NUST Business School

HRM 535: Leadership & Organizational Behavior

Assignment

Submitted to:
Dr. Hussain Tariq
Submitted by:
Amna Shaur
MBA-2k18(B)

Date: 28 January, 2019.

 Case: Patagonia

Q-1: Which checklist ingredients would you value most as an employee?

Which would you value least? Do some suggestions seem debatable?

I would value these ingredients:

 Determine whether your company pays above-market, at-market, or below-

market rates. Paying below market means your competitors will attract the
best talent, including your own.
 Calculate your average annual attrition rate and compare with that of other
employers in your business. If your number doesn’t look good, figure out
why. Set a benchmark for improvement.
 Diversity and gender balance, at all levels of the workforce, are strong
virtues in a work- force; discourage both management myopia and
provincialism.
 Allow part-time and flextime and telecommuting opportunities as
appropriate.
 Provide paid sabbatical leave for long-term managerial and creative staff to
help prevent burnout.
 On an annual basis, conduct a job-satisfaction survey of all employees;
quantify and share the results.
 Calculate the multiple by which the company’s highest-paid employee
compares to its lowest-paid full-time worker. Set a goal over a specific
period of time to narrow the gap to a specific multiple, appropriate to your
industry.
 Calculate the internal hire rate for open positions. If you have to hire outside
too often, are you training properly and allowing people to grow in their
jobs?
 Require that supervisors write an annual performance appraisal for their
staff. Supervisors should consult employees’ co-workers and key contacts
within the company, set goals (including social and environmental
performance goals) for the coming year, and determine training needs.
  Provide employee training to reduce social and environmental harm.
 Share financial information with all employees; no one should be
innumerate.
 Provide a company café or kitchen or, if not practical, a dedicated space to
let employees eat and/or rest.

It is important for employees to know how the company they are working for is
doing. How well the company does pay to its employees and what are the benefits
given by the company. And how well does it cares for its employees.

I would least value the following ingredients:

 Install showers so employees can exercise at lunch or bike to work.

 Get rid of dehumanizing cubicles; let there be natural light.
 Provide on-site day care if possible (or establish a relationship with a local
provider).
 Provide stock options or equivalent forms of company ownership to as broad
a base of employees as possible.
 Include as many employees as possible in the company’s bonus plan to
secure broad-based support for company goals.
 Incorporate into the mission statement a commitment to reducing social and
environmental harm.

These ingredients are not typical. I think that employees are fine either they are
or aren’t in the office.

Certain suggestions are definitely debatable, because different aspects of work are
more or less valuable to different people. Everybody has different things they look
for in a company, so there can’t be one set list that makes everyone happy. For
example; for some employees the day-care facility is very typical but it is not so
important for others. Some employees are also not much worried about the trainings
given by companies.

Q-2: Which checklist ingredients do you think are most uncommon in

organizations? Do those ingredients seem to be promising avenues for
creating sustained competitive advantage?
  Get rid of dehumanizing cubicles; let there be natural light.
 Provide on-site day care if possible for establish a relationship with a local
provider.
 Install showers so employees can exercise at lunch or bike to work.
 Include as many employees as possible in the company’s bonus plan to
secure broad-based support for company goals.

These ingredients are uncommon in organizations. These values vary person to

person; these ingredients may not do anything to give the company a competitive
advantage.

Q-3: Chouinard argues that, “Tedium is easier to take when it has meaning.”
Which checklist ingredients seem most promising for creating meaning?
Would you add any additional suggestions to increase meaning further?

 Calculate the internal hire rate for open positions. If you have to hire outside
too often, are you training properly and allowing people to grow in their
jobs.

If people don’t feel like they can move up in the company, they may feel as if they
are working towards nothing. Having a higher internal hire rate will give people
the feeling like they have chances of promotion.

 Require that supervisors write an annual performance appraisal for their staff.
Supervisors should consult employees’ co-workers and key contacts within
the company, set goals (including social and environmental performance
goals) for the coming year, and determine training needs.

This will build confidence among employees. Employees will consider themselves
important for the company and by receiving the appraisal they will come to know
about their performance and they will get motivation to work even harder for the
company.

 Calculate the multiple by which the company’s highest-paid employee

compares to its lowest-paid full-time worker. Set a goal over a specific
period of time to narrow the gap to a specific multiple, appropriate to your
industry.
This will prompt employees to think that company focuses on paying higher
salaries in return of the better performance. In this way employees perform well.

 Incorporate into the mission statement a commitment to reducing social and

environmental harm.

This will give people the feeling that their work has meaning and is making a
difference in the world.