1.    Although it’s clear employees are not especially satisfied with their work, do you think this is a reason for concern? Does research suggest satisfied workers are actually better at their jobs? Are any other behavioural outcomes associated with job satisfaction?

2.    Using the job characteristics model, explain why the present system of job design may be contributing to employee dissatisfaction. Describe some ways you could help employees feel more satisfied with their work by redesigning their jobs.

3.    Tyron has a somewhat vague idea about how to implement the cash rewards system. Describe some of the specific ways you would make the reward system work better, based on the case.

4.    Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using financial incentives in a program of this nature.
What, if any, potential problems might arise if people are given money for achieving customer satisfaction goals? What other types of incentives might be considered.

5.    Create a specific plan to assess whether the reward system is working. What are the dependent variables that should change if the system works? How will you go about measuring success?

6.    What types of hiring recommendations would you make to find people better suited for these jobs?
Which Big Five personality factors would be useful for the customer service responsibilities and emotional labour?

In this case we examine how specialization in the workplace can lead to customer complaints and job dissatisfaction among employees.

FlowFix is a plumbing maintenance firm with about 110 employees divided into four basic job categories with quite specialized duties and responsibilities. Tyron Johnson is a fairly new senior executive and is increasing noticing that the work environment is not as energetic as at his previous company. He is also noticing increasing customer dissatisfaction which was confirmed by a recent customer survey.

The order processors and the billing representatives who are in direct contact with the customers are now knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the jobs which are handled by plumbers and plumber’s assistants. They admit that sometimes they don’t know any more about the problem than the callers, yet they are the ones in a position of having to explain what needs to be done, and more importantly, the reasons behind the billing for the work. It is clear that the employees have no skills or even personality traits to interact with customers to acceptable satisfaction level.