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Chapter Nine

Employee Attitudes and Their Effects

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Introduction

Negative attitudes are:

• A symptom of underlying problems• A contributing cause of forthcoming difficulties• Linked to reduced organizational competitiveness

A key challenge is dealing with employees who have developed an attitude of entitlement

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The Nature of Employee Attitudes

Attitudes affect perceptions

• Perceptions affect attitudes

Employee predispositions

• Positive affectivity• Negative affectivity

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Job Satisfaction

Elements

• Feelings, thoughts, and intentions

Individual Focus

• Job satisfaction is an individual’s attitude• Moral is group satisfaction

Elements of Job Satisfaction

• Overall attitude or can apply to various parts of an individual’s job

Job-related attitudes predispose an employee to behave in certain ways

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Job Satisfaction

Stability of Job Satisfaction

• Attitudes are acquired over time• Satisfaction can vary and can decline more

quickly than it is developed

Environmental Impact (spillover effect)

• Off-the-job environment indirectly influences feelings on the job

• Job satisfaction influences general life satisfaction

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Job Involvement

The degree to which employees:

• Immerse themselves in their jobs• Invest time and energy in them• View work as a central part of their overall lives

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Organizational Commitment

Employees can choose to be involved, committed, and positive

Commitment is stronger among:

• Longer-term employees• Those with personal success in the organization• Those working within a committed group

Organizationally committed employees:

• Have good attendance• Adhere to company policies• Have lower turnover rates

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Organizational Commitment

Inhibiting Factors

• Excessive blaming• Insincere gratitude• Failure to follow through• Inconsistencies and incongruities• Inflated egos and bullying

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Organizational Commitment

Stimulating Factors

• Clarity of rules and policies• Investments in employees• Respect and appreciation for efforts• Employee participation and autonomy• Making employees feel valued

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Work Moods

Variable, highly dynamic attitudes toward a job

• Positive moods produce energy, passion, vitality, and enthusiasm

• Results in better customer service, lower absenteeism, greater creativity, and interpersonal cooperation

Work moods are directly affected by managerial actions

• Praise, fun atmosphere, pleasant surroundings, social interaction

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Effects of Employee Attitudes

Dissatisfied employees engage in:

• Psychological withdrawal• Physical withdrawal• Aggression

Satisfied employees:

• Go beyond the call of duty• Have good work records• Actively pursue excellence

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Employee Performance

High satisfaction does not guarantee high performance

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Turnover

Negative effects of turnover:

• Separation costs• Training costs• Vacancy and replacement costs• Morale effects

Functional effects of turnover:

• More opportunities for internal promotion• Removal of disruptive employees• Infusion of expertise from new employees

Satisfied employees

are less likely to quit

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Products of Employee-Organization Attitudes

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Absences and Tardiness

Employees with low job satisfaction are absent more often

• Tardiness is short-term absenteeism• A pattern of tardiness is often a symptom of

negative attitudes

Presenteeism

• Working when you shouldn’t be• Reduces productivity by 33 percent or more

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Theft

Acts of Theft

• Using company services without authorization• Fraud• Unauthorized removal of company resources

Causes

• Reestablishing lost equity• Revenge for ill treatment• Severe dissatisfaction

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Bending the Rules

Intentionally interpreting organizational policies to obtain personal gain

• Often committed by dissatisfied employees

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Violence

One of the most extreme consequences of employee dissatisfaction

• Millions of workers are victims annually• Many more live under the direct or perceived

threat of harm• Cost to U.S. businesses is $36 billion per year

Work stress can be both a cause of violence and the aftermath of it

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Other Effects of Attitudes

Negative Effects

• Low productivity, turnover, absenteeism, tardiness, theft, and violence

Positive Effects

• Organizational citizenship behaviors

“Good Soldier” Motivation

• Personality traits• Desire for special recognition or rewards• Image enhancement

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Studying Job Satisfaction

A job satisfaction survey can:

• Identify broad employee problems• Indicate levels of satisfaction• Pinpoint problem areas in jobs or groups• Improve the flow of communication• Serve as an emotional release• Identify training needs• Help managers plan and monitor new programs

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Ideal Survey Conditions

Desired Prerequisites

• Top management support• Employees are involved in survey planning• Past surveys produced noticeable changes• A clear objective exists• Study standards are consistent with sound research• Management is willing/able to follow-up• Both the results and action plans are

communicated to employees

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Other Job Satisfaction Information

Daily Contacts and Existing Data

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Survey Design and Follow-Up

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Types of Survey Questions

Closed-end Questions

• Easy to administers• Does not give employees a full opportunity to

express themselves

Open-end Questions

• Permits employees to express feelings, thoughts, and intentions fully

• Makes stronger impression on management• Can be directed or undirected

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Critical Issues

Reliability

• Capacity to produce consistent results, regardless of who administers it

Validity

• The capacity to measure what they claim to measure

Response Rates

• Improve with short time period, periodic reminders, keeping form short and easy-to-understand, offering incentive

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Using Survey Information

Communicate the results

Use comparative data to spur competition

Set up committee to do review and follow-up

Feed results back to employees

Take action on results

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Changing Employee Attitudes

Tie rewards to performanceSet challenging goalsDefine clear expectationsUse active listening skillsProvide frequent feedback regarding performanceShow concern for employee feelingsAllow employees to participate in decision makingShow appreciation for effort and citizenshipProvide new dataHave co-workers share their attitudes

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Chapter Ten

Issues Between Organizations and Individuals

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Legitimate Organizational Influence

Every organization develops policies and requirements for performance

• If the organization and an individual define the boundaries of legitimate influence differently, conflict is likely

Areas of Organizational Influence

• Job conduct (high legitimacy)• Personal activities off the job (low legitimacy)

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Legitimacy of Organizational Influence Model

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Off-the-Job Conduct

The power of business to regulate employee conduct off the job is limited

• The more job-related the conduct is, the more support there is for organizational influence

Current Issues • Surveillance• Substance abuse• Genetic screening• Office romances• Feelings of territoriality• Assessments of ethical values

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Rights of Privacy

Areas that employees, customers, and others believe should be off limits:

• Religious, political, and social beliefs• Personal acts and conversations• Non-business locations• Personal-use locations in a business, such as

rest rooms

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Conditions Defining Invasion of Privacy

Personality (versus performance)No permission obtained before disclosureUnfavorable consequencesExternal disclosure

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Honesty Testing

Employee theft is a major problem

• Costs employers over $40 billion per year• Up to 3/4ths of employees have stolen

Polygraph

• Detects physiological changes• Is largely prohibited as a screening tool• Validity is questionable

Paper-and-Pencil Tests

• Overt• Personality-based

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Treatment of Alcoholism

Alcoholism presents medical and job problems

• Costs employers more than $10 billion annually• Absence rates are two to four times that of other

employees• Alcoholics are in all industries, occupations, and

job levels

The job environment can contribute to the problem, as can personal habits and problems

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Drug Abuse

Can cause serious problems for:• The employee• The employer• Other employees• Customers and the general public

Costs Related to Drug Abuse• Employee theft to support habits costs billions• Absentee rates can be up to 16 times higher• Accident rates are 4 times higher• Lost productivity and additional health costs are

as high as $70 billion annually

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Genetic Testing

Genetic testing is a more aggressive tool than genetic monitoring

Positive uses of genetic testing information:

• Moving susceptible employees to safer areas• Health warnings• Development of protective measures

Negatives

• Discrimination based on results• Impacts individual privacy and opportunity

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Discrimination

EEO issues related to privacy:

• Sexual harassment• AIDs

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Discipline

Types of Discipline

• Preventive• Corrective

Objectives

• Reforming the offender• Deterring others from similar actions• Maintaining consistent, effective group standards

Progressive Discipline

• Stronger penalties for repeated offenses

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Quality of Work Life

The favorableness or unfavorableness of a total job environment for people

• Open communications• Equitable reward systems• Concern for employee job security and careers• A caring supervisor• Participation in decision making• Development of employee skills• Reduction of occupational stress• More cooperative labor-management relations

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Job Enlargement versus Enrichment

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Job Enrichment Benefits

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Core Job Characteristics and Work Outcomes

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Enrichment Increases Motivation

Enriched jobs increase motivation provided that employees:

• Have adequate job knowledge and skills• Desire to learn, grow, and develop• Are satisfied with their work environment

Most enrichment attempts have been conducted in manufacturing operations

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Social Cues Affect Perceptions

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Contingency Factors Affecting Enrichment

Job enrichment does not apply to all types of jobsThe costs may be too great in relation to rewardsSome workers may not want an enriched jobIt may upset pay relationshipsExpensive equipment may not be adaptableThe program may unbalance the production systemSupervisory or staff roles may be reducedUnion opposition

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The Individual’s Responsibilities

Individual responsibilities to the organization:

• Honest and ethical behavior• Acting productively and creatively• Organizational citizenship• Whistle-blowing

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Dues-Paying

“Costs” that an individual pays for group acceptance and continuing membership

• Minimum qualifications• Willingness to work without complaint• Showing respect to others• Not acting superior to others• Performing at an above-average level• Spending the appropriate amount of time

on the job

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Dues-Paying

Key characteristics:

• A perceptual phenomenon• Judged by many observers• Situation-specific• Group’s memory of dues paid may fade• Idiosyncrasy credits

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Forms of Whistle-Blowing

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Most Likely Whistle-Blowers

Workers who have observed wrongdoingWho believe it to be a serious problemWho feel that it directly affects themConscientious people Professionals with long serviceThose previously recognized as good performersThose perceived to be responsive to complaints

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Mutual Trust

Whistle-blowing often occurs because mutual trust has deteriorated or been broken

• Results in a breakdown of the psychological contract

Mutual trust:

• Occurs over time• Requires mutual understanding, emotional

bonds, and trustworthy behaviors• Can be broken in an instant