Spring/ February 2012

Master of Business Administration- MBA Semester 1

MB0043 –Human Resource Management - 4 Credits (Book ID: B1132)

Assignment Set- 1 (60 Marks)

*Note: Each Question carries 10 marks. Answer all the questions.

Q1. Explain the need for human resource planning.

Ans: Human Resource planning is one of the essential parts of every organization’s annual planning process. Every organization plans for its business goals for the year also plans for how will it go about achieving those goals, therefore planning for the human resource:

1. To carry on its work, each organization needs skilled staff with the necessary qualities, knowledge, work experience and interest in work.

2. As a result in employees exit, organization naturally or unnaturally needs to hire new employees by replacing staffs to augment employee exit.

3. Due to organizational growth, the Need for more employees arises so; an organization needs to fulfill the extra needs and demands of employees.

4. Often organization might need to replace the nature of the present workforce as a result of its changing needs, therefore the need to hire new employees. To meet the challenge of the changed needs of technology/product/ service.

5. Manpower planning is also needed in order to identify areas of surplus personnel or areas in which there is a shortage of personnel.

Q2. What are the objectives of job evaluation?

Ans: job evaluation is essential information on which each job is evaluated. Job evaluation is done In order to know what the employee does, how he gets his work done, why he does etc.

The objectives of job evaluation are as follows:

1. Establishment of sound salary differential between jobs differentiated on the skill required.

2. Identification and elimination of salary-related inequities.3. Establishment of sound foundation for variable pay such as incentive and

bonus.4. Maintenance of a consistent career and employee growth policy/guidelines.5. In organizations with active unions, creation of a method of job classification,

so that management and union’s officials may deal with major and fundamental wage issues during negotiations and grievance meetings.

6. Collections of job factsa) Selection of employeesb) Promotion and transfer of employeesc) Training of new employeesd) Assignment of task of jobse) Improving work conditionsf) Administrative organization andg) Work simplification.

Q3. Why is it important to handle grievances carefully?

Ans: What might happen if an organization does not provide some method by which an employee can voice his complaints and obtain an explanation? The employee will be unhappy, his productivity is impacted, he openly begins to share his discontent with not just his colleagues but also outsider’s, friends, relatives, maybe even customers and vendors. Just as the employee has all the right to voice a grievance, as employer (or the management) owes it to the employee to respond suitably to the grievance. It is but commonsense that the resolution of a problem rests on management. The earliest and clearest opportunity for issue resolution is found at the first stage, before the grievance has left the jurisdiction of the manager. For this reason, many firms have specifically trained their managers on how to handle a grievance or complaint properly. If the dispute or grievance constitutes a managerial problem it can often be resolved by the manager himself with the help of the HR team. The following steps discuss how a grievance can be redressed:

1. Receiving the grievance: The manner and attitude with which the manager receives the complaint of grievance is important. The basic premise is that the manager should at the outset assume that the employee is fair in presenting his/her opinion/complaint. The complaint should not be prejudged on the basis of past experience with this or other employees. When an employee approaches the manager with an issue the manager needs to make himself available to listen it all out and provide him/her the undivided attention. Research confirms that managers who were more task-oriented, as contrasted with managers who were more people-oriented, tended to experience a significantly higher number of grievances being filed in their units.

2. Reviewing the grievance: Once a complaint is received all facts supporting the issue needs to be gathered. Proper record keeping such as performance ratings, job ratings, attending records, and suggestions are reviewed. In addition, with the increasingly legal implications of modern labour-management relations, the manager should keep records on each particular grievance. All action taken,

discussions with the employee, summary and what is agreed to all of it needs to be recorded.

3. Analysis and decision: With the problem defined and the facts in hand, the manager must now analyze and evaluate them, and come to some decision. It is important for the manager to involve others in the process to ensure that it is fair and is the best solution. The manager must include the views of his own manager as he might not be aware of all the implications of the problem and its resolution. Involving HR too is a recommended process in all organizations. HR can then seek finance or legal counsel if required, before any decision is taken. All involved in the decision making process need to be aware that the decision may create an undesirable precedence within the department as well as the company.

4. Response: Often it might not be possible to provide a positive resolution to the problem. If the solution decided is adverse to the employee’s views, attention needs to be given to the method of communication. Employees dislike managers who will take no stand, good or bad. Clearly communicating the message and sharing as much information as possible about the decision making process helps in establishing credibility to the process used to make the decision. The manager can also invite HR or his manager to sit-in on the conversation with the employee. As far as possible this should happen in a face-to-face meeting. In the event an employee wishes to take the appeal beyond to the next stage of the procedure he must be allowed to do so. The manager must have the opportunity to explain his decision to the other members so they can take a well-informed decision.

5. Follow up: The objective of the grievance procedure is to resolve a disagreement between an employee and the organization. Open communication is important for this process. The purpose of phase is to determine whether the employee feels that the problem has been sufficiently redressed. If follow up reveals that the case has been handled unsatisfactorily, then redefinition of the problem, further fact-finding, analysis, solution and follow up are required. At this stage the manager can step aside and allow someone else in a position of authority like the HR or the manager’s manager to lead the process and close it.

Q4. How can we evaluate the effectiveness of training programs conducted in organizations?

Ans: An objective of training evaluation is to determine the payoff from the training investment. It focuses on the improvement of the participant in the training programmed to perform jobs for which they were trained, what was effective and

what was not, whether the trainees required any additional on the job training, and the extent of training not needed for the participants to meet job requirements.

There are various approaches to training evaluation. To get a valid measure of training effectiveness, the manager should accurately assess trainee’s job performance two to four months after completion of training. However this focus is not easy to establish and track in most organizations.

Per Kirkpatrick’s study, training effectiveness of outcomes can be measured:

1. Reaction: Evaluate the trainee’s reaction to the programmed. Did he like the programmed? Did he think it worthwhile?

2. Learning: Did the trainee learn the principles, skills and fact that the supervisor or the trainer worked them to learn?

3. Behavior: Whether the trainee’s behavior on the job changed because of the training programmed.

4. Results: What final results have been achieved? Did he learn how to work on machine? Did scrap page costs decrease? Was turnover reduced? Are production quotas now being met? Etc.,

Structured interviews with the immediate supervisor of the trainees are acceptable methods for obtaining feedback in training. The supervisor is asked to rate the former trainee on job proficiency directly related to the training objectives. Another approach is to involve the use of experimental and control groups. Each group is randomly selected, one to receive training (experimental) and the other not to receive training (control). The random selection helps to assure the formation of groups quite similar to each other. Measures are taken of relevant indicators of success (e.g. words typed per minute, units of work produced per hour etc.) before and after training for both groups. If the results shown by the experimental group are significantly greater than those of the control group, the training can be considered as successful.

Another common method is the longitudinal or time series analysis. A series of measurements are taken before the programmed begins and continues during and post completion of the programmed. The results are then plotted on a graph to ascertain changes if any, have occurred and continue to remain as a result of the training investment that was made. In addition, pre-and-post tests are administered to the training groups. Prior to the training, a test related to the training material is applied, and the results of this pre-test are compared with results on the same or similar test administered after the programmed has been completed.

Q5. What are the objectives of human relations?

 Ans: A human Relations Programmed thereby attempts at enhancing employee motivation and workplace morale through an improved three-way communications and through employee participation in the decision making processes. Human relations seek to emphasize ‘employee’

 Aspects of work rather than technical or economic aspects. For example while it might be in the best interest of an organization to have a employee skilled and completely proficient in one job/set or responsibilities, today’s organization provides’ opportunities for employees to multi-skill and acquire knowledge of new yet related jobs/responsibilities. These acts as a motivator for employees as they benefit by learning new skills / jobs and given an opportunity can perform and excel in another job. It also seeks to make employment and working conditions less impersonal. The human relations approach emphasizes policies and techniques designed to improve employee morale and job satisfaction. For example it is common place in organizations to provide for / encourage employee empowerment where-in the team brings about creative measures to reduce cost/ improve customer satisfaction. Such teams design and implement self-driven initiatives to bring about the business result. It is believed that this is accompanied by increased employee efficiency and reduction in employee dissatisfaction. An understanding of emerging workplace human behavior can be summarized as:

i) Assist the manager to develop a better realization of how his own attitudes and behavior playa part in everyday affairs of the team and its morale.

ii) Assist the manager to develop a keener sensitivity towards the team members and interpersonal dynamics.

iii) Partner with the managers in helping him drive the business goals and take part ownership of work challenges and how best to resolve them.

iv) Enable him to anticipate and prevent problems, or at least to resolve more effectively those that he cannot avoid.

v) Network with other teams with related dependencies and help resolve inter-team business impacting challenges This Scope of Human Relations springs up from the problems which have many different cause sand perspectives. Halloran has stated these as: · every person brings a unique set of talents, ambitions and work experience to a job. These personal attributes change over time, often as a result of the degree of success or failure the person experiences in the work world. Matching so many unique sets of personal qualities to a standardized technology can create problems.· The organizational aspects of a company, such as its size, geographic location, economic health, and degree of automation, define the scope of work and the activity in each work division. These frequently arbitrary, structural definitions often cause difficulties in human relations. · Innovations in technology and production methods generally require the restructuring of job roles and responsibilities. Radical changes in basic organizational structure can cause severe strains between employees and management and create intense problems in human relations

Q6. Assume yourself as an HR Manager. You have been given the responsibility of promoting the rightful Employees. For this, performance

appraisal of the employees must be carried out. What appraisal Method would you choose? Justify.

Ans: A performance appraisal, employee appraisal, performance review, or (career) development discussion is a method by which the job performance of an employee is evaluated (generally in terms of quality, quantity, cost, and time) typically by the corresponding manager or supervisor. A performance appraisal is a part of guiding and managing career development. It is the process of obtaining, analyzing, and recording information about the relative worth of an employee to the organization. Performance appraisal is an analysis of an employee’s recent successes and failures, personal strengths and weaknesses, and suitability for promotion or further training. It is also the judgment of an employee’s performance in a job based on considerations other than productivity alone.

 Aims

Generally, the aims of a performance appraisal are to: Give employees feedback on performance Identify employee training needs Document criteria used to allocate organizational rewards Form a basis for personnel decisions: salary increases, promotions, disciplinary

actions, bonuses, etc. Provide the opportunity for organizational diagnosis and development Facilitate communication between employee and employer Validate selection techniques and human resource policies to meet federal Equal

Employment Opportunity requirements. To improve performance through counseling, coaching and development.

 Methods

A common approach to assessing performance is to use a numerical or scalar rating system whereby managers are asked to score an individual against a number of objectives/attributes. In some companies, employees receive assessments from their manager, peers, subordinates, and customers, while also performing a self assessment. This is known as a 360-degree appraisal and forms good communication patterns.

The most popular methods used in the performance appraisal process include the following:

Management by objectives 360-degree appraisal Behavioral observation scale Behaviorally anchored rating scales

 Trait-based systems, which rely on factors such as integrity and conscientiousness, are also used by businesses but have been replaced primarily by more objective and results-oriented methods. The scientific literature on the subject provides evidence that assessing employees on factors such as these should be avoided.

The reasons for this are twofold:

1. Trait-based systems are by definition based on personality traits and as such may not be related directly to successful job performance. In addition, personality dimensions tend to be static, and while an employee can change a behavior they cannot change their personality. For example, a person who lacks integrity may stop lying to a manager because they have been caught, but they still have low integrity and are likely to lie again when the threat of being caught is gone.

2. Trait-based systems, because they are vague, are more easily influenced by office politics, causing them to be less reliable as a source of information on an employee’s true performance. The vagueness of these instruments allows managers to assess the employee based upon subjective feelings instead of objective observations about how the employee has performed his or her specific duties. These systems are also more likely to leave a company open to discrimination claims because a manager can make biased decisions without having to back them up with specific behavioral information.

People differ in their abilities and their aptitudes. There is always some difference between the quality and quantity of the same work on the same job being done by two different people. Performance appraisals of Employees are necessary to understand each employee’s abilities, competencies and relative merit and worth for the organization. Performance appraisal rates the employees in terms of their performance. Performance appraisals are widely used in the society. The history can be dated back to the 20th century and then to the second world war when the merit rating was used for the first time. An employer evaluating their employees is a very old concept. It is an indispensable part of performance measurement. Performance appraisal is necessary to measure the performance of the employees and the organization to check the progress towards the desired goals and aims.

The latest mantra being followed by organizations across the world being – “get paid according to what you contribute” – the focus of the organizations is turning to performance management and specifically to individual performance. Performance appraisal helps to rate the performance of the employees and evaluate their contribution towards the organizational goals. If the process of performance appraisals is formal and properly structured, it helps the employees to clearly understand their roles and responsibilities and give direction to the individual’s performance. It helps to align the individual performances with the organizational goals and also review their performance.

Performance appraisal takes into account the past performance of the employees and focuses on the improvement of the future performance of the employees. Here at naukri hub, we attempt to provide an insight into the concept of performance appraisal, the methods and approaches of performance appraisal, sample performance appraisal forms and the appraisal software’s available etc. An attempt has been made to study the current global trends in performance appraisal.

Spring/ February 2012

Master of Business Administration- MBA Semester 1

MB0043 –Human Resource Management - 4 Credits (Book ID: B1132)

Assignment Set- 2 (60 Marks)

Note: Each Question carries 10 marks. Answer all the questions.

Q1. State the major career development activities found in organizations.

Ans: A broad view of career is defined as an “individually perceived sequence of attitudes and behavior work-related activities and experiences over the span of a

person’s life.” In normal parlance the term career has both an internal and an external focus. An internal focus and refers to the way an individual views his/her career and the external or objective focus and refers to the actual series of job positions held by the individual. The dynamics of career development in an organizational context has two dimensions:

How individuals plan and implement their own career goals (career planning), and

How organizations design and implement their career development programs (career management).

Career planning is a deliberate attempt by an individual to become more aware of their skills, interests, values, opportunities and constraints.It requires an individual thinking to identify career-related goals and establishing plans towards achieving those goals.Often it is a self-driven process, which every professional (irrespective of the nature of employment) spends some time to dwell on and discuss it with peers or superiors and frame it. It is also viewed from time to time that the individual looks for possible new career options. Having a career plan builds a commitment towards achieving it and is viewed as an excellent personal goal-setting exercise for self motivation.Career management is considered to be an organizational process that involves preparing, implementing and monitoring career plans undertaken by an individual alone or within the organizations career systems. Organizations establish policies that provide for multiple career path options that an employee can choose from and pursue. This is supported with a lot of training and development activities that are agreed to with the manager and planned carefully and executed.A variety of career development activities and tools exists for use in organizations. HR managers should be familiar with these components because the managers often serve as internal consultants responsible for designing the career development systems. Some of the activities described are individual career planning tools and others are commonly used for organizational career management. In general the most effective career development programs will use both types of activities.A variety of career development activates are available for use. Some of the more popular ones include:1. Self assessment tools: - these are usually technology enabled on-line (on the corporate intranet) tools that form part of the performance appraisal system and allow the individual to identify areas of strengths and parallelly identify career paths that would leverage these strengths the best. E.g. Career Planning Workbooks, Career Workshops hosted by the organizations from time to time.

Q2. What are the major problems faced in benefits management?

Ans: Some of the basic problems faced by management are 

1: How to produce a qualitative product: This is the first problem faced by management that what is to produce, how much to produce and where to be produce. And the organization has to decide either they have to produce different products or to emphasis on one product. 

2: How to deal the labour union: The labour is the group of people working for the betterment of the employees working in the organization. The management has to decide that how to full fill the demands of the labour union in respect of salaries, bonuses, insurance, medical allowances, fringe benefits etc. 

3: How to compete in the market: Various decisions for example how to charge the price, how to place the product, how to promote the product has to be taken by the management and they try to solve these problems in a best manner. 

4: How to utilize the organization resources: The management made various decisions about the organization resources that are man, money, material, machinery, market and methodology. 

5: To avoid stick out situation: Stock out situation is that situation when the customer demands for the product and the company has no product at that time. The management has to decide how to tackle this problem.

The challenge in managing benefits is that while it costs a lot it is often taken for granted by the employees. The dilemma of finding the right balance of benefits and cash compensation is an on-going one. Like for Compensation, Benefits too are benchmarked by organizations and implemented keeping the market practices and trends in view. The key to leveraging the investment made by organizations on benefits can be got by adequate communication making employees aware of them. It includes, providing clarity on how to apply for and claim benefits, as well as hold road-shows show-casing the benefits and what the employee can avail of. It focuses on to remind the employees that they are part of the total compensation package.

Most large and medium sized organizations manage compensation and benefits through state-of-the-art HRMS (Human Resource Management Systems) and the corporate intranet portals. Employee can enroll on-line for the benefits, ask queries, look up the policies and review the outstanding and balance status of the various benefits. They can view deadlines, apply for the various benefit claims and track reimbursement status on-line. This brings a lot of empowerment to the employee as well as awareness of the total benefits that he/she and their dependents are eligible

Q3. What are the factors that impact recruitment in organizations?

Ans: The recruitment function of the organisations is affected and governed by a mix of various internal and external forces. The internal forces or factors are the factors that can be controlled by the organization. And the external factors are those factors which cannot be controlled by the organization. The internal and external forces affecting recruitment function of an organization are:

There are a number of factors that affect recruitment. These are broadly classified into two categories:1. Internal factors2. External factorsINTERNAL FACTORS The internal factors also called as “endogenous factors” are the factors within the organization that affect recruiting personnel in the organization. Some of these are:-Size of the organizationThe size of the organization affects the recruitment process. Larger organization finds recruitment less problematic than organization with smaller in size.Recruiting policyThe recruitment policy of the organization i.e. recruiting from internal sources and external sources also affect the recruitment process. Generally, recruitment through internal sources is preferred, because own employees know the organization and they can well fit in to the organization culture. Image of the organizationImage of the organization is another factor having its influence on the recruitment process of the organization. Good image of the organization earned by the number of overt and covert action by management helps attract potential and complete candidates. Managerial actions like good public relations, rendering public service like building roads, public parks, hospitals  and schools help earn image or goodwill fo r o rgan izat ion .  That   i s why ch ip companies at t ract the la rger numbers o f  application.Image of the jobBetter remuneration and working conditions are considered the characteristics of g o o d   i m a g e   o f   a   j o b .   B e s i d e s ,   p r o m o t i o n   a n d   c a r r i e r  d e v e l o p m e n t   p o l i c i e s   o f   organization also attract potential candidates.EXTERNAL FACTORSLike internal factors, there are some factors external to organization, which havetheir influence on recruitment process. Some of these are given below:- Demographic factors As demographics factors are intimately related to human beings, i.e. employees, these have profound influence on recruitment process. Demographic factors include age, sex, Literacy, economics status etc.Labor marketLabor market condition I.e. supply and demand of labor is of particular importance in affecting recruitment process. E.g. if the demand for specific skill is high relative to its supply is more than for particular skill, recruitment will be relatively easier.Unemployment situationT h e   r a t e   o f   u n e m p l o y m e n t   i s   y e t   a n o t h e r   e x t e r n a l   f a c t o r   i t s  i n f l u e n c e   o n   t h e recruitment process. When the employment rate in an area is high, the recruitmentp r o c e s s   t e n d s   t o   s i m p l e r .   T h e   r e a s o n   i s   n o t  d i f f i c u l t   t o   s e e k .   T h e   n u m b e r   o f   application is expectedly very

high which makes easier to attract the best-qualified applications. The reserve is also true. With low rate of unemployment, recruiting process tend to become difficult.Labor lawsT h e r e   a r e   s e v e r a l   l a b o r   l a w s   a n d   r e g u l a t i o n s   p a s s e d   b y   t h e  c e n t r a l   a n d   s t a t e governments that govern different type of employment. These cover workingcond i t ion ,  compensat ion ,   re t i rement  benef i t s ,   sa fety  and  hea l th  o f  employee   in industrial undertakings.The child Labour Act,1986; for example prohibits employment of children in certainemployments.S imi lar ly  severa l  o ther  acts  such  as   the  Employment  Exchange  Act ,1958;  TheApprent ice Act , 1961; the Factory Act ,1948; and The Mines Act , 1952 dea l w i th recruitment.Legal considerationAnother external factor is legal consideration with regard to employment reservation of jobs for schedule tribes, and other backward class (OBC) is the popular examples of such legal consideration. The supreme court of India has given its verdict in favor o f 50 per cent o f jobs and seats . Th is i s so in case admiss ion in the educat iona l institutions also.

Q4. Explain the general procedures followed in the case of a disciplinary action.

Ans: Some of the process that is recommended in following disciplinary action is as follows:

a) An accurate statement of the disciplinary problem: the first step is to ascertain the problem by seeking answers to the following questions.1. Does this case call for a disciplinary action?2. What exactly is the nature of the violation or offence?3. Under what condition did it occur?4. Which individual or individuals were involved in it?5. When or how often did the violation occur?

After all these above procedures are completed, it will be desirable to know the follows records.

b) Collection of data or facts supporting the report of the offence:Before taking any actions in any cases, it is importance to gather all the facts about it. A thorough examination of the case should be made within the stipulated time limit.

c) Review policy and past similar incident: this kind of penalty to be imposed for an offence should be determined beforehand.

d) Identify corrective action to implement: legal counsel should be imposed to ensure that the local laws of the land are not on conflict: when the decision has been taken to impose a penalty, the punishment to be awarded should

be lighter than it should be; it may encourage the violation of the same rule or another. If it is greater than it should be then it may lead to grievance.

e) Apply the action: the application of the penalty involves a positive and

assured attitude on the part of the management. If the disciplinary action is a simple reprimand, the executive should calmly and quickly dispose of the matter. But when severe action is called for a fortnight, serious and determined attitude is highly desirable.

f) Follow-up on disciplinary action: the ultimate process of a disciplinary action is to maintain discipline, to ensure productivity, and avoid a repetition of the offence. A disciplinary action should therefore be evaluated in terms of its effectiveness after it has been taken. In other words, there should be a more careful supervision of the persons against whom a disciplinary action has been taken.

Q5. Trace out the growth of Human Resource Management in India.

Ans: Over many centuries India has absorbed managerial ideas and practices from around the world. Early records of trade, from 4500 B.C. to 300 B.C., not only indicate international economic and political links, but also the ideas of social and public administration. The world’s first management book, titled Arthasastra, written three Millennium before Christ, codified many aspects of human resource practices in Ancient India. This treatise presented notions of the financial administration of the state, guiding principles for trade and commerce, as well as the management of people. These ideas were to be embedded in organizational thinking for centuries (Rangarajan1992, Sihag 2004). Increasing trade, that included engagement with the Romans, led to widespread and systematic governance methods by 250 A.D. During the next 300years, the first Indian empire, the Gupta Dynasty, encouraged the establishment of rules and regulations for managerial systems, and later from about 1000 A.D. Islam influenced many areas of trade and commerce. A further powerful effect on the managerial history of India was to be provided by the British system of corporate organization for 200 years. Clearly, the socio cultural roots of Indian heritage are diverse and have been drawn from multiple sources including ideas brought from other parts of the old world. Interestingly, these ideas were essentially secular even when they originated from religious bases. In the contemporary context, the Indian management mindscape continues to be influenced by the residual traces of ancient wisdom as it faces the complexities of global realities. One stream of holistic wisdom, identified as the Pedantic philosophy, pervades managerial behavior at all levels of work organisations. This philosophical tradition has its roots in sacred texts from 2000 B.C. and it holds that human nature has a capacity for self transformation and attaining spiritual high ground while facing realities of day to day challenges (Lannoy 1971). Such cultural based tradition and heritage can have a substantial impact on current managerial mindsets in terms of family bonding and mutuality of obligations. The caste system, which was recorded in The writings of the Greek Ambassador Megasthenes in the third century B.C. are another significant feature of Indian social heritage that for centuries had impacted

organizational architecture and managerial practices, and has now become the focus of critical attention in the social, political and legal agenda of the nation.

Q6. Assume yourself as an HR Manager of a publishing house. You find that the morale of the employees Is generally low. What steps would you take to improve employee morale?

Ans: The three stage approach to lift morale Stage

1 - Listen Get feedback and ideas, Stage

2 - Communicate with solutions to business issues and employee concerns.Stage

3 - Recognize business and employee accomplishments and successes.

1: Listen to employees Relationships between the organization and employees are fractured following a period of upheaval. And this situation won’t improve on its own. Companies must take a proactive approach, beginning with listening to employees and getting their concerns out into the open. Leaders must acknowledge employee issues and be motivated to make improvements. Of vital importance is publicizing that employee feedback is encouraged and necessary and that the organization values their ideas. Decide the messages behind the listening activities deployed, and use them consistently, for example: We know staff morale is low and want your help. We need to save money and are looking for ideas on how to best achievethat.We want to add to our top line and need your feedback on opportunities to look at. Leaders should be visible, approachable and well-briefed, so that they canfield employee questions. Interaction should be face-to-face whenever possible. Key messages should also be developed and be used as part of regular, ongoing communication activities. Managers need to believe in and support all listening activities. They should be briefed on the rationale and approach for these activities before they meet with employees, and asked for their ideas on how listening activities should be implemented. Leaders should be visible, approachable and well briefed, so they can fieldquestions.Listening activities Employee survey - This can encompass routinely scheduled company surveys or those designed expressly to communicate change. Employee discussion/focus groups - Include as many employees as possible. Managers with the right people skills (listening, questioning, for example) can be trained to run these groups. Management discussion groups - Led by a facilitator, these sessions are designed specifically as management briefings. Managers are guided through a process that will enable them to run employee discussion groups and to get feedback on specific topics. (This approach works best with cost saving or similar topics, rather than morale and trust issues.)

Stage 2: Communicate your solutions to business issues and employee concerns the next stage is communication. The listening activities should have created lots of ideas and feedback. In this stage, it's important to build shared understanding of your company’s future, including substantive solutions to business issues and progress being made. Build a shared understanding of your company’s future, including solutions to business issues and progress being made. Who does what in stage 2? Company leaders focus on addressing concerns expressed by employees in the listening stage and briefing managers on issues. The purpose is to create a shared understanding of the challenges and solutions facing theorganization.Managers undertake specific efforts to communicate these outputs. They must create opportunities for dialogue and discussion, which leads to higher levels of employee engagement. Managers should also assure employees that they can expect honest and timely information. They should show their willingness to discuss anything on employees’ minds and help employees feel comfortable asking questions and sharingsolutions.Employee advisory work groups should be set up to address a number of challenges most critical to the organization. Because this program thrives on momentum, these groups should have clear objectives and a limited shelf life. Potential activities must be honed down to focus only on their most important issues. A kick-off meeting can define the team’s scope, role and timescales. Work groups should also encourage leaders to communicate progress through all communication channels. Communication activities Public forums - Communication should take place in person through Town Hall and team meetings, site visits and brown bag lunches. Gossip is curtailed if managers become more transparent with performance data, such as sales figures and customer information. A highly visible and approachable leadership team shows that senior management cares about its workers. This alone serves to foster a more positive employee work environment. One-on-One dialogues - Discussions between managers and direct reports enhance personal communication and increase trust. Electronic media - Emails, web casts and other means of rapidly reaching out across boundaries should be employed to reinforce messages and speed the flow of information.Stage 3: Recognize business and employee accomplishments andsuccessesFocusing on quick wins and success stories and recognizing employee accomplishments will help keep morale as high as possible. No one is immune from becoming despondent and unproductive when they work in doom and gloom environment. Negativity is often exacerbated outside the workplace by personal issues and a constant onslaught of negative news stories. Focusing on quick wins and success stories and recognizing employee accomplishments will help keep morale as high as possible.Leaders and managers seek out successes and recognize and thank employees for their contributions to the company and/or team initiatives. Every effort should be made to point out quick wins, for example, project deadline met, a new order placed, or success in a key objective. Recognition activities Formal initiatives - include established companywide recognition programs as well as rewards such as small bonuses and plaques. Informal gestures - include such things as a warm "thank you" for a job well done, or a congratulatory email or hand-written note. Public recognition - includes acknowledging an employee or work group’s contributions in a meeting with their peers, or in company publications. Being recognized publicly often has the added bonus of encouraging and motivating peers to strive for similar successes.