Human Relations in Management
Latasha Smith
Everest University

To ensure acceptance of the new policy, the first thing Marcy should have done was communicated with the employees. She should have explained to the employees why they will be working on Saturdays and allow them to voice their opinions. Anytime change occurs there is going to be resistant usually out of fear, Marcy must understand this and take the time to listen to and try to eliminate those fears. Another step Marcy could have taken was to introduce the employees to the change gradually instead of springing it on them suddenly. I would have announced the change to the employee upon hearing about it but would have asked for a few people to volunteer on Saturday before the change was in effect. This way they could get a feel of how it would be to work on Saturdays, sure some may still be resistant but some may see that it’s not all bad. Marcy can deal with resistance to the new policy by being open and honest. Let the employees know how you feel about the change and why the change is good for the company. She could also try getting those resistant to the change involved by asking for their ideas and suggestions and trying to incorporate those ideas. This may make them feel better about the change if they feel like they have a part or even a say in the change. Another way is providing some flexibility, some employees are not available every Saturday for various reasons such as no babysitter, kid’s sports events, or other planned family functions. I think offering employees half days on Saturday or work one off the next would make them less resistant, especially if a person has grown accustomed to a five day work week.
One psychological, personal, and social factor that employees may experience is attitude. The employee’s attitude will assist in evaluating the change and help them to determine whether it is acceptable or not. Based on the evaluation, the employee will either reject, resist, tolerate, or accept the change. An important psychological factor to a person’s attitude is the way they handle stress. Some react well to stressful situation while others don’t. An important personal factor to a person’s attitude is experience. People who have faced similar changes in the past are likely to draw on the results from that experience when evaluating the new change being presented. An important social factor to a person’s attitude is the group the person work within. If the proposed change conflicts with the norms and values of the group, members will not go along with management’s attempt to introduce change. If the change is supportive of its norms and values, the group will accept the change (Hegar, 2012).
A recognition and reward plan that Marcy can implement to smooth the transition is employee coupons. These coupons would be awarded to employees for behavior and job performances. The employee can turn the coupon in whenever they desire. The rewards would be in the form of cash prizes, gift cards, movie or sports tickets, and paid time off. I think these items would be good at motivating the employees to continue to work hard despite the changes being made. As far as recognition I personally don’t think that employees need to be reminded that they are doing a good job daily. I would recommend once a month but considering the situation I would consider once a week. I think my plan is appropriate to smooth things over I think it will motivated employees and assure them that they are appreciated and their hard work does not go unnoticed.
From this exercise I have learned that implementing change is just as hard for the manager as it is for the employees to accept change. I have learned that it takes a manager who is experienced with the dimensions and process of change to be able to implement it properly. I have also learned that communication is the key and that employees have a right to be informed on any changes being introduced and how those changes may affect them. I think communicating with the employees and listening to their concerns could make a huge difference in the way they accept the change.

Reference
Hegar, K. W. (2012). Modern human relations at work. (11th ed). Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning.