The work problem discussed in this paper is the lack of an effective employee recognition program. Markedly, keeping workers motivated has become quite tricky, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, many employees at our organization have found it quite challenging to remain motivated. It is due to the adverse effects that the disease has had on their livelihood.
The Organization
The organization that I work for is called Oriole Textile. It is located in the heart of New York City. The address of the Oriole Textile is 270 W 39th Street floor 19, New York, NY 10018. Remarkably, our company is not new in the American textile industry. The organization’s establishment dates back to 1929 when Samuel Siegel founded it. I joined the firm about five years ago as a recruit in the department of quality control. During my stay at Oriole Textiles, I have become aware of several problems affecting its employees. The most perceptible problem is a lack of effective recognition programs. In any organization, employee recognition plays a critical role in improving the productivity of employees. The management of Oriole Textile has not put efficacious programs in place to recognize and reward its staff.
The organization’s human resource team has not put measures to keep workers motivated amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, this has become a significant problem in the workplace. For instance, most employees do not feel like part of the team because they have developed the notion that their management does not recognize their contribution to its success. Failing to acknowledge and appreciate staff members for their work has dire consequences on their performance and productivity (Wolor et al. 79). Unrecognized staff can even undermine the results of their colleagues at the workplace. Figure 1 below shows the motivation levels of employees who have been compelled to work from home due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
The Addressed Person
This report is mainly addressed to the Human Resource Manager of Oriole Textiles, Mr. Eckhart Phil. The prevailing pandemic has affected operations at the organization. Most of the employees have been subjected to wage cuts due to the underperforming state of the economy. It is a critical time when employees need to get motivation from the organization’s management. Intriguingly, it is noticeable that the company has done little to keep its workers motivated during these trying times. This report features some probable interventions that can be leveraged to solve this problem.
Proposed Solutions
Figure 2 below presents an illustration of factors that can contribute to employee motivation. I have chosen some of the factors to be part of the proposed solutions to solve the problem of employee demotivation at Oriole Textile.
Creating a Sense of Belonging and Affiliation to the Organization
It is one of the most perceptible ways the company can use to keep employees engaged and motivated. There are at least three ways through which the organization can achieve this strategy. One of them is ensuring there is constant and continuous communication. The organization should establish a COVID-19 task force that focuses explicitly on employee messaging. By sharing more information, the company will be able to help employees cope better.
Constant communication will be an outright show of empathy that will help to confirm the value of employees. Providing guidance will also help significantly to create a sense of belonging. Some of the company’s employees have been compelled to work from home. In this regard, creating online guides on topics such as how to apply online conferencing tools will be a good gesture. Besides being a show of leadership, it will help to demonstrate empathy and thus motivate employees.
Recognizing and Rewarding Good Work
It is the most convenient way of engaging and motivating employees. The management of Oriole Textiles has not been so good at giving rewards to employees who perform exceptionally. Despite the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, some employees are doing extraordinary work, contributing positively to their productivity. The human resource team should come up with ways of recognizing and rewarding such individuals. One of the ways to do so is by offering additional bonuses to those who perform exceptionally. The management should also recognize and reward employees who do their best to assist colleagues and customers during these trying times.
Enabling Teamwork and Welcoming Feedback from Employees
The organization should use all tools at its disposal to bring employees together in solving work-related problems. During this pandemic, using essential tools to enhance collaboration can alleviate the isolation associated with the work–from–home scenario (Sadhna et al.112). This move will help to keep employees engaged and motivated. Additionally, welcoming feedback will help show that employees are heard, hence fostering engagement and build the motivation of Oriole Textile employees.
The Best Solution
I presume that most of the employees will support being motivated through a recognition and reward system. A conventional reward system is implicit in offering bonuses to employees who try their best to help colleagues and customers. It will be the best solution to handle the problem of employee motivation amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Criteria for Evaluating Proposed Solutions
The primary criteria for evaluating proposed solutions will be interviewing some employees of Oriole Textile Company. A decision on whether the proposed solution will solve the problem will be made based on the number of employees who will support a particular solution. Interviews will be conducted on a one-on-one platform whereby questions will be directed to random workers who have been impacted by COVID 19.
Works Cited
Sadhna., et al. Key Motivators for Driving Work Performance amid COVID-19 in Developing Nations.” International Journal of Work Organization and Emotion, vol.11, no. 2, 2020, pp. 105-119.
Wolor., et al. How to Maintain Employee Motivation amid the Covid-19 Virus Pandemic.” International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), vol. 8, no. 4, 2020, pp. 78-86.