Changing the Nature of Work Unit 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