Activity Instructions: Please read the scenario below carefully, and then respond to the questions that follow it, applying course material from the textbook and/or lecture slides, videos, and in-person lecture. Think about it in terms of employees’ job attitudes and the influences on those attitudes.

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Scenario: An organization approaches your I/O consulting firm and explains that their current employees’ job attitudes are at an all-time low. The organization recently conducted a survey of employee attitudes, and results indicated that, across the board, employees are very dissatisfied with their jobs. Furthermore, organizational commitment is quite low, and many have expressed wanting to quit their jobs.

Because the results are across all employees, and are not limited to only a few employees, the organization realizes that the problem is not based on individual employee characteristics, like personality. Instead, there are likely broader issues within the organization that are affecting workers.

You decide to dig deeper into the survey results and read the comments that employees left in response to the open-ended questions in order to try to figure out what is going on. From reading them, you realize some important things.

First, the organization has changed its focus in the last year, broadening its product line, and employees are being pushed to do many different and new tasks that they were not initially hired to do. However, the employee performance appraisal form has not changed to keep up. Therefore, employees are not being rated on their actual current job duties. Further, managers have been told to just do the best they can to assign ratings on those parts of the appraisal form, despite the discrepancies. In order to get employees to take the ratings seriously, the organization stated that, “all ratings are considered final.”

Second, you learn that the company is not doing well financially and were forced to lay off about 1/3 of their employees. All of the employees who were laid off were long-time employees, who had worked there more than 10 years (one for 20 years).

The company explained to you, the consultant, that they laid the long-term employees off because they had higher salaries than newer workers, and therefore allowed the company to save more money. However, they did not provide this information to the employees, because they felt that it would cause further harm to remaining employees’ job attitudes.

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For #1, 2, and 3, based on your understanding of the material in chapter 11, and using terminology from the textbook and videos/slides, report the three most likely causes of CURRENT employees’ (not laid-off employees’) negative attitudes in this scenario. Explain your thinking for each in detail and use terms from the course material. You may also draw from previous chapters/modules in your response if you would like.

In #4-5, provide recommendations to the organization for what they can do to address the issues you identified in 1-3. Be specific and detailed in your responses. You are providing two recommendations total, one in #4 and one in #5. Make sure your recommendations flow from the problems identified in #s 1-3. You may have additional ideas for recommendations, but stick to the top two that you think would be most important to address in your responses to #4 and 5.

1. Cause and explanation #1:
2. Cause and explanation #2:
3. Cause and explanation #3:
4. Recommendation #1 to help improve employee attitudes, based on what you identified in 1, 2, or 3:
5. Recommendation #2 to help improve employee attitudes, based on what you identified in 1, 2, or 3:

ANSWER

Analyzing Employee Job Attitudes and Providing Recommendations

In the given scenario, employees’ job attitudes within the organization are at an all-time low, with widespread dissatisfaction and low organizational commitment. These negative attitudes can have severe implications for the organization’s overall performance and employee retention. To address these issues effectively, we must analyze the potential causes behind these negative job attitudes and provide recommendations based on relevant course material.

Cause and Explanation #1: Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity The first likely cause of employees’ negative job attitudes in this scenario is role conflict and role ambiguity. When the organization changed its focus and broadened its product line, employees were pushed to perform many new and different tasks that they were not initially hired for. This misalignment between the employees’ job roles and their actual job duties results in role conflict, where employees are torn between conflicting job demands. Additionally, the fact that the employee performance appraisal form has not changed to match these new responsibilities leads to role ambiguity. Employees do not have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and how their performance will be evaluated. Role conflict and role ambiguity are well-established concepts in organizational psychology that can lead to dissatisfaction, stress, and reduced job performance.

Cause and Explanation #2: Perceived Injustice The second likely cause of negative job attitudes is perceived injustice. The company laid off long-term employees with no explanation given to the remaining workforce, leading to a perception of unfairness. These long-term employees were laid off because of their higher salaries, making the layoff decision appear to be a cost-cutting measure without consideration for employees’ dedication and loyalty. Perceived injustice, particularly distributive injustice (unfair distribution of outcomes), significantly impacts job attitudes, including job satisfaction and organizational commitment. This is a well-documented concept in organizational behavior and psychology.

Cause and Explanation #3: Broken Psychological Contract Another cause for the negative job attitudes is a broken psychological contract. The organization failed to uphold the implicit promises made to its long-term employees by laying them off without proper explanation. Employees with more than a decade of service expected job security and loyalty from their employer, which was violated in this instance. A breach of the psychological contract leads to employee disillusionment, reduced trust, and lower job satisfaction.

Recommendation #1: Clear Communication and Training To improve employee attitudes, the organization should invest in clear communication and training. They must revise job descriptions and performance appraisal forms to align with the new job duties. Additionally, they should provide comprehensive training to help employees adapt to their evolving roles, reducing role ambiguity. Transparent communication about these changes is crucial to managing employee expectations and reducing role conflict.

Recommendation #2: Fair Compensation and Recognition The organization must address the issue of perceived injustice by ensuring fair compensation and recognition. They should consider revising their layoff practices and providing employees with a clear understanding of the company’s financial situation and the reasons behind the layoffs. Implementing a fair compensation system that rewards employees for their contributions and loyalty, rather than solely based on salary, can help rebuild trust and boost job satisfaction.

In conclusion, addressing role conflict, role ambiguity, perceived injustice, and the broken psychological contract can significantly enhance employees’ job attitudes. Implementing these recommendations can help the organization regain employee trust and commitment, ultimately improving overall job satisfaction and organizational performance.