Reference no: EM132174312

The Long-Term Employee:

Bill Harrison is 57 years old and has been with Ross Products for 37 years. He is on a top-paying machine operator job and has been for the last 20 years. Bill is quite active in community affairs and takes a genuine interest in most employee activities. He is very friendly and well-liked by all employees, especially the younger ones, who often come to him for advice. He is extremely helpful to these younger employees and never hesitates to help when asked. When talking with younger employees, Bill never talks negatively about the company.

Bill’s one shortcoming, as his supervisor Alice sees it, is his tendency to spend too much time talking with other employees. This not only causes Bill’s work to suffer, but also hinders the output of others. Whenever Alice confronts Bill with the problem, his performance improves for a day or two, but soon slips back into his old habit of storytelling and interrupting others.

Alice considered transferring Bill to another area where he would have less opportunity to interrupt others, but she concluded she needs Bill’s experience, especially since she has no available replacement for Bill’s job.

Bill is secure in his personal life. He owns a nice house and lives well. His wife works as a librarian, and their two children are grown and married. Alice has sensed that Bill thinks he is as high as he’ll ever go in the company. This doesn’t seem to bother him since he feels comfortable and likes his present job.

Question: What would you do to try and motivate Bill to increase his output and not negatively affect the output of others? What theory of motivation are you using?