This question contains two parts; be sure to answer both. First, list three work-related attitudes to which managers need to be alert. Next, imagine that you manage the customer-service department at a large chain retail store, such as The Home Depot. What policies or procedures might you use to keep employees' attitudes positive in each of the three areas?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Managers need to be alert to work-related attitudes having to do with (1) employee engagement, an individual's involvement, satisfaction, and enthusiasm for work; (2) job satisfaction, the extent to which you feel positive or negative about various aspects of your work; and (3) organizational commitment, reflecting the extent to which an employee identifies with an organization and is committed to its goals.

If you manage a Home Depot store, you might keep employees' engagement high by providing them with ongoing training in terms of new tools and products. By doing so, you show workers that they are an important part of the store, and you give them the tools to act as effective salespeople, as well as goodwill ambassadors for the store.

In terms of job satisfaction, ongoing discussions with staff to identify and solve problems that affect employees' job satisfaction will be helpful. For example, workers may complain about having to deal with high-maintenance customers or stressful situations; perhaps a solution is to offer training on how to deal with difficult customers, or to gather a group of workers in the break room to discuss best practices for dealing with difficult people.

To increase organizational commitment (or to keep it high), it is important for you to show workers how they fit into the larger Home Depot culture, and that the home office appreciates their continued contributions.

If you live in a highly populated area with many Home Depot stores, you might consider hosting a picnic and inviting employees from all the local stores, or perhaps starting a softball team, volleyball team, or bowling league with employees from different stores.