Employees Satisfaction at Bi-Lo

Employees Satisfaction At Bi-Lo Table of Contents

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………3
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..4
Literature review…………………………………………………………………………………..6
Research methodology…………………………………………………………………………….9
Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………….13
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….21
References………………………………………………………………………………………..23

Abstract
The aim of this research was to examine ways to improve employees’ satisfaction in order to increase their efficiency at work. Research articles from 2008 to 2010 were reviewed. Previous study found that variables such as collective efficacy, organizational commitment are positively related to job satisfaction. However, stress is a variable negatively related with job satisfaction.
The study focused its research on the grocery store Bi Lo. Participants were interviewed to answer question of a survey about employees ‘satisfaction. The results showed that job satisfaction can center on organizational commitment, team acceptance, how one values their job and work ethic, and their personal characteristics such as age, gender and sex.
Key word: Stress, Employees satisfaction, Collective Efficacy

Introduction

Aims and objectives
The aim of the study is improve Bi Lo revenue through the employee’s satisfaction at work. The objective is to increase workers commitment and efficiency. It is very important for organizations to spend time understanding the needs and expectation of their workers. The employees are the ambassadors of the companies. It is crucial for the image and the efficiency of a company to take care of their employees.
Efficiency of workers is an important parameter for the companies in order to make profit. However, we see more and more managers putting pressures and stress on the employees which result in burn out and increase suicide rate. This research will help to find methods to have both high efficiency and satisfaction of workers in the companies.

Problem In a society of growth like in the United States of America, it is important for companies to keep growing. Therefore, organizations consistently have to make profits and increase their revenue. Because executive managers have lots of pressure to meet the expectation of CEOs and other people above them, they transfer this pressure to the employees under them. Being in a period where the job rate is low, the demand is more important than the offer in most area. Therefore, companies do not always care about the well-being and the satisfaction of their employees.

Scope
The scope of this research is to outline a number of variables for future entrepreneurs and business owners that will have positive effect on employees’ efficiency and satisfaction. The study will be significant for companies because it will help to decrease the turnover rate their employees. Companies will save time and money as well as increase their image with the well-being of their employees. The research will help the organization to create healthy and studious environment to increase their revenue.

Summary This research will focus on the satisfaction of workers in organizations. The United States of America is slowly recovering from a recession period which still as consequence on the population. Companies’ expectations on the workers are more work, more time with less money. The study will help companies to use efficiently their work force with healthy management.

Literature Review

Organizational Commitment and Employees’ Satisfaction
Lambert and Paoline (2008) assessed the influence of job satisfaction, on organizational commitment (e.g. bond form between the worker and the employing organization) and job stress. The sample was 48 Orange County Corrections Department (OCCD) workers. From the sample, 43% were white, 40% were black, 11% were Hispanic, and 6% had another ethnicity. The workers were mostly male (54%). The areas of jobs of the workers were correctional officers, case managers, medical staff, industry staff, and food service workers. The researchers measure stress with a 6-item scale that assess job-related tension, anxiety, worry, emotional exhaustion, and distress. A 5-item scale examined the global job satisfaction and 2-item measured organizational commitment. In the findings, job stress had a negative relationship with job satisfaction (Lambert & Paoline, 2008). The organizational commitment had a strong positive correlation with job satisfaction (Lambert & Paoline, 2008). Indeed, the employees satisfied by their job see their organization in a positive way (Lambert & Paoline, 2008). The authors found a relationship between ethnicity and job satisfaction (Lambert & Paoline, 2008). White employees were more likely to be satisfied with their jobs (Lambert & Paoline, 2008). Supervisors were more likely to be satisfied with their job and the number of white supervisors was more important than the other ethnicity (Lambert & Paoline, 2008). Team work and Employees’ satisfaction
Klassen (2010) assessed the effect of teachers’ collective efficacy (e.g., perception of teachers’ efficiency when they work together) on job stress and job satisfaction. The researcher used a sample of 951 teachers from elementary and secondary schools. Female represented 68% of the sample. The collective efficacy was examined by The Collective Teacher Efficacy Belief Scale (CTEBS). Regarding job satisfaction, the author measured this variable with a 3-item scale. Job stress was calculated with 7-item from the Teacher Stress Inventory. The results showed that stress was created from the workload and student misbehavior (Klassen, 2010). There was a negative correlation between stress and TCE and a positive correlation between job satisfaction and TCE when TCE was used to mediate the influence of student misbehavior on teachers (Klassen, 2010).

Degree of Freedom and Employees’ Satisfaction
McNall, Masuda, and Nicklin (2010) measured the influence of flexible work arrangements and work-to-family enrichment on job satisfaction. The researchers defined work-to-family enrichment as “the extent to which experiences in one role improve the quality of life in the other role”. The sample was drawn from the internet database Study Response. The sample was 220 workers composed of 96 men, 107 women, and 17 unreported. The mean age of the participants was 37.39 years. The participants were living with someone (70%), 53.6% did not have children. Some of the participants had one child (21.4%), and 24.7% had two or more children. Participants who worked 25 or fewer hours per week represented 14.5%; those who worked between 26 and 35 hours per week represented 12.2%; the workers who worked between 36 and 40 hours represented 37.3%, and 35.9% of the participants worked more than 41 hours per week. To examine the Work-Family enrichment, the researchers took nine items from the Work-Family Enrichment scale. A 3-item scale was used to assess job satisfaction. Besides, the participants had to answer two questions to evaluate if they had a flextime schedule or a compressed workweek. The findings showed a positive correlation between the age and job satisfaction and work-to-family enrichment (McNall, Masuda, & Nicklin, 2010). Further, the participants whose schedule was a flextime schedule or compressed workweek had a better job satisfaction and work-to-family enrichment (McNall, Masuda, & Nicklin, 2010).

Corporal Value and Employee’s Satisfaction
Valentine, Godkin, Fleischman, and Kidwell (2010) investigated the relationship between corporate ethical values (e.g. code of conduct, ethics training, management/peer influence, and communication), group creativity, turnover, and job satisfaction. The sample was 781 healthcare and administrative workers in a healthcare organization. Most of the workers were female (73%). The authors used a 5-item Corporate Ethical Values Scale to assess the corporate ethical values, and a 3-item Group Creativity Scale to examine group creativity. The researchers used a 3-item scale to measure job satisfaction and two items to investigate turnover. The findings showed a positive relationship between perceived corporate ethical values and job satisfaction (Valentine, Godkin, Fleischman, & Kidwell, 2010). Moreover, there was a positive correlation between group creativity and job satisfaction (Valentine, Godkin, Fleischman, & Kidwell, 2010). Turnover was negatively related to perceived values, group creativity, and job satisfaction (Valentine, Godkin, Fleischman, & Kidwell, 2010). Employees feel more freedom when group creativity and corporate ethical values are encouraged by the companies which increase job satisfaction (Valentine, Godkin, Fleischman, & Kidwell, 2010).

Age, Level of Education and Employees’ Satisfaction
Delp, Wallace, Geiger-Brown, and Muntaner (2010) assessed the variables of job stress and job satisfaction among home care workers. The sample for the study was 1,614 persons. Telephone interview was the methods used to collect the data. The authors adapted survey questions to measure job satisfaction, job demands (by evaluating physical, emotional schedule), control and support, and potential modifiers of demands. Workers who graduated from high school are less likely to be satisfied at work (Delp, Wallace, Geiger-Brown, & Muntaner, 2010). Moreover, older workers seemed to be more satisfied with their jobs (Delp, Wallace, Geiger-Brown, & Muntaner, 2010). The disadvantaged on the job market of older and low level of education workers could be the reason for a difference in their job satisfaction (Delp, Wallace, Geiger-Brown, & Muntaner, 2010).

Research Methodology
Many US companies are currently finding it hard to sustain a workforce who is completely satisfied with the full scope of their job. This makes it even harder for companies to grow and to sustain increasing revenue. We find that companies are opting for ways to improve how they satisfy their employees on the job which will prevent unnecessary turnover and drops in revenue. The purpose of this research is to determine what is causing dissatisfaction and how it can be improved among employees to prevent a drop in revenue.

Research Design Data was obtained for this proposal through a questionnaire/survey. Individuals were randomly selected to participate in the questionnaires that were among employees at BI-LO stores. By selecting the individuals randomly the results would have on unbiased aspect to the findings. The goal of the research phase is to discover what promotes satisfaction among employees in the work force. We aim to test the hypothesis that was created during our creation phase. In the beginning of this phase, the researcher begins to focus on how to propose a process of answering the question they are interested in investigating. For the research every detail of the methods needs to be precisely examined and backed by strong theoretical reasoning. It is probably unwise to use measures that have not been validated by past research unless the goal of the thesis is to create and validate a measure that would help advance theory. (Baum Josh, 2000) During this phase, I will explain why having ample methodology will allow the researcher to make a strong case for their hypotheses. One fact that is most disturbing of most research is that, although it is based on thought-provoking concepts, the approach that is taken does not adequately address the ideas presented. Keeping your methodology simple is a crucial element, because the more extravagant the methods used, the more likely that they will be confused by other explanations. The manner in which we decide to do research will have a major effect on the overall results of our study, so we must choose our research design carefully. In order to make sure our research is effective, we must observe the best approach for how our research will be conducted. After studying various methods, we have developed the design, strategy, and method that will provide us with optimal results in an ethical manner. (Baum Josh, 2000) This chapter is a descriptive summary of the research methods and design used in conducting this quantitative study. The researcher explains to the reader why an proficient survey was chosen as the method of inquiry, method used in selecting participants, the approach taken in the design of the questions and the technique utilized for data collection. The conclusion of the study is projected to identify key determinants of how to improve customer satisfaction at BI-LO. The research design includes a number of approaches to data collection. Process evaluation is recommended in qualitative inquiry because portraying a process requires comprehensive accounts. This research will be designed using a qualitative approach, we want to find out whether or not it employee needs are being satisfied within their job scope. BI-LO will be used as our model and data will be collected from employees who work within the corporation for analysis and review. This research will also observe the internal aspects of the aspects of the corporation, which will allow different perspectives within our research and allow us to make clearer speculations regarding improvement (Soy, & Susan K., 1997).

Research questions
• Are you satisfied with your job?
• Are you happy at work?
• Would you like to change jobs?
• How meaningful is your work?
• In a typical week, how often do you feel stressed at work?

Data Analysis Method Surveys will be analyzed and the results will then be used as bases for us to decide whether or not employees are truly satisfied with their job within BI-LO. We then can go an analyze ways that BI-LO as a company can improve on employee satisfaction. We can look at ways BI-LO can remain successful in employee satisfaction if the results prove that employees are satisfied with BI-LO beneficial services, or implement ways BI-LO can improve their employee services if results from our survey prove that employees are dissatisfied with the overall employee engagement provided by BI-LO. The data analysis phase has two goals. These goals are to examine the hypothesis set forth by the researcher and to explain how the appropriate statistical techniques necessary to conduct research in the mentor’s area. Running statistics with the researcher and examining the output should attain the first goal. To accomplish the first goal, I believe you must first complete the second. This is further reinforced by explaining what statistical techniques are being used at the time they are being used and by going over the results once they are generated.

Ethical Issues Involved in the Research Ethical issues are moral issues. Ethical issues encountered when obtaining data for the research was a task, because some people are not willing to state that they have job dissatisfaction more will provide only what satisfaction they do. When they are behind closed doors more information is willing to be voiced. Managers must seek to determine job satisfaction of the employees and not put aside the unthinkable; authorities provide a range of employee satisfaction tips and advice to each employee and receive feedback. Nevertheless, poor levels of employee morale can damage employee satisfaction and anyone who has had a bad experience will often tell others about it, thereby spreading harmful insights.

Summary Understanding the focus of why companies have unsatisfied employees is a real challenge. Job satisfaction should be combated by making different options that corresponds to each type of employee. Why is job satisfaction not occurring it makes it even harder for managers to get a solution if employees are not willing to contribute to their dissatisfaction? For instance, if a manager would walk out on the floor and make an announcement that everyone who is not happy and require different incentives and all would be granted would we then have a satisfied work force. The purpose of job satisfaction should not focus only on the characteristics of the person but the work effort that the person displays when they are working in the job. The overall result from the questionnaire shows that there was a minimal satisfaction of workers. In recent studies we find, there is definitely increase in being satisfied at work as a requirement of many employees and employers.

Data Analysis

First Analysis: Employee Decision-Making
We have worked with many managers who have created great organizations. They are strong, technically. They make the right decisions. They produce great outcomes. But, when we interview their employees, we find out that people are not happy, even though they work for a successful organization that has a great reputation. This is because they are not included in the decisions that impact the work they do on a daily basis. It’s important to note that the employees we interviewed are the ones who are doing the great work that enables the leader to be successful. It is our belief that these leaders could be even more successful if they would involve their team members in the decision making process. It is also our belief that if the team members were not qualified to make decisions regarding the work they do daily, they probably should be working for a competitor and not the leader’s organization.
TABLE 1: Employee Decision-Making

SURVEY QUESTIONS
# of RESPONSES Yes No
Do you have control of your tasks? 20 5
Can you make decisions on your job? 24 1
Are you free to decide your work hours? 24 1

The responses confirm that employee decision-making within the local Bi-Lo proves that they are able to give the customers a great customer experience. If this store continues to follow the protocol that it is using, not only will customers continue to shop frequently, but they will tell others, which will result in rapidly increasing revenue and a lower employee turnover rate.
What is your salary Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid $25001-$50000 11 55.0 55.0 55.0 $50001-$75000 8 40.0 40.0 95.0 $75001-$100000 1 5.0 5.0 100.0 Total 20 100.0 100.0

How an employee is paid is course for if they are satisfied at work. The salary of an employee makes them extremely satisfied if they are getting the right dollar per hour because they know that the money they are earning is something that they have worked hard for. Most people feel that they are getting paid less than what they deserve as a salary. With the employee worried about the rate of pay they will be less motivated to come to work and less satisfied of the working conditions.

Second Analysis: Level of Education level of education Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid elementary 2 10.0 10.0 10.0 High School 5 25.0 25.0 35.0 Bachelor 8 40.0 40.0 75.0 Graduate 5 25.0 25.0 100.0 Total 20 100.0 100.0

Education plays a major rule in employee satisfaction. If an individual is able to obtain higher education that increases the chances for them to become more marketable. That in turns allows the individual to spiral up the job ladder. The chances are increase pay and minimum hard work. Third Analysis: Understanding, Learning and Meeting Employee Expectations
More often than not, employees have high expectations when investing their time with any business. Employees expect businesses mostly to serve and cater to their needs, as long as they are loyal to the company. The quality of service will be determined by the ability to meet customer expectations. When employees’ expectations are not being met, the reputation of an organization’s service suffers. By listening to employees ' expectations, Bi-Lo will not only meet, but also exceed their employees’ expectations. Another issue that Bi-Lo can address is to determine what their competitors are doing, and improve upon what they are doing in comparison. If one of Bi-Lo 's competitors makes one of their practices the industry standard, Bi-Lo must follow suit, in order to avoid falling behind and not only lose customers, but their employees as well because of it.

As laid out in the pie chart many individuals are looking or would change their job because of Dissatisfaction. In fact, 60% of the mployees often think about changing their jobs and only 2% never think about it.
TABLE 2: Employee Expectations

SURVEY QUESTIONS
# of RESPONSES Yes No
Is your work meaningful? 23 2
Is your job challenging? 18 7
Are you happy at work? 24 1
Would you like to change your job? 22 3

The aforementioned data confirms that it generally meets the employee’s expectations within the local Bi-Lo, which affords customers the opportunity to have a great shopping experience. If this store continues to learn and meet the employees’ needs, then they will continue to attract customers and produce revenue within the store, and company, as a whole.

Fourth Analysis: Employee Loyalty
If Bi-Lo can make promises to its customers, why can’t promises be made to the Employees? Either way it goes, they have to be able to back up their promises. If they can 't deliver, their employees will be more dissatisfied and likely find a place of employment who can accommodate their expectations, or merit their loyalty.
Additionally, Bi-Lo needs to know exactly what its employees expect when they come into their stores, especially for work, so that they can achieve the goals that the customer wants. The company has to at least be aware of the expectations, so they can attend to them or have a reason why they can 't attend to the expectations. Employees are more likely to return to work and feel at home, if they feel the store is reaching their needs. Moreover, Bi-Lo can gain this knowledge by giving out employee feedback surveys or having a suggestion box or by simply writing down any issues or suggestions and giving prompt responses.

TABLE 3: Employee Loyalty

SURVEY QUESTIONS
# of RESPONSES Yes No
Do you feel stressed at work? 23 2
Do your opinions about work matter to your coworkers? 10 15

The data indicates that the employee loyalty suffers in Bi-Lo tremendously. It is generally hard to provide loyalty among customers if you barely have loyalty among the team and if they never seem satisfied when they leave the store. The idea is for the customer to have a pleasant experience every time they enter the store. This is a direct reflection of your team. Feeling that they will be well taken care of, places them in a great state of mind, and they will continue to be loyal to the company as long as they feel that the company is loyal to them.

Fifth Analysis: Understanding What Makes Employees Happy
The first step to understanding what an employee wants is to ask them what they expect. There are several ways to gather information about what the employees want. Some are more cost effective than others. One option is to conduct a survey, an option this group chose. Employees want to feel as if they have options and to feel that feedback matters to make differences in the store, which are some things Bi-Lo has. However, two things the employee wants is to be treated fairly and to be compensated for the job required. Every employee wants to feel that they are important and apart of the team. No rules should be bent for one; instead it should be completely even all across the board. Additionally, if the employees feel that they aren’t achieving happiness, the morale changes, thus the customer service suffers. Bi-Lo should want to pay their employees, not only by the title, but also for good work. It has been my experience that if employees aren’t getting paid properly, they tend to leave the job, to go to a place of employment where they feel they are getting its worth. This ultimately hurts the company because they lose good workers because of the idea of not wanting to pay them accordingly or by cutting salaries drastically.

TABLE 4: Employee Satisfaction

SURVEY QUESTIONS
# of RESPONSES Yes No
Are satisfied with your job? 10 15 Is your salary you are making sufficient? 9 16
Is your salary matched with your job requirements? 7 18

Summary
In conclusion, this group randomly passed out surveys to measure to worth of associates and offer suggestions for increasing employee satisfaction at Bi-Lo stores, and the above are the responses received from the 25 participants. There was only one store sampled, which was the local Orangeburg area Bi-Lo, the employer of one of the group members. Moreover, our recommendations may only be relevant for that store. We recommend that this store continuously research what is going on in the industry so they can keep up with the standard. Bi-Lo needs to have surveys readily available for not only customers, but for employees as well to rate their satisfaction with its services. This can be done in their stores and online, so they reach more people. An incentive can be arranged to encourage more participations in the surveys. One complaint from many of our survey takers expressed verbally that checkout lines get backed up. They noted that there were 9 lanes but, for the most part, only 3 would be open. Therefore, we believe Bi-Lo could benefit in having more employees scheduled or restructuring their checkout system so that they either have more automatic checkouts or less checkout lines. With so many checkout lines empty, customers assume the store is not being run correctly and may become irritated with the employees and managers and the whole process of going to Bi-Lo. It is the consensus of this group that if Bi-Lo implements some of the above recommendations, it would see maintained employee satisfaction, an increase in the number of customers, and also in its customer service relations.
Conclusion

The findings discovered within the research are that employees who were happy within their level of satisfaction increased and that performance was not hindered but improved. If the employee was not satisfied then we discovered that their job suffered along with representation of a positive image of the company to the customer. What is important to highlight is that giving an employee controls over their own work increased job satisfaction. Bi-Lo can improve the employee satisfaction by accepting employee’s feedback and providing a quick and pleasant experience when it comes to daily work requirements.
The main limitation to this research is the lack of time and amount of statistics. Because of constraints to time, this research was conducted with a small pool of the employee population. Only 25 people were surveyed about their experiences at BI-LO stores with job satisfaction. Also, the research is based on local BI-LO stores around Orangeburg. Therefore, the research results were a very small percentage of population.
Overall job satisfaction can center on organizational commitment, team acceptance, how one values their job and work ethic, and their personal characteristics such as age, gender and sex. Many factors can influence ones overall likely hood of job satisfaction. We conclude that people who are less stress and have more job empowerment are more likely to be happy and satisfied with the job. BI-LO needs to determine from its employees pool what makes their employees satisfied by presenting surveys each year either online or by handing out something. The more BI-LO is aware of the findings of how satisfied it’s employees are an incline in customer satisfaction and shareholder satisfaction will be noted also.

References
Brewer, E., & McMahan-Landers, J. (2003). The relationship between job stress and job satisfaction among industrial and technical teacher educators. Journal of Career and Technical Education, 20, 37-50. Retrieved from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JCTE/ v20n1/ brewer.html
Delp, L., Wallace, S., Geiger-Brown, J., & Muntaner, C. (2010). Job stress and job satisfaction: Home care workers in a consumer-directed model care. Health Service Research, 45, 922¬-940. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfvIewer/pdfvIewer? vId=11& hId= 110&sId=3 6e5c44b-39bc-4715-af6f-ec03553f0ef3%40sessionmgr111
Klassen, R. (2010). Teacher Stress: The mediating role of collective efficacy beliefs. The Journal of Educational Research, 103, 342-350. doi: 10.1080/00220670903383069
Lambert, E., & Paoline, E. (2008). The influence of individual, job, and organizational characteristics on correctional staff job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Criminal Justice Review, 33, 541-564. doi: 10.1177/0734016808320694
McNall, L., Masuda, A., & Nicklin, J. (2010). Flexible work arrangements, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions: The mediating role of work-to-family enrichment. Journal of Psychology, 144, 61-81. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfvIewer/ pdfviewer?sid=36e5c44b-39bc-4715-af6fec03553f0ef3%40sessIonmgr111&vid= 7&hId =110
Valentine, S., Godkin, L., Fleishman, G., & Kidwell, R. (2010). Corporate ethical values, group creativity, job satisfaction and turnover intention: the impact of work context on work response. doi: 10.1007/s1055-10-0554-6

References: Brewer, E., & McMahan-Landers, J. (2003). The relationship between job stress and job satisfaction among industrial and technical teacher educators. Journal of Career and Technical Education, 20, 37-50. Retrieved from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JCTE/ v20n1/ brewer.html Delp, L., Wallace, S., Geiger-Brown, J., & Muntaner, C. (2010). Job stress and job satisfaction: Home care workers in a consumer-directed model care. Health Service Research, 45, 922¬-940. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfvIewer/pdfvIewer? vId=11& hId= 110&sId=3 6e5c44b-39bc-4715-af6f-ec03553f0ef3%40sessionmgr111 Klassen, R. (2010). Teacher Stress: The mediating role of collective efficacy beliefs. The Journal of Educational Research, 103, 342-350. doi: 10.1080/00220670903383069 Lambert, E., & Paoline, E. (2008). The influence of individual, job, and organizational characteristics on correctional staff job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Criminal Justice Review, 33, 541-564. doi: 10.1177/0734016808320694 McNall, L., Masuda, A., & Nicklin, J. (2010). Flexible work arrangements, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions: The mediating role of work-to-family enrichment. Journal of Psychology, 144, 61-81. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfvIewer/ pdfviewer?sid=36e5c44b-39bc-4715-af6fec03553f0ef3%40sessIonmgr111&vid= 7&hId =110 Valentine, S., Godkin, L., Fleishman, G., & Kidwell, R. (2010). Corporate ethical values, group creativity, job satisfaction and turnover intention: the impact of work context on work response. doi: 10.1007/s1055-10-0554-6