Utah State University

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All Graduate Plan B and other Reports Graduate Studies

5-1972

The Indentification of Work Adjustment Problems of the 1970 and

1971 Manpower Development and Training Program Trainees at
Utah State University
Mary Ann Jensen
Utah State University

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Jensen, Mary Ann, "The Indentification of Work Adjustment Problems of the 1970 and 1971 Manpower
Development and Training Program Trainees at Utah State University" (1972). All Graduate Plan B and
other Reports. 655.
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 THE IDENTIFICATION OF WORK ADJUS'IMENT PROBIDIS

OF THE 1970 and 1971 MANPOWER DEVEWPMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM TRAINEES
J

i AT UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY

by

11 Mary Ann Jensen

A report submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the degree

of

MASTER OF SCIENCE

in

Business Education

Plan B

UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY

logan, Utah

1972
 ii

ACKOOWLEDGMENTS

The writer wishes to express appreciation to those who have assisted

with this study. Sincere appreciation is extended to Dr. Harold Wallace

for his valuable assistance and willingness to give of his time.

The writer is gratefUl to the members of the committee, Dr. Lloyd

Ba rtholome and Professor Farrell Black, for their helpful suggestions

and advice.

A special thanks is extended to my husband, Earl, and my friends

for the i r understanding and patience which contributed to the completion
of this study.

Mary Ann Jensen

I
 iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ACKNOWLEOOMENTS ii

LIST OF TA BLES iv

Chapter

I. THE POOBLll1 1

Introduction 1
Need for the Study 2
Statement of the Problem 4
Scope and Limitations of the Study 4

II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 6

Work Adjustment Theory 6

MDTA Studies • • • • • • 7
Counseling and Supervision 8
Work Adjustment Problems 9
Summary 10

III. PROCEDURE 11

Sub j ects of the Investigation 11

Instruments and Techniques for Data Collection 12
Ana l ysis and Interpretation of the Data 13
I V. FINDINGS •• 14
Technical Skill Difficulties 14
Interpersonal Relations and Social Skills • 16
Work Orientation Problems • • ••••• 17
Work Attitude Problems ••••••• 19
Sources of Job Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction • 20
Suggestions for MDTA Program Curriculum
Improvements • • • • • • • • • • • 23
V. SUMMARY, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS • 26

Summary • • • • 26
Implications 28
Recommendations • 29
LITERATURE CITED 34
APPENDIX 36

VITA 39
 iv

LIST OF TABlES

Table Page

1. Technical Skill Difficulties Reported by MDTA

Trainees and Employers • • • • • • • • • • • • 14
2. Interpersonal Relations and Social Skills Reported by
MDTA Trainees and :..nployers • • • • • • • 15
). Work Orientation Problems Reported by MDTA Trainees
and Employers • • • • • • • • • • 17

4. Work Attitude Problems Reported by MDTA Trainees

and Employers • • • • • • • • • • • • • 18
5. Sources of Trainee Job Satis.factions Reported by MDTA
Trainees and Employers • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 20

6. Sources of Trainee Job Dissatisfactions Reported by

MDTA Trainees and Employers • • , • • • 21

7. Suggestions for Future MDTA Programs Reported by

MDTA Trainees and Employers • • • • • • 23
 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLE}I

Introduction

There is a tradition in vocational education which emphasizes

teaahing technical knowledge and skills while neglecting the develop-

ment of attitudes and social skills which have been shown to be

important causes of problems for office workers. The terms in general

use to identify these skills and attitudes are work adjustment and

occupational adjustment. Borow calls them " • • the work ethos, a

set of attitudes, rules of etiquette, and interpersonal skills involving

relations with fellow workers, supervisors, and clients." He goes on to

say that:

It is astonishing to what degree the school and the community

assume that any student who is making the transition from
school to employment has somehow mastered work protocol and
the repertoire of unwritten and formal, yet highly critical,
situational skills. It may be noted, parenthetically, that
among culturally disadvantaged youth it is the utter lack of
an acceptable work ethos quite as fully as inadequate train-
ing in the formal duties of the job that makes the work
situation seem so bewildering and terrifying and which so
frequently predisposes such novices to almost certain failure.
(Borow, 1969, p. 1)

The opinion stated above also appears in the writings of people

who are responsible for Manpower Development and Training Programs.

A study conducted by Pucel (1968) showed that MOTA trainees in Minnesota

feel skill development to be very important. There was less agreement

regarding the responsibility to build desirable work-related attitudes.
 2

The need for information about the personal qualities and character-
istics of MOTA trainees is illustrated by the following excerpt from an
article in Business Education World!

This is the MOTA girl--the one we know. We know she has

enrolled in the MOTA class, that she has some typing back-
ground, that she possesses the qualifications for success
as a secretary and that she wants to be trained in this
program.

This is the MOTA girl I want to talk about

we don't know.
We don't know that she may be here because her husband
passed away last year.

We don't know that things are rough financially around

the house right now.
We don't know that she is barely getting by with her four
little children, and no husband.
We don't know that she didn't eat lunch last Tuesday
because there was no money for lunches.
We don't know that she was afraid to enroll in the course
after several years away from study.
We '11 never know how many times she decided to back out--
but something kept pushing her on to go to school.
We don't know how heaVily all the petty problems at home
are magnified when she is sitting in class, hour after
hour.

If we knew all these thin~s, we would want to help her

more. (Denny, 1970, p. 15)

Need for the Stugy

Since 1967 Utah State University has conducted MOTA-sponsored

training programs for office workers. The instructional objectives
outlined for these programs are1
 .3

1. To prepare the trainees to reach a level of perfonnance

necessary to meet entry requirements of employers for the
following activities 1 typewriting, related clerical duties
including copying, tabulating, computing, recording,
handling cash, and operating dictating, duplicating, and
calculating machines.
2. To give trainees with adequate background and aptitude an
opportunity to learn shorthand so they may take dictation
and transcribe it in an acceptable manner •
.3. To provide a variety of options to the trainees to allow
for training to the employable level in related occupations
such as general office clerk, clerk typist, bookkeeper,
office machines operator, and file clerk.
4. To give trainees an appreciation for good human relations
and techniques for enhancing interpersonal relations
with others.
5. To develop in the trainees as a result of intensive and
continuous counseling a self-concept which will provide
them with the confidence to accept challenging assign-
ments and complete them in a competent manner.
6. To give the trainees an apprec.iation of the world of
work and expectations of respective employers via
cooperative work experience programs to allow them
to apply the various skills they have acquired in the
classroom. (MDTA PROJECT UTAH (R) 0008, 1971, pp. 2-.3)
The above statements of goals and objectives would provide a better
basis for instructional program development if they were written to
conform with the pattern recommended by educational technologists such
as McAshan (1970) and Mager (1962) and if substantial evidence could
be found to support their validity. The information produced in this
investigation will be uaeful for the following purposes: (1) to
identify valid and appropriate instructional objectives in the area of
occupational adjustment, and (2) to provide some evidence regarding the
validity of these objectives as a basis for program development •

.1
 4

Statement of the Problem

The specific problem of this investigation is to identity the ,

work adjustment problems that are encountered by graduates of the Utah

State University Manpower Development and Training Programs for office

workers. Specific problem areas include! (1) technical skill diffi-

culties, (2) interpersonal relations and social skills, work orientation,

and work attitudes, (3) job satisfactions and dissatisfactions, and
(4) suggestions regarding MDTA program curriculum improvements.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

1. It is not the intent of this study to fully evaluate the

effectiveness of the MDTA program but merely to identity

the work adjustment problems encountered by graduates

of the Manpower Training Program for office workers.

2. The data sources for this investigation are limited to

the graduates of the 1970 and 1971 programs and the

employment supervisors for whom they worked, who were

available for interviewing during the data collection

period, July 1 to August 15, 1971.

3. The reader should recognize that generalizations

regarding the entire population of graduates of Utah

State sponsored MDTA programs for office workers rely

on the assumption that those who were interviewed were

representative of the total group.

 5

4. This investigation is not designed to produce instructional

objectives. It is to produce information which can be used
as the raw material from which appropriate objectives might
be derived.

5. The investigator served as instructor for the two groups

of graduates who were interviewed, Therefore, the reader
should be aware of pos sible influences on the subjects'
responses and on the investigator's interpretation of the
data,
 CHAPTER II

REVIDI OF THE RELATED LITERATURE

Work Adjustment Theory

The focus of all the studies that were found in this review is a

theory of work adjustment which postulates that the two major compo-

nents involved in the work adjustment theory are the individual and

the work environment. Weiss (1969, p. 1) states that the theory is

"interactionist in the sense that the individual and the environment

interact With each other--the individual can change the environment

and the environment can change the individual."

Davis (1964) says that a significant aspect in work adjustment is
the work personality which includes the individual's unique set of

abilities and needs. Weiss (1969) goes on to say that an individual's

work adjustment status at any point in time can be assessed by measur-

ing his job satisfaction (how well the job meets the individual's
needs) and job satisfactoriness (his job performance, conformance to

company rules and regulations, etc.)

Proper training is necessary in order to enable the individual to

attain a desirable degree of job satisfactoriness. Hodges (1970)

suggests that the keys to breaking the cycle of job failure and assuring

job success seem to lie in five areas1 (1) the degree to which the

students' skills are developed, (2) the relationship of classroom

instruction to the realities of the business world, (3) the confidence

with which the student approaches his job search, (4) the extent of the
 1

teacher's community contacts, and (5) the ability of the student to

adjust to the schedule, routine, and atmosphere of business and to

manage his earnings. Hodges (1970) recommends that interaction through

the innovative teaching method of simulation will help to achieve these

five areas. She says that work attitudes and habits can be taught and

stresses that particularly through school activities good attendance

and punctuality could be inst111ed and developed in the student.

After the training process, job placement takes place. What are

the factors that must be considered in order that adequate job adjustment

will take place? Maslow (1954) states that there is no true motivation

and adjustment until the hierarchy of needs of an individual are satis-

fied. He lists these needs as beings (1) the physiological needs, (2)

the safety needs, (3) the need for belonginess and love, (4) the need for
importance, respect, self-esteem, independence, (5) the need for infor-
mation, (6) the need for understanding, (7) the need for beauty, and

(8) the need for self-actualization.

MDTA Studies

Is there any special reason why certain MOTA trainees succeed and
that some do not? Hamburger and Lo Cascio (1969, p. 106) reflected in

their study of MOTA programs that a majority of the personnel of a New

York State Training Center thought that the "trainees who were most

likely to succeed were those more accepting of and reflecting of middle-

class values, had the highest aptitudes and the highest levels of
education." Impressions gathered from the trainees were that the MDTA

classes tend to accept the middle-class notion that "work assists access

to the broader society."

 8

Is counseling a vital tool to help the Manpower trainees adjust

to their jobs? Hoerner and Stevenson (1968, p. 4) reveal the need for
counseling of outgoing MDTA trainees by stating that "it is within the
context of looking for answers to some of these dynamic, personal, and
attitudinal problems of persons who have been trained, yet do not fit
satisfactorily into the world of work, that this counseling investiga-
tion was developed." The re!'u) ~s of the Hoerner and Stevenson report
showed that the counseling was found to significantly affect (1) the

trainees obtaining training-related jobs, (2) the number of weeks spent

by the trainees in search of their jobs, and (3) the percentage of time

the subjects held the jobs.

Counseling and Supervision

A study by Bowler and Dawson suggests tha t proper supervision is

a key to proper work adjustment. They found that proper supervision
was necessary because:
, , , the first few weeks are usually critical ones for the
new employee for it is a period of adjustment. The new
worker is more or less getting his bearing. If supervision
is of high quality during this critical period, the worker
will be developing good work habits that are later to become
valuable skills, Because the individual develops attitudes
along with work habits, his morale should be kept at a high
level during this adjustment period. It shouldn't be the
practice to dump the "green workers" onto an overworked or
ill-tempered supervisor. It is vitally important that
supervision be adequate, understanding, and sincere,
(Bowler and Dawson, 1946, p. 22)
Garbin (1967) believes that worker adjustment problems are very
much associated with supervisors because through interaction with the
supervisor or employer, the new employee is directly exposed to the
formal organization of the company--its rules, regulations, and
 9

prescribed procedures. On the other hand, the new workers must also

conform to what their peer group expects. This conforming is very

important for this group ~vides the workers with recognition, esteem,
and self-expression.
Dailey (1964) thinks that many problems arise because it is often
the case that the new employees may antagonize older employees by their
concept of their own knowled~e and importance and their trying to start
some spectacular changes overnight.

Work Adjustment Problems

What are the work adjustment problems that have been identified
in previous studies? Garbin (1967) cited these four main work adjust-
ment problems! (1) unrealistic aspirations and expectations, (2) poor
attitudes toward work and working, (J) lack of responsibility, maturity,
and self-discipline, and (4) lack of knowledge of the real demands of
work.
Christmann (1967) reported that the workers interviewed in his
study mentioned that being a responsible worker, having satisfactory
personal relationships, positive attitudes toward work, good health,
and acceptable personal appearance as being the adjustment problems
whereby their supervisors felt that absenteeism, financial management,
finding suitable living arrangements, and choosing friends and room-
mates were the problems.
Burton (1967) reported that in his study the emotional strain
aspects or adjustment problems were such things as the pressure of
work during unusually busy periods, meeting deadlines, having to get
along w1 th people, dealing with customers, trying to find errors, and
 10

coping with the unevenness of the work load, The two main personal
characteristics the employees felt were necessary to totally adjust
and become successful were accuracy in their work and a sense of respon-

sibility. Supervisors pinpointed lack o! maturity and poor attendance

and poor punctuality as being sore spots to adjus1:lllent,
Richmond (1969) identified the problems in work adjustment in his
study of beginning office workers as being more training in business
Ehglish skills, less socializing during working hours, use of common
sense, and better knowledge of office routine,

As evidenced by this review of literature, work adjustment is

the crux of success for MOTA trainees, The problems that have been
identified were those of attitude and social skills which verifies
the fact that it is the responsibility o! vocational educators to blend
in learning activities in their programs which will develop work adjust-
ment abilities in their students so that they will be able to achieve
employment success,
 CHAPTER III

PROCEDURE

Subjects of the Investigation

Interviews were conducted with 35 individuals (23 trainees and 12

employers) in the 1970 and 19n Utah State University Manpower Develop-

ment and Training Programs,

Twelve employers of the 1970 MDTA class who could be reached were

interviewed either in person or by telephone. Seven of the employers

were employed by Utah State University in the Departments of Outdoor

Recreation, Chemistry, Engineering, Special Education, Housing, Food

Services, and Printing Services. The remaining five employers included

a physician, an insurance agent, a Community Action Program executive

secretary, a printer, and a head of a high school seminary program.

Twelve employed members of the 1970 MDTA class were interviewed.

The only members of the class who were not interviewed were those not

living in Cache Valley during the interview period, those who were on

vacation and could not be contacted during the interview period, and

those who did not go to work after training. The ages of the trainees

ranged from 19-47 years of age, Three of the interviewees were widows,

three were divorcees, three were single, and three were married,

Eleven members of the 19n MDTA class were also included among the

interviewees. The remaining seven members of the graduating class were

not interviewed because they were living out of the area or were out of
 12

the area during the entire interviewing period. Seven of the women
were already employed (six at the University and one at the Employment
Security Office) and the others were still looking for work and contem-

plating employment in the near future. In this class the ages ranged
from 19 to 51 years of age. Three were divorcees, three were single,
and five were married.

Instruments and Techniques for Data Collection

A questionnaire developed by the investigator included questions

which would enable those interviewed to relate situations, conditions,

and attitudes rather than giving simple yes or no answers. Eight

open-ended questions constitute the questionnaire. (See Appendix)

The questionnaire was developed for the specific purpose to determine:

1. Whether the technical skills acquired by the trainees had
been adequate to enable them to handle all phases of their
jobs.

2. What problems the trainees encountered in adjusting to

their jobs.

3. Whether the trainees were satisfied and well adjusted to

their jobs.

4. Suggestions for improving the Manpower curriculum so that

adjustment to the employment situation might be easier.

The procedure used in interviewing each of the trainees and

employers was as follows: each question (1-8) was asked in that

order of the participants.

Question S, dealing with job satisfactions and dissatisfactions,

was more involved and at times both trainees and employers needed
definite areas to consider before relating their answers to that

question. In such cases the 20 items from the Minnesota Job Satisfaction
 13

Questionnaire (Weiss, 1969, p. 10) were read to those interviewed in

order to stimulate thinking in the direction of employee job

satisfactions and dissatisfactions.

The answers given to all the questions were recorded just as related
by the trainees and employers. Whenever those interviewed hesitated

in answering the questions thoroughly, the investigator interceded with

her interpretation of what they were attempting to say. No answers to

questions were recorded, however, until the comments were approved by

those interviewed.

Ana].yais and Inte:rpretation of the Data

After the interviews were concluded, the responses were tabulated

to produce information regarding t he frequence of response. The

employers' and trainees' responses were analyzed separately.

As might be expected, there was considerable overlap and redundancy

in the responses to the questions. The responses were classified

according to their substantive content Without regard to the stimulus

questions. The responses were categorized into the following four

areas 1 technical skill difficulties, adjustment problems, job

satisfactions and dissatisfactions, and suggestions for improving future

Manpower programs. Tables are presented for each of these four

categories.
 CHAPTER IV

FINDINGS

The findings of this investigation are summarized in seven tables,

each presenting what the subjects reported regarding a specific problem

area. The problem areas are ::.i3ted here as an overview and to assist

the reader in locating findings in each specific area.

Table I: Technical Skill Difficulties

Table II: Interpersonal Relations and Social Skills
Table III: Work Orientation Problems
Table IV: Work Attitude Problems
Table V: Trainee Job Satisfactions
Table VI: Trainee Job Dissatisfactions

Table VII: Suggested Program Improvements

During the interviews it appeared to the investigator that the

trainees gave honest, straightforward answers to the questions. The

fact that the investigator became well acquainted with the trainees

while instructing the 1970 and 1971 MOTA programs may have helped the
trainees to answer openly.

Technical Skill Difficulties

Question 1 dealt exclusively with the identification of technical

skill difficulties that the employers of the MOTA trainees and the

trainees themselves thought were evident in the trainees' jobs. Each

item on the list was mentioned by the interviewer and the employers

and employees were able to indicate if it was a difficulty. All the

replies are listed in Table 1.
 15

TABLE l

TECHNICAL SKILL DIFFICULTIES REPORTED BY MDTA TRAINEES AND EMPIDYERS

Employers Trainees
Technical Skill Difficulty

Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

English fundamentals 5 26.3 4 18.2

Typing figures 1 5.3 6 27.3
Lack of speed in typing 4 21.1 2 9.1
Lack of speed in shorthand 3 15.8 3 1).6
Spelling 3 15.8 1 4.5
Lack of bookkeeping knowledge 2 9.1
Use of the telephone l 5.3 1 4.5
Payroll 1 4.5
Filing 1 5.3
Tabulation 1 4. 5
Xerox 1 4. 5
Duplicating techniques 1 5.3

The employers believed that English fundamentals was the technical

skill with which their employees had the most difficulty. Typing,

shorthand, and spelling skills were also f ound in some cases to be below

the desired level. It should be noted that all the other difficulties

were mentioned by one employer about his employee. The employers did

not dwell on the fact that technical skill difficulties hampered their

employees' job performance. Many employers stated that several of the

difficulties mentioned had been troublesome at the beginning of employ-

ment but had later been alleviated.

Although the correct use of English fundamentals was again noted

as a major difficulty, the MDTA trainees apparently felt that they had
the most difficulty typing figures. Shorthand and typing skills were

also among the difficulties listed most often. It was apparent that
the trainees had an overall confidence in their office work skills.
 16

They felt that ever.( skill listed on the questionnaire had been

adequately covered in their training. In fact, several trainees

mentioned that they found their employers to be surprised that their

knowledge of office functions was so thorough. Many of the trainees

thought that the items listed on the questionnaire were only "slightly"

or "occasionally" a problem.

Interpersonal Relations and Social Skills

Questions 2, 4, and 6 were used to give the trainees and employers

the opportunity to relate these adjustment problems. Table 2 lists

the problems as perceived by the trainees and employers.

TABLE 2

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS AND SOCIAL SKILLS

REPORTED BY MDTA TRAINEES AND EMPLOYERS

Interpersonal Relations Elnployers Trainees

and Social Skills
Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

Inability to cope with

personal problems 5 45.5 3 21.4
Maintaining businesslike
atmosphere in the office 3 21.4
Inability to be relaxed 1 9.1 2 14.3
Adjusting to personality
cliques 3 21.4
Adjusting to different
personalities of people 2 14.3
Lack of vivacious P.6rsonality 1 9.1
Dealing with certain custome~ 1 9.1
Being overly friendly with
co-workers 1 9.1
Immaturity 1 9.1
Poor grooming 1 9.1
Being too sensitive 1 7.1
 l7

The employers believed that the main adjustment problem for trainees

was a social skill problem, their inability to handle their personal

lives without having them interfere with their job performance. The

five employers who mentioned this problem felt it had a snowballing

effect on their employees and caused such things as tardiness and in-

ability to concentrate on the job. In two cases the problem was so

severe that the employers alrr~~ ~ released their trainees from employment.

It is interesting to note that the problem of dealing with both

their personal lives and their office jobs was the predominant prob-

lem mentioned by the trainees also. Even though maintaining a

businesslike atmosphere and adjusting to personality cliques received

the same number of responses as did the personal life versus business

life, the trainees felt the other two problems could be resolved by
being on the job for a while. Personal prGblems such as money manage-
ment and ex-husbands would not be as easy to solve.

Work Orientation Problems

Questions 2, 4, and 6 once again pinpointed adjustment problems

that dealt with work orientation. Eleven different problems were
listed as can be seen on Table ),

Fifteen out of the 23 MDTA trainees or 65 percent of the group

interviewed, felt that just learning the work routine in the office

was the hardest adjustment to make. The second most stated problem,

and one not mentioned by the employers, was learning to work indepen-
dently, It was hard for them to be off working in another room without
any supervision whatsoever.
 18

TABLE 3

WORK ORIENTATION PROBLOO REPORTED BY MDTA TRAINEE> AND EMPLOYERS

Work Orientation ~loyers Trainees

Problems

Frequency Pereent Frequency Pereent

Learning work routine 15 41.7

Working independently 5 13.9
Remembering details 4 11.1
People asking for
infonnation 3 8.3
University forms and
regulations 3 8.3
Adjusting to new machines 2 5.6
Lack of comprehension of
work responsibility 2 100
Adjusting to office
terminology l 2.8
Repeating same task
frequently l 2.8
Doing menial tasks l 2.8
Giving orders l 2.8

The other problems mentioned were not considered to be serious.

As a rule, the trainees believed they could do the job properly once

they became adjusted to what was expected of them. They felt they

could succeed if given assistance and encouragement from their employers.

Most of the employers did not mention problems falling into this

category. Tiro employers, however, stated that their trainees did not

understand what was expected of them concerning tasks to be done and

were not knowledgeable about which tasks received top priority. On

certain days the employers felt this problem was a souree of irritation

and frustration to the employers.

 19

Work Attitude Problems

Questions 2, 4, and 6 were used last of all to identify the

adjustment problems that fall into the work attitude category.

Table 4 lists the nine problems mentioned by the employers and the
three problems mentioned by the trainees.

TABLE 4
WORK A'ITITUDE PROBLEMS REPORTED BY MOTA TRAINEES AND E>!PLOYERS

Employers Trainees
Work Attitude Problems

Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

Lack of punctuality 3 23.0 4 33.3

Carelessness 3 2).0 4 33.3
lack of confidence l 1.1 4 JJ.J
Not enough attention to detaiJ l 1.1
Work done too slowly l 1.1
Lack of initiative l 1.1
Lack of aggressiveness l 1.1
Forgetfulness l 1.1
Concentration l 1.1

The employers felt that the problems of punctuality and carelessness

were a result of the trainees' inability to handle their personal lives.

Family responsibilities caused the trainees to frequently be late for

work and worries about illness in the family, .oney problems, and boy
friend or ex-husband confrontations, caused carelessness in their work.
 20

It is interesting to note that carelessness in their work and

lack of punctuality received about as much mention from the employers as

from the trainees. The trainees admitted that the cause of this tardi-
ness and carelessness was conflict in their personal lives.

Lack of confidence was another evident work attitude problem

experienced by four of the trainees. The trainees who mentioned this
problem noted that a major c &us~ of their lack of confidence was the

failure of their marriages, again the conflict of personal and business

lives.

Sources of Job Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction

Questions 5 and 7 were used to elicit responses concerning sources

of satisfaction and dissatisfaction to the MDTA trainees on the job.
The employers and trainees freely responded to the questions but
if they needed some assistance in relating their thoughts on this
subject, the 20 areas shown on the questionnaire under Question 5 were
stated by the interviewer to direct their thinking. Tables 5 and 6 show
what the employers and trainees perceived to be pleasing and displeasing
factors concerning the trainees' jobs.
In this area the employers and trainees were in agreement. It is

interesting that both parties rated the same two items--variety of

tasks and nice co-workers--as being the most pleasing for the trainees
on the job.

All the employers' responses indicate that they sensed that their
employees wanted to be active, to be involved in a congenial office
atmosphere, and to feel their presence in the office to be meaningful.
 21

TABLE 5
SOURCES OF TRAINEE JOB SATISFACTIONS
REPORTED BY MDTA TRAINEES AND Flfi'LOYERS

Elnployers Trainees
Worker Satisfactions

Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

Variety of tasks 6 35.3 13 18.7

Nice co-workers 6 35 .3 12 17.1
Challenging work 2 ll.8 9 12.9
Pleasant office surroundings 1 5.8 7 10.0
Pleasant customers 7 10.0
Understanding boss 6 8.6
Use of authority 2 ll.8 3 4.3
Given responsibility 4 5.7
Typing 2 2. 9
Kept busy 2 2,9
Not much tension 1 1.4
Putting training knowledge
to use 1 1.4
Telephoning 1 1.4
Universit,y benefits 1 1.4
Working with money 1 1.4

Another factor mentioned often (nine times) by the trainees was

that their work was challenging, The employers did not, however, list

this as an important factor; it was mentioned by only two employers.

Frequently throughout the interviews with the trainees came the conunent

that they wanted to be able to demonstrate the skills they had acquired

during their training, They were not content when being assigned only

menial tasks not requiring special intelligence,

 22

TABLE 6

SOURCES OF TRAINEE JOB DISSATISFACTIONS

REPORTED BY MOTA TRAINEES AND EMPLOYERS

Elnployers Trainees
Worker Dissatisfactions
Freq1.1ency Percent Freq1.1ency Percent
1--
Not enough responsibility 4 13.8
Meeting deadlines 4 13.8
Attitudes of some customers 1 6.7 3 10.3
No challenge to the work 3 10.3
Work pressure 3 20.0
Dictation 3 20.0
Not busy sll the time 1 6.7 2 7.1
Interruptions 1 6.7 2 7.1
Lack of efficiency at sane
tasks 2 7.1
Working overtime 2 7.1
Co-worker complaints 2 7.1
Personality conflict with som•
staff members 1 6.7 1 3.4
Just a one-girl office 1 6.7
Late work 1 6.7
Irregular work 1 6. 7
Social cliques 1 6.7
Bookkeeping 1 6.7
Ultratechnical jobs 1 3.4
Unreasonable jobs 1 3.4
Necessity to discipline peoplE 1 3.4

While the employers perceived that work pressure and dictation

caused dissatisfaction among their employees most often, the trainees
were concerned about dissatisfaction caused by a lack of responsibility
and challenging work. On one hand, the employers said that evident
tension often irritated the trainees and taking dictation was something
that could be terrifying. The trainees meanwhile expressed a desire to
 23

feel needed in the office. not merely considered someone who was capable

only of flunky-type assignments.

Although the problem of the attitude of same customers was mentioned

four times by the employers and trainees combined• the situations were
not elaborated. Basically. the employers had difficulty listing any
dissatisfactions because as a rule they felt their employees were

satisfied with their work.

Suggestions for MDTA Program Curriculum Improvement

Questions 3 and 8 of the questionnaire sought to obtain suggestions

which would enable future MD~ programs to make the adjustment to the
employment situation easier for the MDTA trainees. A large number of
different responses were received as can be seen by examining Table 7.

In their answers the employers showed a deep concern that the

trainees have a realistic picture of how an actual office was run--what

the work load entailed and expected behavior standards. They felt this
awareness was necessary to enable the trainees to progress smoothly

from school to the business office. fitting in easily because they knew
what was expected of them. This feeling was shown by three employers

who mentioned that a work experience program would be helpful.

The trainees elaborated on this idea and suggested that the work
experience program should be revised from what it had been in past

MDTA programs. To realize workday reality. it was suggested that the

work experience program be expanded to include an entire day instead
of just two hours per day.

To further impart the true picture of the business office and the
secretary's function in it to the trainees. two employers mentioned
 24

TABLE 7
SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE MDTA PROORAM3
REPORTED BY MDTA TRAINEES AND F>!PWYERS

Employers Trainees
Curriculum Suggestions

Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

Longer work experience 9 22.5

Work experience program 3 17.7
More emphasis on personality
development 1 5.8 6 15.0
Individual counseling 1 5.8 5 12.5
Stricter enforcement of
punctuality, appearance,
and attendance 4 10.0
Actual secretaries talk to
trainees 2 11.8 2 5.0
Acquaint trainees with
facilities and duties
of an actual office 2 11.8
Emphasis on building confidencE 2 5.0
More filing 2 5.0
Transcription experience 1 5.8
Activities to instill
motivation 1 5.8
Stress on not being careless
in work 1 5.8
Stress importance of correct
handling of machinery 1 5.8
Projects to build concentratio 1 5.8
More vocabulary work 1 5.8
Go step through step on job
projects 1 5.8
Three-month followup
counseling with employer 1 5.8
Work in simulation lab 1 2.5
More emphasis on grooming 1 2.5
More concentration on trainees
work interest and abilities 1 2.5
More bookkeeping 1 2.5
Use of varied kinds of
calculators 1 2.5
More statistical typing 1 2.5
More emphasis on good
penrnans hip 1 2.5
Give acquaintance with
University forma 1 2.5
Occasional work production
days 1 2.5
Not so many breaks 1 2.5
 25

that having working secretaries speaking to the trainees at regular

intervals throughout the course and allowing trainees to watch actual

offices in operation would be meaningfUl.

Several of the employers found it difficult to pinpoint areas

that could be added to the employees' training program that would

better prepare them for the world of work.

The trainees had several major suggestions that they felt should

be implemented into future MOTA programs. One of them was an individual

counseling program enabling the trainees to better understand themselves

and to cope with their particular situations more meaningfully.

Four unexpected responses were those from the trainees who thought

t hat more rigid regulations should be placed upon them so on the job

they would have no temptation to be too lax in the areas of appearance,

attendance, and behavior.
 CHAPTER V

SUMMARY, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDt. TIONS

The purpose of this study was to identify work adjustment problems

that the trainees of the 1970 and 1970 Utah State University Manpower
Development and Training Programs encountered on their office jobs,
A questionnaire consisting of eight open-ended questions was
developed enabling those interviewed to relate situations, conditions,
and attitudes rather than giving simple ;rea or no answers, Twenty-three
trainees and twelve trainee employers were interviewed either in person
or qy telephone,
Arter the interviews were concluded, the responses were tabulated
to produce information regarding the frequency of response. The
employers 1 and trainees' responses were anal)'1'ed separately.
The difficulties or problems were classified into the following
categories I technical skill difficulties, interpersonal relations and
social skills, work orientation problems, work attitude problems,
trainee job satisfactions and dissatisfactions, and suggested MDTA
program improvements.
The technical skill difficulties most often noted by employers
and trainees were the lack of skill in using English fundamentals and
lack of speed in typing and shorthand,

By far the main interpersonal relations and social skills problem

mentioned by those interviewed was the trainees• inability to cope with

their personal lives. This connict was shown to influence thair per-
formance on the job.
 27

The trainees believed very strongly that the most troublesome

work orientation problem they encountered was learning the work routine
on a new job. Another area o£ concern tc the trainees was being able
tc work independently without supervision or guidance.

Both the employers and trainees noted that a lack of punctuality

and carelessness in their work were definite work attitude problems
possessed by the trainees. Eott groups mentioned that this lack o£
punctuality and carelessness was caused by the trainees' inability

to handle both their personal and business lives adequately.

The employers and trainees were once again in agreement on sources

o£ job satisfaction £or the trainees. They £elt that i£ the trainees
were given a variety of tasks and had nice co-workers that they would be
happy and content in their jobs.
The employers perceived that work pressure and dictation caused
dissatisfaction among their employees most o£ten, while the trainees
were concerned about dissatisfaction caused by a lack of respcnsibility
and challenging work.

As to suggestions £or improving MOTA programs, the key item men-

tioned was that of a work experience program. Both the trainees and
employers thought that the program shGUld be properly supervised and

be o£ a long enough duration to proVide the finishing touches that an

office worker should possess. Other suggestions that were mentioned

often were the matter of having working secretaries speaking tc the
trainees periodically throughout the program and of an indiVidual
counseling program enabling the trainees tc better understand themselves
and tc cope with their particular situations more meaningfully.
 28

Implications

It seems that the majority of the Utah State University MOTA

trainees are deficient in the areas of punctuation, spelling, and
grammar,
It appears that a lack of speed in shorthand is troublesome to
those trainees who are required to use their shorthand skills on the
job,
The Utah State University Manpower Program's curriculum is
deficient in regard to meeting the needs of each student enrolled in
the program.
The Utah State MDTA trainees are lacking in certain social skills
needed on the job such as the ability to be relaxed, maturity, good
grooming, moderate sensitivity, ability to cope with personal problems,
a vivacious personality, and businesslike behavior,
All the 1970 and 1971 trainees who experienced conflict in their
personal lives tended to be tardy for school a great deal and to be
careless in their work.
It seems to be that in most cases i f a trainee is given a job which
provides variety and nice co-workers, she will be happy and satisfied
in her work.
The majority of the trainees found that adjusting to the work
routine was a major difficulty when beginning a new office job,
Both MDTA trainees and MDTA employers believe that the MDTA cur-
riculum should include a work experience program planned as a culminating
experience to test the trainees 1 performance in an office,
 29

It seems to be the belief of both the employers and trainees that

supervision provided by the MDTA program should not end with graduation.

Recommendations

In view of the findings reported in Chapter IV and summarized in

Chapter V, the following recommendations are made:

1. Although the MDTA prc;;:-am should continue to place emphasis
on teaching typewriting, shorthand, business English, business math,
office practice, business machines, and bookkeeping, the curriculum
should be revised.
More stress should be placed on the teaching of punctuation,
spelling, and grammar. Instead of spending merely three hours per
week instructing the trainees on these areas, each school day should
have . time set aside to learn, drill on, and practice these vital
office skills.
Because there appears to be deficiency on the part of several
trainees in shorthand speed, a study might be undertaken to determine
the possible causes. It may be possible also to utilize systems of
shorthand other than the Gregg system, which has been used by the MDTA
programs in the past.

To make the instruction more meaningful, it should be directed

toward the individual needs of each of the trainees. Because the
education and age levels of these trainees differ greatly, this train-

ing program would profit by the utilization of individualized instruction.

For example, it i" easy to understand why a $C>-year old woman who has not
had any training for 33 years would be slower at progressing in business
math than would an 18-year old girl who had just graduated from high school.
 30

A job plan should be prepared for each trainee with the employment

counselor, the instructor, and the trainee contributing to the formula-

tion of this plan. For instance, if the trainee has the interest and
ability to become a machines clerk, her training activities should
concentrate on this goal. In this way the students will not merely be

given a conglomeration of subject matter but will be given direction

toward a specific career goal.

2. Since the bulk or the adjustment problems mentioned by the
trainees and employers were those dealing with social and interpersonal
relationship skills, the development of proper attitudes and skills
should be given primary emphasis in the MDTA Program.
The counseling segment of the program should plan an important role
in the development or these skills. Counseling should be done both on
an individual and group basis.
During the individual counseling portion, the trainees must be brought
to see their personal problems in perspective. They have to be made
aware or the fact that others have more serious problems than they have,
that their problems cannot be run away from, and that things can be done
to improve the problem or to insure that it does not occur again.
Group counseling sessions should be spent concentrating on improving
the trainees• business personalities. This could be done by using role
playing and case studies to demonstrate situations that could be en-

countered on the job, both on a professional and personal level.

Classroom activities could also aid in the development of these
important social skills. The MDTA instructor could use professionally
prepared secretarial training records, class discussion centered around
 31

incidents that have actually happened to the trainees previously and

tapes of important businessmen giving advice and tips on handling

people, to further instill the necessity of being able to relate and

get along with your co-workers and customers on the job.

More stress must be placed on the correct dress, behavior, and

attendance standards which are expected in an office. One technique

which would help to develop i~ the trainees a sense of appropriateness

of action, behavior, and dress is a plan whereby throughout the program

working secretaries and businessmen would speak to the trainees about the
tasks and experiences they have encountered on their respective jobs.

Another approach would be for the trainees to have several social

functions such as teas, luncheons, fashion shows, etc., where they

would have to demonstrate the correct behavior which would be appropriate

in an office situation.

The unique thing about the MDTA program is that since the women are
interacting closely for an entire nine months, it provides an excellent

opportunity for them to learn to get along with all types of people.
Their close-knit group also gives them numerous opportunities to develop

tact. Because people work together every day, getting along and showing
empathy for each other is a necessity.

3. Since the trainees thought that learning the work routine was

a major factor in adjustment, training in this area should be incorporated

into the Manpower curriculum. Numerous decision-making and problem-

solving projects should be used to give the trainees an opportunity to
adapt to new situations which will be very similar to those in an actual

job. The emphasis must be on realism in the classroom activities. An

office should be simulated in which the trainees have to deal with

situations such as the telephone ringing and interrupting them in the

 32

middle of a rush work assignment. Simulation Will benefit the trainees

by putting them into a working atmosphere which will force them to use

their own initiative in getting their work done.

There must be a continuous test to see if the trainees can put

their acquired skills to practical use. This could be done through

work production days, which would be regularly scheduled throughout

the program. In these work prvduction days, emphasis would be on

producing as much work as possible during the eight-hour day.

4. The work experience portion of the program should be planned

as a culminating experience to see if the trainees can actually perform

in an office.
A great deal of care must be exercised in selecting the proper

work stations--ones which Will provide meaningful learning activities

on a rotation basis. Adequate supervision must be provided by the

teacher-coordinator and employer so that proper career growth and

training is received.

If the training station or the ability of the trainee is not

adequate, the situation should imaediately be rectified by changing the

station or the trainee. If some of the trainees are not ready for the

work experience program when it is planned, postponement of their

working should take place. Their weaknesses should be analyzed so that

remedial train ing could be arranged.

In the work experience program, the trainees should be allowed to

work a full day occasionally so they can experience the entire realm
of demands in an eight-hour day.
 33

The problems encountered by the trainees should be discussed in

class when they occur so that everyone can benefit from how or how

not to handle a situation. This is one of the ways occupational

adjustment is going to be achieved.

The recommendations for the work experience program are a result

of the remarks made by the trainees and employers. They all thought

a work experience program would provide the finishing touches which

the trainee should possess before she goes out to begin her first

full-time office job.

S. Supervision provided by the MOTA program should not end the

moment graduation has taken place.

First of all , more care should be given to selecting job positions

after trainee program completion. For example, if the trainee is

extremely capable of taking and transcribing shorthand, attempts should

be made to acquire a position where shorthand is required and used

frequently.

Another means of maintaining trainee supervision folloWing program

completion is to continue the couneeling for at least three months after

the trainees become employed. The counselor should act as a buffer

between the trainee and the employer and as a mediator for airing employee-

employer problems. The trainee needs someone on whom she can rely for

assistance and guidance during those first confusing days of office

employment.

6. A more sophisticated study should be done in order to obtain

additional facts and figures for comparison purposes.

 34

LITERA TORE CITED

Borow, Henry, 1969. A critical assessment of vocational education:

Some unflattering observations. Report to the National Conference
on Cooperative Vocational Education, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
(Mimeographed)
Bowler, Earl M., and Frances Griff Dawson. 1948. Counseling employees.
Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Yvrk. ERIC ED 023 930.

Burton, John R., ~· 1967. A study of the opportunities for,

requirements of, and knowledge, abilities, and related characteris-
tics needed by beginning office workers in the state of Connecticut
with its implications for business and office education. Hartfo rd,
Connecticut. ERIC ED 02~ 864.
Christmann, Phyllis Alice, 1967. Recognized problems of single girls
in Iowa entering the work world following high school graduation.
Ames, Iowa. ERIC ED 026 482.

Dailey, William W, 1964. After they're hired, then what? Journal of

College Placement 23:59.
Davis, Rene V. 1964. A theory of work adjustment. Minneapolis,
Minnesota, ERIC ED 018 590.

Denny, Paul. 1970. Putting MDTA trainees at ease. Business Education

World 44:15.
Garbin, A, P., et. al. 1967. Problems in the transition from high school
to work as perceived by vocational educators. Columbus, Ohio.
ERIC ED 016 811.

Hamburger, Martin, and Ralph Lo Cascio. 1969. A study of Manpower

Development and Training Act programs in New York State. Albany,
New York. ERIC ED 038 525.
Hodges, Gail T, 1970. Getting the right job can fill a special need.
Business Education World 50:19,23.

Hoerner, Harry J,, and William W, Stevenson. 1968. The effects of

on-the-job counseling on employers' rating and job satisfaction
of persons trained in selected Oklahoma MDTA classes during
1967-1968. Stillwater, Oklahoma, ERIC ED 023 930.
Mager, Robert F. 1962. Preparing Instructional Objectives. Fearon
Publishers, Palo Alto.
 35

, MOTA PROJECT UTAH (R) 0008. 1971. Form OE 3117, Part 3. Utah State
Department of Vocational Education, Salt Lake City, Utah,
Maslow, A. H. 1954. Motivation and Personality. Harper and Row, New
York. p. 21, ERIC ED 023 930,
McAshan, H. H. 1970. Writing Behavioral Objectives. Harper and Row,
New York.
Pucel, David J, 1968, Variables related to MOTA trainee employment
success in Minnesota. Minneapolis, Minnesota. ERIC ED 022 043.
Richmond, David A, 1969. Some dmployment factors affecting beginning
office workers in business firms in Berlin, Wisconsin. M. S, thesis,
University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin. (Original not seen;
abstracted in Business Education Forum 25:46.)
Weiss, David J, 1969. Occupational reinforcers, vocational needs,
and job satisfaction, Minneapolis, Minnesota. ERIC ED 035 051.
 36

APPENDIX
 37

1. In your work, what difficulties have you met which might have been
covered in your school training?
typing figures _ __
spelling_ __

lack of speed in typinL,__

lack of speed in shorthand_ _

alphabetizing and filing_____

lack of bookkeeping knowledge_ _

inability to use the adding machine_ _

payroll_ _

use of the telephone_ _

use of dictating machines_ _

use of duplicating machines_ _
penmanship_ _

arithmetic fundamentals _ _

English fundamentals _ _
tabulation_ _

cutting stencils_ _

typing dittos _ _

typing offset mats _ _

other difficulties'-------------------------------------------
2. What do you think are the problems that people like yourself have
or are encountering in adjusting to their jobs?

3. If you were to begin this job again, what might we have done in the
Manpower Training Program to help you to become acquainted with and
adjusted to the job more readily?

4. What were the hardest things for you to get used to when you started
your job?
 38

5. What do you like about your job and what do you dislike? Which of
the following give you satisfaction and which cause you problems
or annoyance?

Ability utilization Recognition

Achievement Responsibility

Activity Security

Advancement Social Services

Authority Social Status

Company Policies and Practices Supervision--human relations

Compensation Supervision--technical

Co-workers Variety

Creativity Working Conditions

Independence Autonomy

6. If you were your supervisor or employer and had to list your weak
points and your strong points, what would they be?
1. Why do you feel that this is or is not the right job for you?
8. Do you have any suggestions as to what could he done in future
Manpower programs to make the transition between school and work
easier?
 39

VITA
Mary Ann Jensen
Candidate for the Degree of
Master of Science in Business Education

Plan B Reporta The Identification of Work Adjustment Problems of the

1970 and 1971 Manpower Development and Training Program
Trainees at Utah State University
Major Fielda Business Education
Biographical Information:
Personal Dataa Born at Duluth, Minnesota, December 9, l9Ll,
daughter of Walter E., and Laura Hill Oja; married Earl R.
Jensen, Jr., June 11, 1966; one child--Mark.
Education! Attended Floodwood Public Schools and graduated from
Floodwood High School, Floodwood, Minnesota, in 1959; received
the Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Olaf College, Northfield,
Minnesota, with a major in business education and a minor in
history, in 1963; completed requirements for a Master of Science
degree at Utah State University, 1972.
Professional Experience: 1963 to 1966, business teacher, Harmony
High School, Harmony, Minnesota; 1966 to 1967, instructor,
Humboldt Business College, Eureka, California; 1967 to 1968,
business teacher, Fortuna Union High School, Fortuna, California;
1968 to 1968, administrative secretary, Utah State University;
1969 to 1971, MOTA instructor, Utah State University; 1971 to
1972, teaching assistant at Utah State University.