Assignment:
1 Research the relationship between job design and a topic related to either employee stress or work/life balance. Using information from this text, from class lecture, and from your research, prepare a one-page summary of best practices that companies have used to manage stress or work/life issues.
1. How does job design affect either employee stress or work/life balance?
2. Are certain job design approaches better than others for addressing employees' stress or work/life balance? Why?
3. What organizational or environmental factors might prevent managers from implementing the job design options you noted in your response to Question 2?
2 As a manager, you have a number of tactics to choose from to cope with a labor shortage or surplus. Relying on overtime; hiring contingent labor; focusing on employee retention; using promotions, transfers and demotions; and hiring new full-time employees are tactics you can use to remedy a labor shortage. When faced with a labor surplus, you might consider implementing layoffs, focusing on attrition and hiring freezes, developing early retirement programs, or using promotions, transfers and demotions to move employees to other areas of the company.
1. What are the advantages of each of these tactics?
2. What are the disadvantages of each of these tactics?
3. Considering the advantages and disadvantages of each tactic, develop a strategy for when each of the tactics should be used and should not be used. Which organizational demands and environmental considerations are particularly important in your strategy?