This will make them feel that they are valuable assets for the organization and will increase their morale. However, to ensure that the staff members increase their performances as well, the leaders at the CAB have to offer them a wide series of incentives. These could include (but are not limited to): wage increases, premiums and bonuses, more flexible schedules, more extensive benefit plans, opportunities for promotions, training and professional development programs, day care centers for their children or more holydays and personal days
5. Changes in the Managerial Style and the Organizational Culture
Following the 1980s, the business community and the public sector have been struggling with reduced levels of quality, high employee turnover rates and absenteeism. "These weaknesses are associated with the most common organizational cultures and leadership styles. The premise for change is that such styles alienate the workforce, through failing to provide a genuine sense of involvement in and commitment to corporate goals. The basic challenge, then, is to find ways of 'power sharing' in the interests of productivity gains. The proposed approach is through participation and involvement" (Rickards and Clark, 2006)
All of the strategies proposed to resolve the issues of recruitment, retention, dissatisfactions and absenteeism revolve around the strategic concepts of change. And this change refers to features in both organizational culture, as well as managerial style. In terms of organizational culture, the managers at the Citizens Advice Bureau have to implement an opened culture, based on clear and direct communications. They must encourage the staff members to address any claim or dissatisfaction and stress on the need for a resolution. This process is a complex one and must commence with a change in mentality.
In terms of managerial style, the leaders at the CAB have generally implemented an autocratic stand, in which all decisions would be made by the manager and the sole task of the employee would be to blindly execute. The autocratic leadership style should be replaced with a democratic one, in which the decisions are made after consultations and are aimed to satisfy all parties involved. This would further increase the satisfaction and morale of the staff members, who would feel cherished and valued by the institution.
6. Final Remarks
The contemporaneous society needs public services more than ever, but the employees in the public sector are generally discontented with their jobs, leading to high levels of absenteeism, high turnover rates, lack of motivation and difficulties in recruiting....
The best way to addressing these shortages is through the implementation of strategic management concepts. These basically identify and efficiently solve problems in order to help the institution reach its overall goals.
As the Citizens' Advice Board is currently facing four problems, it was only natural for the proposed solution to address all four issues. In this order of ideas, in terms of difficult recruiting, the CAB should increase the appeal of the job by presenting potential candidates with the opportunities the position would offer them. Then, relative to absenteeism, the first step is that of identifying the root causes of each situation and developing customized solutions. The basic idea behind reducing absenteeism is that of offering employees the incentives they need to feel satisfied on the job. The situation is similar in terms of employee turnover rates, as the root causes must first be identified, and then a customized solution must be implemented. Finally, in the direction of increasing employees' on the job satisfaction, the leadership at CAB must engage in open conversations and find solutions that mutually satisfy the parties. They must also offer a wide series of incentives that increase employee morale and motivation, with the ultimate purpose of increasing on the job performances.
The commonality of all the strategic courses of action proposed is that none of them stands chances of success on its own. Also, they are all based on the premises that the Citizens' Advice Bureau will implement the processes of change relative to its culture and managerial style. The culture has to be more permissive and open, and the managerial style has to metamorphose from an autocratic one, into a more democratic one.
References
Bruce, a., Pepitone, J.S., 1998, Motivating Employees: A Briefcase Book, McGraw Hill Professional
Cascio, W.F., Boudreau, J.W., Ramstad, P.M., 2008, Investing in People: Financial Impact of Human Resource Initiatives, FT Press
David, F., 1989, Strategic Management, Columbus Merrill Publishing Company
Joyce, P., Woods, a., 2001, Strategic Management: A Fresh Approach to Developing Skills, Knowledge and Creativity, Kogan Page Publishers
Prowle, M., 2000, the Changing Public Sector: A Practical Management Guide, Gower Publishing Ltd.
Rickards, T., Clark, M., 2006, Dilemmas of Leadership, Taylor and Francis
Taylor, S., 2002, the Employee Retention Handbook, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Volinski, J., 1999, Practices in Assuring Employee Availability, Transportation Research Board
