1
Assignment: Focus Groups
Job Attitudes, Measure, and Change
Dr. Rebekah Cardenas
2
Assignment: Focus Groups
High morale leads to increased productivity. Job insecurity, a lack of a fair
remuneration policy, unstable business conditions, and excessive outsourcing techniques are all
factors that contribute to low employee morale. Low morale has a negative impact on a
company's revenue, productivity, financial competitiveness, and organizational goals.
Managerial behavior that addresses employees from a top-down command and refuses to
communicate directly on workplace concerns results in low morale (Stephen, 2014). This type of
communication creates a chasm between employees and managers, resulting in employee
distrust, disrespect, and a drop in morale and motivation (Bowles & Cooper, 2009).
Employees lose interest when morale is low; especially when managers do not value
their efforts (Zeynep & Huckman, 2008). High staff turnover is a costly symptom of low morale.
When employees leave their employment because they are unhappy and have no reason to stay,
it happens. Employee turnover has a concerning negative effect because of its significant
financial and productivity implications. Financially, the company will need to acquire new staff,
by either paying higher compensation or incurring higher recruiting costs (Lee & Liu, 2009).
Management should attempt to reduce the negative consequences of low morale by
learning about their employees' potentials and fundamental work processes and their abilities,
enriching their jobs, and acknowledging their accomplishments (Stephen, 2014). Open-ended
question as described below can help organizational leadership understand the underlying issues
facing employees hence resulting to low morale. A clear explanation of why the open ended
questions were developed is clearly highlighted.
3
What is the best experience that you have encountered after joining this company? (This
question helps the interviewer to understand what areas of employee life are affected by
the job).
Is there anything about your job or company that you do not understand or it is unclear or
confusing? (This question helps the respondents open up on organizational challenges
they are facing that might be affecting their morale).
What would you like to learn as a part of your professional goal and self-improvement
program?8(These can be Technical/Soft Skills related to job domain necessary to enhance
the employee job morale)
Are you contend with the reward system in place? ( this question will unravel the
effectiveness of motivation strategies at the company)
Do you have enough, too little or too much time to finish your work at your
disposal?8(Aids to understand work allocation and planning issues)
What part of your job you wish you feel uncomfortable handling?8(More often than not,
these become the reasons for low morale among employees)
Every organization's goal is usually to maintain high-performance levels throughout
time. Employees are thought to be the essential tools for achieving such plans, and high
employee morale is thought to be the method to get there. To put it another way, strategies of
inspiring individuals to attain desired goals should be given a lot of thought.
4
References
Bowles, D., & Cooper, C. (2009).8Employee morale: Driving performance in challenging times.
Springer.
Lee, H. W., & Liu, C. H. (2009). The Relationship among Achievement Motivation,
Psychological Contract and Work Attitudes. Social Behavior and Personality, 37, 321-
328. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2009.37.3.321
Stephen, I. D. (2014). Using Motivating Theories to Enhance Productivity in Cement
Manufacturing Companies in Nigeria: An Overview. The International Journal of
Social Sciences, 20(1).
Zeynep, T., & Robert, S. H. (2008). Managing the Impact of Employee Turnover on
Performance: The Role of Process Conformance. Organization Science, 19(1), 56-68.
https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1070.0294
