Reference no: EM132277713

Thread 1

Jan has several different reasons as to why she should want to be transferred to the executive secretary position. These reasons are increased pay (from pay grade 12 to pay grade 14) and a decrease in the overall work that Jan would be expected to perform. Likewise, Jan does not feel that she is fairly compensated for the amount of work that she currently does, nor does Jan regard the merit wage increase she was given as a substantial increase in payment.

The difference in compensation that the two positions offer creates a legitimate reason for Jan to consider switching departments (Kim, Wang, Chen, Zhu, & Sun, 2018), especially because she feels underpaid for the work that she currently does. Similarly, the decrease in time spent working is also a reason for Jan to switch. However, Jan should remember that pay and workload are not the only factors that make a job a pleasant or worthwhile experience for an individual (Milkovich, Newman, & Gerhart, 2017).

For example, if Jan finds the amount and type of work that she performs in the operations department enjoyable and fulfilling, she should consider trying to negotiate higher wages with Mary (who highly values Jan and Jan's work). Jan should also consider the requirements that the position she is applying for has - does Jan have the qualifications to perform the tasks expected of an executive secretary? Job requirements are of particular importance in this instance as, in this organization, differences in pay grades indicate substantial differences in job requirements, skills, and backgrounds.

It is equally important to remember that just because executive secretaries spend less time working, does not mean that they have easier work to do - the difference in pay exists for a reason. Along the same lines, differences in pay grade do not necessarily indicate large differences in actual pay - executive secretaries may receive compensation near the bottom of pay grade 14 which may be quite close to what Jan currently makes.

Mary should not prevent Jan from applying for this job, however, as Jan's friend, Mary should discourage it. This discouragement could come in the form of apologizing about the perceived pay deficit and then discussing why Jan receives the amount she does and then perhaps negotiating a new wage for Jan.

Similarly, Mary could remind Jan about differences in the work that she would be doing - as the pay increases, so will the complexity and difficulty of the work. Mary could also tell Jan about her concerns regarding how the move could prove detrimental to her long-term interests. In any case, it is not Mary's place to prevent Jan from applying to the executive secretary position - unless, Jan is clearly unqualified and/or unable to do the required work (Bush, 2018).

As stated above, Mary should address Jan's complaints with concern for Jan's perceptions of fairness and then also with concern for organizational fairness. If Jan does deserve higher wages, Mary should adjust her wage strategy so as to fairly compensate Jan.

This could be accomplished through a simple pay raise, or if Jan's job does not allow for her to be moved from pay grade to pay grade, perhaps Jan could be given a different title (e.g. administrative assistant, as she has many tasks akin to that position) which would allow for her to change pay grades. Colossians 4:1 says: "Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven" (English Standard Version). It is vital to both organizational success and Christian integrity that our employees are treated and paid fairly.

References

Bush, J., T. (2018). Win-Win-Lose? Sustainable HRM and the Promotion of Unsustainable Employee Outcomes, Human Resource Management Review.

Kim, T., Wang, J., Chen, T., Zhu, Y., & Sun, R. (2018). Equal or Equitable Pay? Individual Differences in Pay Fairness Perceptions, Human Resources Management, vol. 58(2); 169-186.

Milkovich, G. T., Newman, J. M., & Gerhart, B. A. (2017). Compensation (12th ed.).

Thread 2

Working with employees who are requesting internal transfers are one of the many issues that Human Resource Managers face. Of the many reasons cited for the transfer, it typically boils down to an issue regarding pay, fairness, or equity (Clardy, 2014). One of the methods that HR Mangers can implement to help avert employee discontent and mange these three issues is to periodically evaluate the Job Task Analysis (Milkovich, 2017).

Our case study discusses an employee, Jan, who by most perceptions was a content and productive employee. Jan brings a request for a transfer to a different department within the company to her supervisor Mary. Up until this point, Mary has prided herself on developing a highly functional team with exceptional employee drive to produce results (Clardy, 2014). The goal for this case study will be to evaluate Jan's rational for requesting a transfer, and an appropriate response from Mary on the request for transfer and salary complaints.

Evaluation of Jan's Reasons

It was clear that when Jan had entered Mary's office that there a problem. Jan expressed three specific reasons for her desire to transfer into the Executive Secretary position. Jan believed that her workload would decrease, she would receive an increase in salary and that she was disgruntled over her recent performance raise.

Jan's perception of the workload is a bit concerning. She has based her observations on those made by her friend Bill. My concern is that this was the issue that she led with and that she brought the name of another co-worker into the conversation. Jan could have potentially placed Bill in a position where he could be labeled as a trouble maker.

Jan's second reason for wanting an increase in pay is admirable. I believe that possessing the ambition to move up in an organization brings strength to the table. By having the grade levels in their pay system, Provident Services has addressed the need for a career path but may not achieve the objective of fairness in their compensation strategy if in fact there is a disparity in the volume of work (Milkovich, et al. 2017).

Jan's third citation for transfer is also potentially a valid one with being dissatisfied with her recent performance raise. One of the key points of having competitive pay levels is to decrease turnover. The company may need to conduct a job task analysis for these two positions (Milkovich, et al. 2017).

How Should Mary Respond to Jan's transfer?

For Mary to lead off her line of questioning with "What's going on with you?", may not be the best choice (Clardy, 2014). Since the idea of Jan being dissatisfied has just been revealed, the initial conversation will set the tone for the process. This would be the best time to take a supportive and understanding tone (Hastings, 2019).

We are to be quick to listen and slow to speak (Jame 1:19)/ An appropriate line of questioning would be to solicit Jan for information and documentation that would support request for a transfer (Benjamin, 2019). The next step would be to involve the Human Resource Department and the supervisor for the sales division.

How should Mary respond to Jan's salary complaints?

If Mary has kept up with her role as a manager, she will be well versed in the company budget, competition's wages and the salary budge for her division (Thibedeaux, 2019). One of the first positions Mary should take would be to build value in Jan's current role and potential career path as it would compare to the sales division. Since the disparity in the workload was brought up, it would be good to provide a realistic impression of the day to day differences in the divisions (Millerr, 2016).

Conclusion

Paul cautioned the Corinthian church to be careful in the position, lest they might fall (1 Cor. 10:12). Mary's perception of the temperature in her department was flawed. Somewhere she missed Jan's discontentedness. At this point in the game there are two choices for Mary.

She can allow support Jan in her transition rather than retain a disgruntled worker. Or if we follow Christ's teachings that a laborer is worthy of their wage (Matt 10:10). Potentially there would be a settlement for Mary to pacify Jan and retain her in the current position.

References:

Benjamin, T. (2019). How to Deal With an Employee Who Wants a Raise.

Clardy, A. B. (2014). Managing Human Resources: Exercises, Experiments, and Applications Workbook.

Hastings, R. (2019, January 26). What Not to Do with Employee Complaints.

Milkovich, G. T., Newman, J. M., & Gerhart, B. A. (2017). Compensation (12th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Miller, S. (2016, May 1). How to Counter Employee Perceptions of Income Inequality.

Thibodeaux, W. (2019). How to Deal With Employees Who Are Unhappy About Pay.