Publisher Information: Socyberty
Introduction
Employee motivation is one of the most crucial components of the success of any business or organization. Employers invest in their human resource in order to build an organization’s capacity to overcome adverse effects on its operational capacity especially with regards to periods of low business operation or absence of business opportunities. (Glassvisage; Hacker; Herubudiarto; Holt, M; Demand Media, present some major communication methods through which an organization’s executive committee can promote good business ethic and professional management of internal issues in order to promote internal relationships that form support structures necessary for overcoming an organization’s turbulent times. However, employee motivation is very challenging during times of recession due to the fact that recessions not only affect businesses but also the confidence and calm of employees that is needed to accomplish important tasks. This is why Herubudiarto's article provides some important tips on how to handle cases of employee motivation and how crucial areas of conflict can be detected and handled before employees are given misinformation or disinformation.
Abstract and Overview
This article describes how a manager (HRM) can motivate his or her employees especially during recession and ensure that the business successfully recovers from the effects of inflation as well as maintain its workforce. The goal of internal communication as proposed by Holt, M and Demand Media (2011) is to promote proper internal communication techniques that enable an organization to maintain its strengths during rough periods. In line with this perception therefore, the article begins on a negative note, by acknowledging the risk of recession that constantly troubles the current workforce. This revelation precedes the full import of the necessity of maintaining an invigorated and motivated workforce for the sustenance of the operations of an organization. Herubudiarto (2011) argues that during a recession, keeping employees willing to work includes more than just declaring bonuses or increasing their salaries. This is because recessions are special times and an organization that waits for a recession to reward the hard work of its employees limits its chances of maintaining the invigorated workforce that it employs. Herubudiarto (2011) and Glassvisage (2011) describe some fundamental steps that need to be taken in order to keep employees comfortable in their work environments. The steps proposed in the article thus include understanding the workforce’s needs, predicaments and fears, active engagement with the employees through constant communications, building of commitments with the employees, and arranging for expert workshops with the workforce (Herubudiarto, 2011).
The concept of employee motivation is a result of long years of research and trials on various organizations and organizational framework. This paper brings the perspective of employee understanding and the treatment of the working environment as a social environment where information is exchanged informally through individual interactions in corridors and through rumors (Herubudiarto, 2011). According to Glassvisage (2011) and Hacker (2011) the informal communication channels provide employees with important information during difficult times and allow them to make decisions based on their personal fears and not the rational assessment of their position within the organization. It therefore becomes important for the managers and directors to understand the origin of much of the employee fears and worries and therefore deal with them appropriately. Particularly, human resource managers are in a better position to provide assurances and engage the informal communication networks in order to ensure that only sanctioned information is disseminated to the employees . For instance, the article explains that rumors can affect the performance of an employee during a recession even if the employee is paid well. This is because communication systems within the organization become ineffective during times of crises and therefore the intervention of top level management in order to handle employee concerns. The understanding of this fact requires the understanding of the implications of lack of proper communication channels and the close interaction of employees with their employers in order to ensure their confidence is intact for the purpose of completing tasks and ensuring the continued operations. Furthermore, recessions provide challenging parameters for managers since they have to weigh between employee motivation and maintenance of lean budgets to finance recession related expenditures. Financial budgets provide the management with proper insight on how to manage the human resource and therefore managers have the potential of interacting with employees to make them feel reassured . This article argues that in order for an organization to maintain successful operations it is necessary to invest on employees (Herubudiarto, 2011). This sentiment has been echoed by most economic theorists who argue that the greatest resource of a company is its workforce.
Analysis and Synthesis
In order to fully understand the focus of the article, it is necessary to explain the steps that are needed to overcome the negative impact of recession on a company’s workforce. To begin with, it is important, as Herubudiarto (2011) argues, to understand employees communication patterns, experiences, aspirations, and complaints. This is particularly important because, contrary to popular beliefs, employees know that during hard times they need to make sacrifices for the good of a business if they feel included in the process and huge paychecks do not provide the job security to them especially if the paychecks cannot be guaranteed. If anything, recession makes huge earners more worried because they can be retrenched in order to save the money they are earning for other purposes. Additionally, their earnings may make an organization to place unachievable demands on them in order to make up for the expenses incurred in maintaining their status within the organization . Therefore it is important for the manager to understand the workforce and more than ever begin to show appreciation for every little work they accomplish. Herubudiarto believes that this will ensure the employees some level of security since they will feel more appreciated for the work they do and they will also hold the faith that the employers are close to them and values their presence in the company. Secondly, Herubudiarto (2011) argues that engaging the employee in active discussions concerning solutions to the company’s problems provides a platform of trust and relieves employees of worries connected to their own security in employment. He therefore considers it mandatory that policies, department modifications, and changes in operations crucial matters that need the input of all employees in order for them to feel like part of the process instead of being or feeling like victims of the process of change or adaptations to recession. When the employees become part of the solution, it becomes very easy to consult them and make them assist in the brainstorming sessions in order to find long lasting solutions to the impact of recession. The credit crisis of 2008 indeed provides a clear illustration of why the article’s concern with reducing the chances of panic are indeed justified. Particularly so, media companies that would later suffer from other causes other than recession such as “New of the World” suffered mostly because panicking employees began to leak information to different sources such as other media houses, politicians, and the police in the hope that whatever wrong may have been committed would not affect them.
The third aspect of motivation of employees during recession involves building commitment. Commitment ensures that an employee does not take the easier way out of a crisis by looking for better opportunities or engaging in unethical behaviors that damages the organization’s reputation and operations. Herubudiarto (2011) article explains that building commitment is important since employees are too nervous about working for a company that is not making profit. Particularly, commitment needs to be built by top management by proposing strategies that enables the strategic, organizing and operational levels to participate in changing the predicaments of an organization. Besides, the effect of failure to build commitment through team work approaches would make employees feel nervous since the management in some companies, such as Enron Corporation, has been known to reduce their commitment whenever there is a crisis in the organization . This has made employees more informed and therefore any lack of commitment among top level managers would in the end therefore, lead to the loss of the most valued and experienced workforce of an organization (Herubudiarto, 2011). However, if a company maintains the enthusiasm of its workforce, then it will be possible to keep these employees motivated and ensure the continued operation of crucial if not all sections of the business. Finally, organizing expert workshops to develop the skills of the workforce and increase employee interaction ensures that workers are more motivated and encouraged to think positively about the current situation and prepare themselves to work for the improvement of the company and the success of the business during times of recession.
These four points are indeed crucial in terms of keeping a company’s human capital intact in readiness for post-recession growth. Additionally, the lessons learnt from the communication patterns of a recession enables management to create a more dedicated and committed workforce that can be relied upon to navigate the organization through different crises. The article, through its salient points therefore demonstrates how organizational crises in the twenty first century exposes an organization to external threats that only the personal intervention of managers can solve through proper understanding of the social and economic environment under which the business operates. An independent reviewer of the article is therefore able to understand the concentration on human capital as the core of the article. Particularly, in supporting the four points, it is important to note that the employee in the organization is an individual who is not at ease with the state of affairs. Therefore, the company needs to focus resources on ensuring that they are maintained and motivated to continue performing at the same level. As a matter of fact, organization’s may lose profits for a certain period but the existence of its human resource provides it with its valuable assets that can be relied upon to provide long lasting solutions in a recession management and a post-recession recovery. Furthermore, the basic point of information that arises from the article is that whenever there is a need to focus on recession and its impact on the growth of a company, it is important to involve the employees in the process in order to ensure that they do not view actions taken to soften the impact of recession as targeting them for retrenchment.
Criticisms
However, despite the insightful explanations and the points raised in the article, Herubudiarto has excluded certain important issues in the process of motivating employees during a recession. Particularly, the views that increase in paychecks provide no security for employees is an oversimplification of facts which do not enlighten readers to the options a company can explore.(Glassvisage; Hacker; and Holt, M; Demand Media contend that since the value of an employee’s services is quantified in monetary form, it is important to note that financial reward assures them that the organization is serious about retaining their workforce hence reduces cases of rumors and innuendos spreading within the working environment. Additionally, current research has also demonstrated that an increase in paycheck ensures the employees that the company is in good footing and can afford to increase their pay. Furthermore, it ensures that employees are motivated to continue working for the company. Secondly, recessions inevitably force companies to cut back on spending. While this can be done by limiting expenditure, it is naïve to think that discussing strategies with employees make it easier for them to cope. In fact, Hacker (2011) argues that when employees find out the truth about a company’s ailing operations, they are able to rationally decide in numbers to look for employment rather than assist the business to emerge from its problems and make profits again. This is mainly because the strategies reveal the true state of a company that may make many employees to opt for moving before they are eventually relieved of their positions and duties. In this sense therefore, while I strongly agree that coping with recession requires teamwork and a positive spirit within employees, it is hard to sustain the argument of Herubudiarto (2011), that all the facts of strategy can be shared without a detrimental effect on the overall operations of the business. Additionally, while it is important to understand that recessions lead to rumors (Herubudiarto, 2011), professional working environment must be maintained and employers should not have to compete with rumor mongers for the attention of the employee. The strict adherence to official communication channels should be left open in order to make clarifications easier.
In spite of the criticisms, the article assists readers in learning the vulnerabilities of employees in the organization especially during times of uncertainties such as recessions. Additionally, it provides the managerial organ of the organization to develop financial policies, and human resource procedures that enable them retain important employees and gauge the performance of the others in order to keep the quality of the organization’s products intact and prevent the fall of the business.
Conclusion
In conclusion therefore, it is important to note the important points such as expert workshops, which Herubudiarto (2011) brings to the forefront in the debate on managing employee coping mechanisms during recession enable an organization to accomplish its goals and manage its human resource without endangering the future of an organization. Additionally, the most important aspect of employee motivation during communication is the proper management of channels of communication since the reception of news is highly dependent on the source and if it is spread through rumors then maintaining it would be harder than if management releases it and contains the reactions through active engagement of staff.
References
Glassvisage. The Significance of Effective Organizational Communication. 2011. 13 October 2011 <http://glassvisage.hubpages.com/hub/The-Significance-of-Effective-Organizational-Communication>.
Hacker, Violaine . "Building Medias Industry while promoting a community of values in the globalization: from quixotic choices to pragmatic boon for EU Citizens." Journal of Political Science (2011): 64-74.
Herubudiarto , W. How To Motivate Employees During a Recession. 25 September 2011. 25 October 2011 <file:///D:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Machiavelli/Desktop/How%20to%20Motivate%20Employees%20During%20a%20Recession%20%20%20Socyberty.htm>.
Holt, M; Demand Media. Effective Communication Methods in an Organization. 2011. 13 October 2011 <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effective-communication-methods-organization-2.html>.
