EMPLOYEE TURNOVER
A Study of a Seasonal Ice Cream Shop
Ahmed Alali
Yousef Alfaraj
Fatimah Alfarid
Kylie Bos
Tanner MacKay
Yidan Tang
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I. Describe an organizational situation in which problems were encountered.
A. Situational Description
A small-town ice cream shop often employs local teens looking for summer work and flexible
schedules. This was very much the case with Tasty Treat, a small shop in northern Michigan.
Employing high-school age kids created many difficulties for the owner and managers. Teens
saw this type of seasonal work as a temporary job to make some easy money over the summer,
and often times did not view it as a serious job. This mindset can cause them to be a less than
favorable employee and can also lead to high employee turnover.
It was not uncommon for some of these young employees to repetitively show up late for work
or call in last minute unable to show up for their shift. This resulted in a frantic phone calling
frenzy of managers trying to find someone else willing to come in or simply operating shortstaffed for the shift.
Managers also struggled with a lack of motivation during the day. Some uncommitted
employees may work hard during busy times to serve the customers but became very sluggish
when the lines were gone and the mess and side chores remained. Clearly, serving the
employees is a very important part of the job, but the restocking and cleaning was very
important to the business as well. If employees did not do a thorough job stocking throughout
the day they would run out of items during rush times and cause longer wait time for
customers and the atmosphere would become very hurried and tense. Employees would blame
each other for this situation and workplace drama would result.
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The poor habits of some employees made the employees that worked hard feel over-worked
and frustrated. These feelings led good employees to quit and left Tasty Treat scrambling for
new help. For this reason it is imperative for managers to find a way to retain their employees.
B. Impact on Organizational Performance
In the small-town ice cream shop, it was previously noted that it was common for people to
show up late or completely not show up at all. This is a very common act for employers who
hire season work along with high-school age kids. Having a high turnover rate can be hurt
hurtful to small business, such as Tasty Treat.
When employees began showing up late to work it made it very hard for the shift to operate.
This meant that someone from another department or job had to either do their job and
another job as well or they had to completely drop the job they were doing because the other
one was more important. When a cashier doesn’t show up, then the Tasty Treat began to fall
behind. The individuals who prepared the desserts and ice cream cones were then in charge of
operating the front window as well. This made for long waiting lines and very unhappy
customers. When employees do not show up at all it begins to hurt the company immediately
whether it is noticeable or not. In the ice cream kitchen, the dishes pile up quick. With dirty
dishes in the sink and not one clean one in the cabinet, someone must take time away from
scooping cones and wash dishes. This also makes for unhappy customers because they have to
wait for a long time.
Part time workers are often less driven throughout the work day too. This also generates a big
problem. Part time employees often feel as if they are useless on the job or less important.
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When someone loses work ethic it becomes very contagious to those around them. Working
with no motivation will cause costumers to become irritated and take their business elsewhere.
In the end, it is very important to have dedicated and hardworking employees. Without them it
is very easy for a company to be run into the dirt and have to close their doors. These are all
effects of what can happen if employees become lackadaisical.
II. Diagnose this situation in terms of organizational behavior (OB) concepts.
A. Identification of Problems
B. Assessment of Problem Causation
In modern competitive business world it is common to here managers complaining about their
experienced employees leaving or quitting their position in the company for another company.
This paragraph examines the reason why employees quit in an ice cream shop. Most of reasons
given by company managers blame turnover cost but according to research many of the
employees leave their bossy managers. Sometime the managers are very bossy and keep
harassing their employees and this is greatest cause of them quitting as suggested by Cascio,
W.F (2006).
In addition, most of the employees in ice cream shops complains of being overworked.
Overworking the employees who are willing to over their services is another reason why best
workers are quitting their best position. If you overwork employees they tend to think they are
being punished for great performance. According to human resource experts in Stanford Allen,
D.G (2008) overworking workers is also major source of counterproductive. In the report it was
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noted that productivity per hour declines sharply when worksheet in the ice cream shop
exceeded beyond fifty hours. It should be employee’s choice to work on weekends.
Though according to employee experts Leigh Branham that claim shop attendants do not quit
due to bossy managers, it was noted that lack of confidence to shop manager makes more
people to leave work. Other cause of employees leaving the ice cream shop was poor working
wage. Though most states has minimum working wage, most of the services offered in these
shops needs higher rewards. It was noted that most of coffee shop workers are hired from
colleges and works in shifts in order for them to cover up with class work. Most managers takes
advantages of these students and pays them poor working wage.
Moreover, the company fails to engage with creative workers or challenge their intellectual
capability. It is important to note that most of the workers are seeking to improve on
everything they touch. In this case therefore if a manager in the shop fails to recognize this fact
and take away their ability to change and improve on things they end up quitting such
opportunities. Great managers challenges their employees to accomplish things seems
inconceivable and set small and manageable goals that help them grow intellectually. If you fail
to communicate the company goals the employee may end quitting.
The ability to engage and retain the experienced ice cream shop attendant is a critical skill a
manager should have. The solution to ensuring an ice cream shop retains its workers is to
reward them well and help them grow their careers. Also have better communication to them
on what to do since this is like service job.
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The importance thing to note in the discussion is to know how ice cream shops should can
communicate in order to achieve common goals. In addition you will understand the
importance of finding and hiring the right employees to fill the right positions in the shops. The
company should invest in coaching and feedback as critical to engagement and retention which
form mutual relationship with its workers. Managers are required to recognize the hard
working employees for promotion and this encourage more workers to continue working. The
most important thing managers should be aware is that employee starts leaving when they
realize that their fundamental needs are meant like trust, sense of worth, hope and feel they
are competent.
III. Recommendations about how this situation could be improved.
A. Recommendations/Expected Improvements
It is often important for a company or business to ensure that all its workers are offered
competitive packages, have the right working environment, and are treated equally. Based on
the problems highlighted, here are the solutions.
Mangers who are bossy and keep harassing their employees have to change the way
they treat their employees. More often, harassment and bossing workers in the workplace
tends to enhance poor performance, poor morale and poor relations with the employees.
Workers at the ice cream shop were leaving because they were not fairly treated by their
managers (Kelliher and Anderson 81). Therefore, to eliminate this, managers should know that
the workers are equally important as them, and that mistreating them only affects the
productivity of the business (Kelliher and Anderson 81). They have to be flexible and keep in
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mind that their employees spend most of their times at work and they need to be respectfully
and equally treated. According to Morgan in her article, Dr. Milan Balakrishnanhey, bossy
bosses are “self-centered, lack empathy, and have an exaggerated sense of self-importance.”
She stated that employees must not be emotional. They have to be logical especially when they
speak with their mangers because bossy people become more aroused when they feel that
there are negative emotions throw out on them (Morgan). Therefore, both mangers and
employees must learn how to deal with each other because all of them work on the same
atmosphere and for same reason.
Some mangers worked too much especially on the weekend. All employees have their personal
time and not all of them have the ability to overwork. One article has a great recommendation
that could help managers balance their employees’ work and personal life. It stated that
mangers need to allow their employees to work flexible hours and remotely (Schawbel). So, if
there is a job that can be done outside the company, employees can take it to their homes and
finish it and then turn it in on the next business day. By doing so, employees will not have to
stay long in the company or work overtime, or even come late to work.
Being overworked, coupled with poor wages often kill the moral of the workers in any given
business. According to Kelliher and Anderson, the ability of the workers to choose their most
appropriate working time tends to have a positive effect on their performance and productivity
(83). Therefore, to create a good relationship between the worker and the employee, the ice
cream shop management should review its packages, and pay extra for extra work. This is one
way of motivating the workers and treating them as the law requires. In that way, no worker
may think of filing a lawsuit against the company for unfair treatment and payment. Moreover,
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prolonged working time has been identified to have negative short-run effects and adverse
health impacts, such as heart attacks, stroke, and depression (International Labor
Organization). Therefore, the working conditions should be made flexible for the workers such
that they can have enough rest necessary. In addition, good wages are an attraction for top
workers with experience. They will always work for companies with better wages based on
their experience and skills (ILO).
Another problem that leads employees to leave their job is lack of confidence between
mangers and their employees. The best solution for this problem is to build trust between
mangers and employees. Trust is very important in every relationship especially in the
workplace (Martin). When employees feel that their mangers trust them, they will be less likely
to leave their work (Martin). Mangers also have to check on their employees between time to
time, so employees think that their mangers care about them (Martin). Mangers have to listen
to their employees’ feedback, ask them if they have any complain with their work or with other
coworkers. If mangers have time to set and talk to their employees, the chance that mangers
have to get their employees trust will be increased significantly.
There are solutions for some companies that fail to engage with creative workers. One solution
is that managers have to set high standards and have the ability to create challenges between
employees (Martin). By doing so, managers will see high performances and their employees will
appreciate that for them, and the good ones will be less likely to leave the company (Martin).
Another solution stated by Martin is that managers have to fire the bad apples because bad
employees will have negative impacts and they will created a negative work environment that
may badly affect the good ones and make them look for another company. Therefore, before
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hiring anyone, managers who be careful and choose the competent employees because each
one they hire will have either positive or negative influences on the company. Mangers are
responsible for creating the challenge between their employees (Maylett). They have to know
their employees very well and then encourage their employees to find engagement in ways
that are unique for them (Maylett).
To avoid the high rate of turnover in the ice cream shop, there are different strategies that
employees must know. They have to know the reasons that make their employees leave and do
their best to avoid such problems in the future. They have to provide a training program to
make sure that all employees understand the goals of their managers (Yazinski). They have to
communicate and build trust with their employees to let them know that their mangers care
about them. Managers have to provide coaching and feedback to make sure that employees
meet all the expectations (Yazinski). Because most employees in the Tasty Treat are high school
and college students, managers have to make them feel valued.
A company that wants the performance of its workers to improve and productivity to rise will
ensure that the workplaces are made safer. The workplace should incorporate practices that
reduce stress-based ill health, which may be as a result of long working hours, bullying, or
working in environments with poor quality. By doing so, accidents will be reduced in the
premises of the business (ILO).
To reduce the staff turnover, the business can rely on trade unions, which will negotiate in lieu
of the workers in a bid to find solutions that help the business to meet its needs (Kelliher and
Anderson, 82). This initiative will also ensure that the workers have a fair treatment and
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supporting them in the event they feel unhappy at work. In essence, trade unions help improve
staff retention by ensuring that their needs are met and that they get fair treatment (Walters
43).
B. Implementation Strategies:
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Work Cited
Allen, D.G (2008) retaining Talent. Retrieved from www.shrm.org/about/foundatin/research
.pdf
Cascio, W.F (2006). Managing Human resources : productivity. Quality of work life, profits (7th
ed)
International Labour Organization. Can better working conditions improve the performance of
SMEs? An International Literature Review, ILO. Web.
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/--emp_ent/documents/publication/wcms_227760.pdf
Kelliher, Clare, and Deirdre Anderson. “Doing More with Less. Flexible Working Practices and
the Intensification of Work”, Human Relations, 2010, 63.1, pp.83–106.
Martin, Ellie. "15 Tips for Keeping Your Best Employees." Tech. 7 Oct. 2015. Web. 25 July 2016.
Maylett, Tracy. "As a Manager, Here Is How to Keep Employees Engaged." Entrepreneur. 9 June
2015. Web. 23 June 2016.
Morgan, Carol. "What To Do If You Have A Bossy Boss." Lifehack. Web. 26 July 2016.
Schawbel, Dan. "5 Ways to Make Your Employees Happier and More Productive." Entrepreneur.
24 July 2016. Web. 29 June 2015.
Walters, Jack. Positive Management: Increasing Employee Productivity. New York, NY: Business
Expert Press, 2010. pp. 43-45.
Yazinski, Sarah K. "Strategies for Retaining Employees and Minimizing Turnover." HR.BLR. 3 Aug.
2009. Web. 25 July 2016.
Written Assignment: Practical Problems in Organizations
What follows is the outline to be used in grading this paper.
Many organizations and organizational members experience difficulties or problems in applying
basic organizational behavior principles effectively to organizational
circumstances. For example: team members may have difficulty getting along
with one another or in performing effectively. Managers may perceive their
employees as difficult to motivate or unconcerned about performance.
Organizational inefficiencies may result from impaired communication in
organizations.
All of us have, throughout our working lives, experienced these sorts of problems from
time to time. What you will be asked to do in this paper is to describe one such
organizational situation and apply your new OB knowledge to that problem. You
are asked to:
I. Describe an organizational situation in which problems were encountered. You
should focus on a situation which involves one or more of the following OB variables:
motivation, communication, teamwork and group process. Describe the experience in
some detail and explain how this affected organizational performance (30 points)
A. Situational Description:
B. Impact on Organizational Performance:
20 points
10 points
II.
Diagnose this situation in terms of organizational behavior (OB) concepts. What was
done wrong in the situation? Why did the firm or the employees experience negative
outcomes? Use material from your text AND FROM OTHER SOURCES to guide your
analysis. Provide examples to support your analysis. Use a minimum of at least four
sources in addition to your text. (30 points)
A. Identification of Problems:
B. Assessment of Problem Causation:
15 points
15 points
III.
Using material from the course textbook, make recommendations about how this
situation could be improved. Be as specific as possible, indicating why you made your
recommendations and what improvements in performance you expect to see as a result of
your suggested actions. Explain how you would implement your recommendations and
overcome potential resistance to your recommendations.
(40 points)
A. Recommendations/Expected Improvements:
B. Implementation Strategies:
25 points
15 points
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