The facility you manage is under pressure to improve productivity, or it may be forced to close. You have already completed time and motion studies of each position and are confident that appropriate operating procedures are in place. You have increased the per-piece pay rate two times in the last year, however the more recent increase did not yield much improvement in productivity. What is the most effective next step?

a. Study each job that is being performed and determine where jobs can be combined and positions eliminated.

b. Increase the per-piece pay rate a third time.

c. Terminate those employees whose performance is the poorest to get the attention of the remaining workforce.

d. Call a meeting of employees to discuss the issue and ask for recommendations.

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One of your senior sales reps comes into your office and tells you she will be leaving in two weeks. When you ask why she is choosing to leave after so many years, she informs you she is discouraged about not meeting sales goals and wants to pursue other interests.

During lunch, you relate the story to a colleague. He tells you about the idea of expectancy theory and gives you several ideas for persuading the employee to stay. Which idea is most likely to work?

a. Offer the employee weekly mentoring on prospecting, negotiating, and closing sales deals.

b. Offer the employee a 20% raise if she meets sales goals, plus offer weekly mentoring on prospecting, negotiating, and closing sales deals.

c. Offer the employee a 5% raise if she meets sales goals.

d. Offer the employee a 20% raise if she meets sales goals and name her employee of the month.

e. Offer the employee a 20% raise if she meets sales goals, plus offer a 2-year guaranteed contract.