Motivating Apathetic Workers

Submitted by: Rachel Brighton, Gilberto Castro, Kim Martinez, and Kalob Schumann
Salt Lake Community College
Communications 1010
Period 4
12/19/16

Table of Contents:
Page 3: Executive Summary
Page 4: Project Description
Page 5: Methods of Developing and Implementing a Solution
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Page 10: Conclusion

Page 11: Works Cited
Page 12: Appendix A
Page 13: Appendix B
Page 14: Appendix C

Executive Summary
In order to deal with the problem of the few unmotivated employees that are causing the
company to struggle meeting the production quota, we have attempted to come up with a
solution in order to motivate these employees to work more efficiently. We have tried to find a
solution that would be in the best interest of the X-Ray manufacturing company, and would
maximize the profits of the company. We also wanted our solution to improve our ability to

produce the amount of X-Ray machines we expect to sell other businesses and meet the prior
commitments that we have made.
Our group thought through many solutions that could motivate employees and decided
that providing four days of paid leave would be the best solution for the business. Providing paid
leave to the team that produces the most X-Ray machines would motivate employees to not only
meet the companys production quota, but to go above it in order to receive the incentive of paid
leave. Allowing workers to make their concerns and complaints heard would also make your
employees feel more valued in the company and therefore work harder. Obtaining a suggestion
box for employees to voice their concerns would allow you to gain a greater understanding of
why the workers are unmotivated and allow you to understand how to motivate the employees to
work harder. We hope that as you read through this report you will consider how a suggestion
box and paid leave would benefit all of the employees and the profits of the company.

Project Description
The objective of this proposal is to address the problem of apathetic workers within our
X-Ray manufacturing company, while still meeting the specified 10 machine quota. While there
are only 2-3 apathetic workers in our team, our solution team was directed to solve the
possibility for apathy developing company wide in addition to correcting the attitudes of
members within our own team. Our team was also directed far more by the prospect of
incentivising our employees through rewards, rather than punishments.

The problem of having apathetic workers is an important one to solve as it was

preventing the team from meeting the production quota. Single anecdotal incidents where the
quota is not met are not a problem by themselves , and are actually expected. Missing the quota
over a large period of time, however, is a serious concern as the revenue will begin on a steady
decline rather than stick to its upward fluctuation. Finding an effective solution to this problem
also has the potential of making coming to work a more enjoyable experience for all those
involved and even boost production and revenue.

Methods
Our group used the Reflective-Thinking Sequence in order to come up with a proper
solution for our problem. The Reflective-Thinking Sequence is a seven-step process that uses
critical and reflective thinking to make judgement and generate a desirable solution. Through this
sequence we were able to define the problem, analyze the problem, establish criteria for a
solution, generate possible solutions, and decide on a solution. Using this sequence, our group
began by defining the problem that our company was facing. We formed the question: How can
we most effectively motivate our co-workers to maintain constructive attitudes and keep up with
the production quota?

Our group analyzed the problem by using background research to learn more about our
issue. The following areas were looked further into by our group: characteristics, stakeholders,
history, policies and politics, and resources.
Characteristics

We observed that many employees were lacking motivation which resulted in a slower
production. This caused high concerns for the company due to a production quota that must be
met. If this problem were to be left untreated then it would create a domino effect with more
workers resulting in a higher decrease in productivity.
Stakeholders

The following are those at stake: the consumers, employees, and the business.
Those who buy our X-Ray machines rely on reliable fast service. With a production that is
decreasing some of these machines purchases may have to be delayed due to a shortage of
machines. The employees who are meeting with the production quota may be filling in the work
of those who aren't. These employees may began to start feeling annoyed if there is no action
taken towards the unmotivated workers. Also, they may begin to produce less due to a domino
effect. The business reputation will be affected due to the reviews of dissatisfied consumers and
unappreciated employees.
History

There is no solution at the moment that our company has that helps with motivating
employees. However, after doing research of how other companies have faced this problem, we
discovered that Microsoft has had to deal with apathetic workers in their past. The way that they
have combatted this includes: creating an environment that encourages their workers to learn and
grow as an individual by challenging their creativity and problem solving skills, giving raises
and bonuses to keep employees happy, and changing company policy to deal with employee

complaints (Providing a Dynamic and Diverse Work Environment, Microsoft). These steps have
created a successful company with employees that strive to succeed, and if we followed some of
these steps it could provide motivation to the apathetic workers within our company.
Policies and Politics
One of the laws that we found that could affect possible solutions to motivate employees
is R477. Human Resource Management, Administration. Rule R477-11. Discipline (Utah
Administrative Code, 2016).. This has control by limiting certain disciplinary actions that the
company can enforce. By following this rule we will not run into any issues that are unethical.
We also have noted that it would be in the best interest of the company to avoid terminating
employees. We are determined to come up with a solution that follows all labor laws and does
not terminate any current employees, since this would be in the best interest of the company
Resources
We would like to establish a solution to this problem that costs less than $1,000. This
spending would be worth it in the long run, as employees would begin to work harder for a
significant amount of time. To prevent this problem from escalating a solution must to be found
and enforced quickly. We would like to begin to see progress within a three month period. We
will correspond with other companies that have dealt with similar situations and will use
Communicating at Work to learn successful ways to work in teams.
Criteria
We wanted to come up with criteria that we wanted our plan to follow in order to
maintain the credibility and productivity of the business (Communicating at work, Pgs 267-268).
The criteria for a successful solution, established by our team, were: 1. Motivates all to work all

towards a common goal 2. Genuinely addresses/ attempts to address the concerns of the
employees 3. Is in accordance with all Federal and State labor laws 4.Addresses possible cultural
differences (pg. 133) and other external factors 5. Seeks to correct rather than punish 6. Execute
plan within 3 months of approval. If no significant improvement, revise 7. Keep cost of solution
between $500-$1000. We will work to closely align our solution with these criteria, in order to
meet company goals.
Brainstorming
Our group began by brainstorming possible solutions that would help solve the problem
the company is facing with apathetic workers. We brainstormed the possible ideas of
sponsorship, employee of the month, promotions, alternative bonuses, paid leave, some form of
punishment (institute system of warnings which would accumulate to suspension, expulsion,
reduction of hours, etc.), providing a suggestion box, and having holiday parties. Through the
process of evaluating how closely these solutions meet the criteria, we determined that the best
possible solutions were sponsoring a sports team to provide tickets for employees, instituting an
employee of the month system, providing paid leave for employees, and setting up a suggestion
box for employees to write down their concerns. As is shown in Appendix B, we ranked how
well each of these four ideas followed the criteria. After going through this process, we saw that
having a suggestion box and providing paid leave for employees would best meet the purpose
and goals of the company.
We discovered some possible contingencies with providing paid leave and a suggestion
box. These possible negative consequence included the suggestion box being taken unseriously,
a large amount of cumulative spending through paid leave, management may perceive that
employees are trying to take advantage over the situation, and multiple employees may try to

take paid leave at once. In order to avoid these problems we revised our solution and found that
if we provided four days of paid leave to the team that produced the most X-Ray machines every
trimester, we would be gaining money overall due to certain teams producing the machines more
efficiently. The company also would restrict this paid leave to only teams who at least met the
10 machine quota. In order to avoid having the suggestion box taken unseriously, management
could ignore joking comments, and truly address honest ones, in order to show how speaking up
for themselves would actually work. The company would also require employees to schedule
paid leave off in advance, so that only a limited number of employees can mask off a certain day.
We hope that management will take this proposal seriously, as our intentions our only to benefit
the business.
We have set up a set schedule for implementing this solution. The first week the
purchasing supervisor would install a suggestion box and purchase necessary supplies for it.
Also in the first week the solutions team leader would submit a report concerning related local,
state, and federal laws, in addition to the information contained in the initial proposal. The next
week the corresponding team supervisor will review paid leave and suggestion box policies with
each employee individually obtaining signatures to confirm understanding. Starting in week
three and continuing to the end of the trimester, the corresponding team supervisor will start
recording daily production amounts. The final week of the trimester the logistics manager will
average the daily production of each time to determine who will receive the paid leave. The final
week of the trimester the solution team leader will submit a report of first quarter solution
findings to the appropriate management personnel, to determine progress of motivating the
apathetic workers.

Conclusion
In order to deal with the problem our company is having with apathetic workers, we
determined that providing paid leave to each member of the team that produces the most X-ray
machines per month(as long as it satisfies the monthly quota), will receive four days of paid
leave the next trimester. The company will also provide a suggestion box for workers to outlet
their complaints, so the company can learn how they can improve and create a better work
environment. The combination of these two solutions will allow the company to address
employees concerns and incentivize them, which will contribute to greater success and
production of the company as workers will work harder.

Works Cited
"Microsoft's Standards of Business Conduct - Work Environment." Microsoft's SBC - Work
Environment. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2016.

Utah. Dept. of Administrative Services. Office of Administrative Rules. "Utah Department of

Administrative Services Office of Administrative Rules." UT Admin Code R477-11. Discipline.
December 1, 2016. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2016.

Lipman, Victor. "5 Easy Ways to Motivate- and Demotivate Employees." Forbes. Forbes Magazine,
n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2016.

Elmhorst, Jeanne, and Kristen LUcas. "Developing and Organizing the

Presentation."Communicating At Work. By Ronald B. Adler. N.p.: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2013.
267-68. Print.

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Appendix A:

Relational Norms:
Provide constructive criticism
Interact outside of meetings
Include everyone
Task norms:
Finish meetings on one
Stay on task
Finish work on time
Roles
Kim:
R: Gatekeeper
T: Leader
Kalob
R: Communication
T: Timekeeper
Rachel
R:Peacemaker
T:Devils advocate
Gilberto
R:Ethics manager
T:Info agent

Appendix B:
Sponsorships

Employee of the
Month

Paid Leave

Suggestion Box

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Motivates all to
work towards a
common goal

Genuinely
addresses/
attempts to
address the
concerns of
employees

Is in accordance
with State and
Federal Labor

10

10

10

10

Addresses
possible cultural
differences and
other external
factors

Seeks to correct
problematic
behavior rather
than punish

10

10

10

10

Execute plan
within 3 months
of approval. If no
significant
improvement,
revise solution

10

Keep cost of
solution between
$500- $1000

10

10

Total:

45

37

50

52

Appendix C:
Participation Points:
Kalob: 40/40
Rachel: 40/40

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Gilberto: 40/40
Kim: 40/40

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