011 Sustainable Working Practices Assignment Sample
Here’s the best sample of 011 Sustainable Working Practices Assignment, written by the expert.
Introduction
The effective function of an organisation depends on its sustainable working culture. In this report, a detailed analysis is done regarding the sustainable working style with respect to productivity and employee satisfaction. The various factors which influence the boost in productivity are discussed with the help of this research along with the job satisfaction model. The various stages of Job satisfaction are critically analysed in detail. The aspect of work-life balance is also focused on with the help of this research along with the factors that directly impact employee dissatisfaction. Effective recommendations are also given in this research in order to improve sustainability in the workplace.
Literature Review
Question 1: Why does sustainable work matter to an organisation?
Analysis
Improved productivity
In order to sustain in a competitive environment, it is important for an organisation to enhance its productivity with respect to the time period. Thus, in such a situation it is important for the organisation to plan out effective sustainable strategies so the overall demands can be met. Sustainable work ensures that the daily needs of the clients are met in a manner without compromising their future needs or demands (Macke and Genari, 2019). The transformational and democratic leadership styles are focused on the organisation in a sustainable culture. For a company to be successful in the long run the proper balance needs to be maintained between the demand and its supply. The productivity depends on factors such as leadership qualities and styles, the skill level of employees, use of technology and the economic power of the stakeholders. The sustainable process focuses on the training programs of employees so that they can acquire skills that are important for organisational success along with the effective flow of capital. The sustainable measures also develop a healthy balance between employees and technology.
Thus, the overall productivity increases to a considerable extent which boosts the revenue generation of the company along with the brand image. The management is also required to remain much flexible in the process as proper flow of communication needs to be maintained. So that the employees can discuss their thoughts and opinions with their respective managers and thus smooth transparency is maintained in the sustainable working method. The sustainable method is a goal-oriented process that analyses the risks in a much more effective manner compared to the other methods (Di Fabio, 2017). The risk and analysis team is immensely benefited in the process as the immediate threats along with future potential threats are eliminated in a similar manner. The updated machines are also prioritised in the process as a large number of products can be effectively produced in the least possible time. Employee retention is also boosted using the theory of sustainable working. Thus, in terms of future workings, the sustainable methods suit the cause in the best possible manner.
Increase in job Satisfaction
Sustainable working maintains a proper balance between the employee needs and the goals and objectives of the company. For an organisation to perform in an effective manner it is much important for its employees to be dedicated and goal-driven. Therefore, job satisfaction plays a big role in the development of the organisation.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
In case of, the theory of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be taken into consideration to reflect upon job satisfaction that employees can achieve in the workplace (Hale et al. 2019). Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs has five determinant stages that are responsible for affecting the job satisfaction of employees. In this regard, the basic needs of the employees need to be taken into consideration to achieve sustainable working practices such as workplace safety needs and as well as physiological needs. Furthermore, the theory also depicts about psychological names of employees such as their belongingness in the workplace where they can be engaged and develop relationships with their co-workers and peers (Fallatah and Syed, 2018). In terms of psychological needs employees often require the development of self-esteem where prestige and the sense of achievement plays a major role. In order to provide a sense of accomplishment in employees companies that tend to provide recognition to the employees for their performance are able to achieve a higher rate of employee satisfaction rate.
However, the most important factor according to this theory is the self-fulfilment needs of employees and in this regard companies that are able to provide a working environment. In such working environments employees can utilise their potential as well as involve themselves in creative activities to achieve the organisational goals and objectives are found to have a higher employee motivation rate (Crandall et al. 2020). On the contrary, organisations that are unable to provide self-fulfilment needs of employees fail to achieve their desired rate of job satisfaction due to which employee turnover rate increases reflecting unsustainable working practices.
Work culture and work-life balance
Sustainable working practices also affect the work culture in an organisation as well as the work-life balance of individuals working in a company. Sustainable working practices include the various strategies adopted by the human resource managers that can reduce dissatisfaction with jobs and in this regard, improvements done in the working environment can be one of the ways to achieve sustainability (Haslam et al. 2020). There are various factors that can help in improving the work culture of a company, for instance making changes to the leadership and achieving a positive leadership framework within the company. Positive leadership in an organisation constantly motivates the employees working for the firm to achieve better results. Furthermore, it has also been seen that dividing work equally within the workforce can help in achieving a work-life balance of employees working for a firm. If the workflow is equally divided into the entire team, then all the individuals work the same amount which reduces the chances of employees working more than the others. As a result, employees can finish the work within time and go home and have a better work-life balance (Staricco, 2021).
Adding to that, other sustainable working practices within an organisation can be the development of a flexible working strategy. Flexible working strategies have become more relevant in the post-covid-19 era where hybrid organisational structures have become more prevalent and remote working facilities have become a natural occurrence in several organisations (Chung and Van der Lippe, 2020). A flexible working schedule allows employees to have enough work-life balance which increases their overall job satisfaction helping them to achieve better results due to an increased level of motivation.
Apart from that the human resource manager working in a company also needs to encourage employees to take breaks during heavy workloads (Brandi and Thomassen, 2020). This can help employees to get relaxation and allows them to concentrate on their work in a more effective manner. Encouraging breaks during and after critical tasks can increase the overall job satisfaction of employees helping to achieve sustainability within the workforce.
Reduction of factors that causes employee dissatisfaction
Achieving employee satisfaction is one of the primary goals of having a sustainable workforce, and in this regard, it is essential for organisations to minimise all the factors that cause employee dissatisfaction. In this regard, Herzberg Two Factor Theory can be taken into consideration that depicts the various factors that can help organisations to achieve employee satisfaction.
The two-factor theory depicts various hygiene factors that are responsible for causing most job dissatisfaction (Thant and Chang, 2021). In this regard, one of the most mentionable factors is the working condition of employees. It is essential for an organisation to develop positive working conditions where employees can feel both mentally and physically work safely. If the working conditions in an organisation are not as per the expectations of employees and the satisfaction among the workforce would grow leading to a high employee turnover rate. Apart from that, there are also factors such as salary that is given to employees based upon their skill level and performance (Renwick, 2018). In every industry, there is a particular standard or level set for a particular designation, in this regard, if the employees identify that the salary that they are being paid is less than the industry standards then there are chances that the employees might leave the organisation. As a result, it is essential for organisations to closely evaluate and monitor the salaries that are being paid to all the employees in order to achieve a high employee satisfaction rate (Zhang et al. 2020).
Additionally, hygiene factors also include job security, hence, organisations need to provide job security to the employees, else individuals might not be willing to work in the company where there are chances that they might lose their job the very next day (Alrawahi et al. 2020). Job insecurities can also arise when the management is not able to handle the various market goals and objectives leading to subsequent failures which can cause the organisation to dissolve and the entire workforce would lose their job.
Conclusion
The findings from the above literature helped in understanding the concept of sustainable working practices as well as the reasons why sustainable working practices are important for an organisation. It has been identified that sustainable working practices are essential for an organisation to achieve a higher rate of productivity and employee satisfaction. Employee satisfaction is essential as it helps to achieve a motivated workforce that can allow the organisation to achieve even the most critical tasks and objectives. Furthermore, the study also sheds light on theoretical underpinnings that help to understand the importance of sustainable working practices.
Question 2: What can organisations do to promote sustainable work practices?
Recommendation
There are several efficient methods that might assist a company in promoting sustainable work practices.
Organisations creating Green Spaces at the workplace
There are several advantages to having green areas at the office. This could boost not just employee wellbeing and performance, but also the quality of air and temperatures (Cletus et al. 2018). There are various plants that effectively cleanse the air of pollutants and can reduce the temperature of a space by up to ten degrees. This may mean spending less energy to keep the office cool when it’s necessary.
Organising Training Workshops for employees
While putting in place, long-term efforts at the workplace are essential, including the workforce in these goals might be communicated in a particular perspective. The company’s green aims are extremely likely to fail without sufficient knowledge and positive involvement. As a result, effective training in the areas of sustainability and environmental projects is critical (Ciocirlan, 2017). Supporting the corporation’s employees’ professional growth and education on all these topics will not only give them more confidence at work, but it will also provide everyone with a concept of how they may incorporate these principles into their daily life.
Increasing Employee satisfaction
Employee satisfaction refers to a staff’s key necessities and priorities. Earnings, engagement, management attitudes, creativity, collaboration, resources, and other factors all have an impact on employee happiness. These factors are critical for organizations that want to improve the performance of employees and prevent turnover as a result company needs to constantly focus upon critical factors that help to increase creative collaboration and teamwork in the workplace (Renwick, 2018). Whereas, it can be said that satisfied workers may be individuals that the company would be better off without in various cases. High achievers are frequently demoralized by Management concepts and methods aimed at improving employee happiness. As a result, employee happiness contributes to an organization’s long-term work practices.
Increasing Employee retention rate
Staff retention rates may provide information into a firm’s accomplishments and assist managers to figure out which aspects of their strategic function and employee value proposition (EVP) are most appealing to their employees. As a result, it is essential for companies to adopt staff retention strategies. These strategies can be improving work-life balance or provide flexible hours of working. Internally, it also refers to the company’s attempts to keep and involve its employees (Rezapouraghdam et al. 2019). Compensation packages, corporate culture, and work-life compatibility are just a few of the numerous elements that influence an employee’s choices and therefore help the organisation to retain its most valuable employees. Companies operating in highly competitive market environments are mostly affected by high employee turnover rates therefore the HRM can take measures to gather feedback from employees. This would help to understand the aspects that are causing issues for employees thereby helping them to resolve the issues and retain the employees.
References
Alrawahi, S., Sellgren, S.F., Altouby, S., Alwahaibi, N. and Brommels, M., 2020. The application of Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation to job satisfaction in clinical laboratories in Omani hospitals. Heliyon, 6(9), p.e04829.
Brandi, U. and Thomassen, M.L., 2020. Sustainable organizational learning and corporate entrepreneurship: a conceptual model of sustainability practices in organizations. Journal of Workplace Learning.
Chung, H. and Van der Lippe, T., 2020. Flexible working, work–life balance, and gender equality: Introduction. Social Indicators Research, 151(2), pp.365-381.
Ciocirlan, C.E., 2017. Environmental workplace behaviors: Definition matters. Organization & Environment, 30(1), pp.51-70.
Cletus, H.E., Mahmood, N.A., Umar, A. and Ibrahim, A.D., 2018. Prospects and challenges of workplace diversity in modern day organizations: A critical review. HOLISTICA–Journal of Business and Public Administration, 9(2), pp.35-52.
Crandall, A., Powell, E.A., Bradford, G.C., Magnusson, B.M., Hanson, C.L., Barnes, M.D., Novilla, M.L.B. and Bean, R.A., 2020. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a framework for understanding adolescent depressive symptoms over time. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 29(2), pp.273-281.
Di Fabio, A., 2017. Positive Healthy Organizations: Promoting well-being, meaningfulness, and sustainability in organizations. Frontiers in psychology, 8, p.1938.
Hale, A.J., Ricotta, D.N., Freed, J., Smith, C.C. and Huang, G.C., 2019. Adapting Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a framework for resident wellness. Teaching and learning in medicine, 31(1), pp.109-118.
Haslam, C., Kazi, A. and Duncan, M., 2020. Process evaluation of a tailored workplace intervention designed to promote sustainable working in a rapidly changing world. Ergonomics, 63(3), pp.253-262.
Hopper, E., 2020. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Explained. ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 24.
Macke, J. and Genari, D., 2019. Systematic literature review on sustainable human resource management. Journal of cleaner production, 208, pp.806-815.
Renwick, D.W. ed., 2018. Contemporary developments in green human resource management research: towards sustainability in action?. Routledge.
Rezapouraghdam, H., Alipour, H. and Arasli, H., 2019. Workplace spirituality and organization sustainability: a theoretical perspective on hospitality employees’ sustainable behavior. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 21(4), pp.1583-1601.
Staricco, J.I., 2021. The Round Table on Responsible Soy’s Landnahme: converting sustainable practices into tradable intangibles to protect the environment. Journal of Cultural Economy, 14(5), pp.564-579.
Thant, Z.M. and Chang, Y., 2021. Determinants of Public Employee Job Satisfaction in Myanmar: Focus on Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory. Public Organization Review, 21(1), pp.157-175.
Zhang, X., Jinpeng, X. and Khan, F., 2020. The influence of social media on employee’s knowledge sharing motivation: A two-factor theory perspective. SAGE Open, 10(3), p.2158244020942495.
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