Seminar 2-Motivation at Health-time case study PDF

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Seminar 2: Motivation at Health-Time case study Matthew James was the manager at Health-Time, a small but popular fitness club in a mid-sized college town. Health-Time had found a niche in the local market, providing high-quality aerobics classes and lots of them. The instructors at Health-Time were superior to those at other facilities around town, and HealthTime offered high-impact, low-impact and step aerobics and body-sculpting classes. By offering more than 80 classes per week, Health-Time attracted members who wanted a variety of classes at all times of the day. The Health-Time facility also included exercise bikes, stair climbers, treadmills and a small weight room, but its “bread and butter” was clearly the aerobics program. Matt James had recently taken over as manager after working at Health-Time for five years as an aerobics instructor. Matt’s classes were popular, and he was justifiably proud of the aerobics program and his part in making it a success. When he took the job as manager, however, Health-Time was not in good shape financially. Membership was dropping slightly, and personnel costs were way too high. In his first month as manager, Matt worked to streamline the staff by eliminating the positions of assistant manager and weight room supervisor and cutting the membership coordinator position to half-time. Though there was unavoidable unhappiness surrounding these changes, Matt was pleased that he had reduced the management staff to himself, Clarissa (a half-time bookkeeper), and Mei-Chen (a half-time membership coordinator). After a short month as manager, Matt felt that he had the “office side” of the club in order, and he turned his attention to the receptionists and aerobic instructors. He had noticed that many receptionists and aerobic instructors did not take their jobs as seriously as he would like. The receptionists spent more time chatting with members than on job tasks (i.e., checking people in, writing receipts, answering phones, and cleaning up during downtime). The aerobics instructors often ran into their classes with little time to spare and had to rush to get their music set ready for class. Instructors and receptionists were also accustomed to informally swapping shifts and classes when the posted schedule conflicted with other plans. Almost all of the reception staff and aerobic instructors were students at the local university. Receptionists were paid the minimum wage and aerobics instructors were paid about £15.00 per class taught. Matt decided to hold a general meeting to let the aerobics and reception staff know what he expected now that he was manager. Though he had been their “buddy” when he taught aerobics, he knew that his loyalty now had to be with the financial success of Health-Time. He truly cared about the club and wanted to see it thrive for both professional and personal reasons. At the meeting, Matt told the instructors and receptionists that they all had to pull together for the good of Health-Time. To promote a family feeling, he provides them all with sweatshirts displaying the Health-Time logo. He then explained why he thought they should shape up and change their behaviours on the job. As his employees slumped in their chairs, he laid down the law: “I know things have been lax around here,” he said, “but the success of Health-Time depends on everyone pulling together to make this place work. I know you’re all used to the way things used to be around here, but we have to change. There’ll be no more idle chatter on the job, and every instructor will be prepared for class at least 15 minutes ahead of time. All changes in the schedule will go through me. When we do change and when this club is as successful as it can be, you’ll feel proud to be a part of this place and what we’ve accomplished together!” Three weeks later, Matt was perplexed. Three of his receptionists had quit, telling him that they could earn minimum wage elsewhere. Two aerobics instructors had decided to start teaching at the The University of Sheffield International College – Business and Management Effective from January 2016

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University Athletic Club rather than at Health-Time. Although the remaining staff members were now following his rules regarding job behaviour and scheduling, morale seemed to be at an all-time low. “You know, I just can’t understand these people,” Matt complained to a friend. “We’ve got a great thing going with Health-Time. We’re the best aerobics program in town, and they should feel proud to be a part of it. I know I get a real bang out of making that place the best it can be – I always have, even when I was just an instructor. But these people just don’t seem to care. And when I talk to them about the problem, it only gets worse. I even gave them sweatshirts to get them motivated, but they still quit on me! Is it me, or is it them? And what should I do now?” Case Questions: 1. Describe the motivational problems of the staff at Health-Time using Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy. Physiological needs – such as hunger, thirst and sleep. It is specified that the physiological needs should be fulfilled in order to function properly for a person. The biological needs of health, fitness, sleep, energizing the mind and body is necessary. In Health-time, due to more than 80 classes per week provided by Health-Time and demands of the customers, the staff’s relaxation time suffered big time. Thereby, losing interest in the job. Safety needs – such as security, protection from danger and freedom from pain. It is necessary for a person to feel physically and economically safe. To have job security, financial security, health security, etc. As Matt James had recently acquired the position of a manager in Health-Time and the club wasn’t in very good condition at that time, the staff had a constant threat of losing their jobs. Social needs – sometimes also referred to as love needs such as friendship, giving and receiving love, engaging in social activities and group membership. Earlier, as an instructor in Health-Time, Matt James was always in touch with his colleagues but as a manager, he lost that bonding or that friendly atmosphere that was present in the club earlier, restricting people to interact within the shift timings or limiting, led to mistrust and aa downfall in performance and many employees resigned too. Esteem needs – these include both self-respect and the esteem of others. For example, the desire for self-confidence and achievement, and recognition and appreciation. When Matt James started putting in a lot of limitations and rules, the staff couldn’t live in the strict environment. Thereby, leaving jobs and working without determination or confidence. Self-actualization – This is about the desire to develop and realize your full potential. To become everything you can be. Matt James was so engrossed in building the name of Health-Time and his own personal goals that he neglected the basic requirements and desires of his staff members.

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The staff at Health-time will be worried because Matthew’s first action as manager was to go in and fire most of the office staff. This will have them feeling that their safety, their need to feel secure and stable is being threatened. When Matthew puts a complete stop to idle chatter on the job he is taking some of the receptions chance to interact with other people. When you sit at a desk and answer phones all day it is nice to have that little time of interaction with customer or clients when you can. When Matthew starts the meeting off immediately complaining about the workers they are not going to be receiving the esteem that they need to feel that they are getting recognition for what they have done. Instead Matthew is only telling them what to do. He is not giving his workers any kind of respect or recognition for what they have done and then moving on to what could be done to make them

even better at their jobs. 2. Describe the motivational problems of the staff at Health-Time using the expectancy theory of motivation. Discuss the staff’s outcome valences, effort-to-performance (E-to-P) and performance-tooutcome (P-to-E) expectancies. The E-to-P theory objective is “to increase the belief that employees are capable of performing the job successfully.”(Book) Matthew was already ahead of the game when it came to his staff. The E-to-P theory tells you to select people with the skills needed to accomplish the job. When Matthew became manager he already have workers in place that had the skills and the know how to accomplish the jobs they were assigned. Matthew was so quick to try to lay down staff rules that he did provide the staff sufficient time and resources for them to be able come to terms with all the changes that were happening in the club. He needed to give the staff fewer changes at a time and work the staff up to where he felt that they need to be. In the P-to-O expectancy theory the objective is “to increase the belief that good performance will result in a certain outcome.” To do this Matthew needed to do was give his workers example of workers who are already doing the things that he feels need to change for everyone and show them how these workers are receiving higher rewards. This could be that they have received a pay raise or they have a demand from clients for more classes or even individual classes that could pay more.

3. Describe the motivational problems of the staff at Health-Time using the equity theory of motivation. Discuss whether the staff is in a situation of under reward inequity or over reward inequity, and how they are attempting to restore a feeling or sense of equity.

The staff at Health-Time is underrewarded. The receptionist are only being paid minimum wage to check people-in, write receipts, answer phones, and clean up the facility during downtime. Along with Matthew not showing them The University of Sheffield International College - Subject Information Effective from September 2015

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any respect and reward other than a sweatshirt they are feeling that they are not valued and that they are not needed. They realize that they could work other places for the same pay and have a more sense of equity. Most of Matthew’s workers are students at the local university and they have to be able to make changes at last minutes. They could have a change is schedule or a test that have to be taken at a certain time of day. If Matthew is not going to let them do this then they are going to leave and find a job that understands the demands of a college student and let they feel rewarded and that they are receiving equity out of their job

4. What strategies would you recommend to Matt to deal with the problem?

First of I would suggest that Matt take the time to make a survey that cover all of the problems that he feel Health-Time is having; then take the time and get feedback from customers and see how they feel that Health-Time needs to change. This would also be a good time for Matt to get his employees involved in making Health-Time a top in the Fitness industry. He needs to have each employee give feedback on how they think that they daily run of Health-time could be increased. Have each employee make their own goal setting, they could set specific goals for themselves and how they could start to accomplish these goals. Matt needs to take all this information and see what is top priority to customers and employees and slowly start implementing ways to make Health-Time better. Employees feel more secure and needed when they are in some way included in changed made around a facility. I can give an employee a sense of accomplishment that they were one of the reasons their company is used by more people.

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