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Changing the Nature of WorkUnit 5: Organizing
The Most Important Resource Many managers say, “Our people are our most
important resource” This is an easy statement to make, but it is not
always easy to translate this idea into an environment where the employees feel like they are the most important resource
The Psychological Contract The Psychological Contract is the set of
unwritten expectations concerning the relationship between an employee and an employer
The psychological contract addresses factors that are not defined in a written contract of employment such as levels of employee commitment, productivity, quality of working life, job satisfaction, attitudes to flexible working, and the provision and take-up of suitable training
Expectations of both employer and employee can change, so the psychological contract must be re-evaluated at intervals to minimize misunderstandings
Quality of Work Life Quality of Work Life or QWL - is a term used
to describe the overall quality of an individual’s experience in the workplace
In some workplaces, QWL groups or committees are organized to help improve the working life of employees
Alternative Job Design Approaches
Job Design is the process of assigning specific work tasks to individuals and groups
Good job design will result in jobs that provide both satisfaction and performance
It will also provide a good fit between the individual worker and the task requirements
The manager must take into consideration the job scope, job depth, and task specialization when designing the job
Job Scope - is the number for variety of tasks Job Depth - is the extent of planning, controlling, and
responsibility Task specialization - is how narrowly the job is defined
Alternative Job Design Approaches
Job scope + Job
depth +Task
specialization
= Preferred job design
narrow + low + high = Job simplification
wide + low + moderate =
Job rotation or
job enlargement
wide + high + low = Job enrichment
Alternative Job Design Approaches
Job Simplification - means standardizing work procedures and assigning people to clearly defined and highly specialized tasks
Job Rotation - The job scope is increased by periodically shifting workers between jobs that involve different task assignments This rotation method works best in larger organizations
where employees may be “cross-trained” to do jobs other than their own
Job Enlargement - is increasing the job scope by combining two or more tasks previously assigned to separate employees
Job Enrichment - usually involves adding planned and controlled responsibilities normally performed by the manager, or giving the individual more input into his/her own job
Alternative Work Arrangements
Job design deals primarily with the content of jobs The context of many jobs is also changing More employers are realizing that by allowing their
employees increased flexibility with respect to work schedules, they cannot only keep their current employees satisfied, but also attract quality people to their organizations
Examples: Job Sharing Work Schedules Off-site Work Contract Work
Job Sharing Job Sharing - means splitting one full-time job
between two or more persons A typical example is one person works in the morning
and the other person works in the afternoon The benefit to employers is that they are able to keep
or attract people who only want to work part-time
Work Schedules Work Schedules - can also provide flexibility
while allowing a person to keep a full-time job Two common examples are the compressed work
week and flex-time Compressed Work Week - might be four days
of ten hours each day Flex-Time - employees are permitted to choose
the times of day that they arrive and leave, as long as they complete 40 hours in the week.
Off-Site Work Off-site Work - working in different locations than the
office Telecommuting - term commonly used to describe a
work arrangement where an employee works from home, or some other off-site location, for at least part of the week
This arrangement allows people to continue to work without the constraints of commuting by car or train, fixed hours, business attire, and direct contact with the manager or other employees
Contract Work Contract work - A business hires a person to do a
specific task within a specific time frame When that task is completed, the working arrangement
is over, unless the parties decide to sign another contract
Using contract workers gives employers flexibility to respond to changing needs and deal with ups and downs in business