, assessment of reports, and Will’s documentation to clarify what interventions are appropriate and initiate change. I would share Will’s ideas because they have already impressed one employee. It is high time to make a similar impact on other people in the company. Finally, employees’ and customers’ opinions should be gathered during a refreezing stage to clarify if organizational modifications are effective. Teamwork and active listening can improve employee motivation and morale, helping to restore Travelink’s reputation.
Personal Experience
In my life, I have never been in a situation where I was a recipient of change, and things went poorly. If I need to change something, I think over each detail and make propositions relying on my knowledge, skills, evidence, and available resources. However, I am aware that resistance to change and poor outcomes may occur in companies for various reasons. Such failures usually affect people in two ways: destroy them or make them stronger. Inappropriate emotional responses or fears of job loss contribute to an organizational crisis (Marques-Quinteiro et al., 2019).
I have also learned that employee engagement starts with dialogue (Lemon, 2019). Unfortunately, not everyone understands how to initiate conversations with their leaders. In this case, I would probably be left to meet my professional needs, maintain a job, and persuade my leadership to listen. Therefore, poorly managed change can decrease my self-esteem and increase my concerns about the future.
Conclusion
Being overly focused on business growth and financial profits can make even the most successful organizations vulnerable to various problems. Travelink Solutions has achieved a great deal over the last several decades of its operation. However, in their desire to have more, leaders have missed a moment when more people could have been needed. Poor assessment abilities, a lack of cooperation between the departments, and ineffective time management put the company at risk of losing good employees. It is high time for Travelink leaders to listen to individuals like Will or Robert and clarify whether there is an opportunity to change the situation and improve the company both internally and externally.
References
Albrecht, S. L., Connaughton, S., & Leiter, M. P. (2022). The influence of change-related organizational and job resources on employee change engagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 13.
Al-Suraihi, W. A., Samikon, S. A., & Ibrahim, I. (2021). Employee turnover causes, importance and retention strategies. European Journal of Business and Management Research, 6(3), 1-10.
Deszca, G., Ingols, C., & Cawsey, T. F. (2020). Organizational change: An action-oriented toolkit (4th ed.). SAGE.
van Hooft, E. A., Kammeyer-Mueller, J. D., Wanberg, C. R., Kanfer, R., & Basbug, G. (2021). Job search and employment success: A quantitative review and future research agenda. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(5), 674-713.
Hubbart, J. A. (2023). Organizational change: Considering truth and buy-in. Administrative Sciences, 13(1).
Lee, S. M., & Lee, D. (2020). “Untact”: A new customer service strategy in the digital age. Service Business, 14(1), 1-22.
Lemon, L. L. (2019). The employee experience: How employees make meaning of employee engagement. Journal of Public Relations Research, 31(5-6), 176-199.
Marques-Quinteiro, P., Vargas, R., Eifler, N., & Curral, L. (2019). Employee adaptive performance and job satisfaction during organizational crisis: The role of self-leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 28(1), 85-100.