Part A: Topic Outline
I. Field investigation of Roanoke branch office of Phoenix Advertising to establish the root cause of the decline in productivity and the client complaints
II. Investigative Approaches
A. Workplace Observation
1. Visited the Roanoke branch office from May 14- 23, spending the first 3 days observing, only
2. Observed employee operations, client handling, and management procedures
3. Documented ineffective and effective practices currently in use at the Roanoke branch office in order to diagnose the problem areas and to develop a plan to implement enhanced operating procedures.
B. Employee interviews
1. Met individually with the four longest employed Graphics and Design Department artists in the main conference room on May 17, 2009, to discuss their complaints: Tom Mcgraff, Karen Vogel, Patrick Murphy, Mike Jones
2. Met with Andrea Ferchaw, head of the graphics department, May 18, 2009, in her office, to review measures she has taken to accommodate artists’ complaints
3. Met with all ten employees, during a group meeting, on May 19, in main conference room to incorporate group consensus in developing a standard operating procedure during period of restoration to productivity
C. Client Surveys
1. Distributed a survey, on May 14,2009, for existing clients to take which addressed the level of work, timeliness of completion, communication with sales reps and account managers, and overall job satisfaction
2. Compiled client survey scores based on scaled responses(excellent, effective, satisfactory, good, ineffective) to determine level of productivity of the Roanoke branch
3. After seven workday period, on May 23, 2009, determined areas in most need of improvement (based on median scores of four categories questioned)
III. Overall findings about the underlying issues: causes of the problems and impact of the problem on morale and productivity
(primary findings as capitalletters and specifics about that finding as numbers)
A. Workplace observation revealed that policies concerning overtime are not being followed
1. Salaried employees are unaware that overtime hours are uncompensated in an hourly wage capacity which has resulted in a decline in employee morale
2. Branch managers have not been allocating PTO to salaried employees in an attempt to compensate for the overtime hours that they have invested in individual projects, which has resulted in a decline on productivity and morale
B. Employee interviewsrevealed lack of communication
1. Art directors giving inadequate feedback to graphic designers has resulted in slower progress in project completion
2. Art directors altering the graphic designers work without consulting them on the changes has resulted in declined client approval of final project
C. Client surveys revealed decline in level of account management
1. Account managers have had less frequent and inefficient correspondence with clients, resulting in a lesser amount of feedback to generate to artists/copywriters
2. Account managers have not documented client response nor have they forwarded such response to graphic artists or copywriters which has caused an unclear vision for project details resulting in longer time requirements per project
IV. Recommendations for solving decline in productivity and morale
A. Art directors must facilitate greater lines of communication
1. Art directors must provide a detailed account of client input concerning project development
2. Art directors must meet with the graphic artists and copywriters after completion of initial draft of project to develop ways to alter and enhance project in collaborative effort
B. Account managers must facilitate more frequent and effective communication with clients concerning project development and completion
1. Account managers will execute daily correspondence with clients while project design is in early stages if development
2. Account managers must draft a detailed report concerning all correspondence with clients including but not limited to: project outcomes, project development, and project timeline
C. Policies concerning overtime procedures and expectations must be adhered to
1. Salaried employees shall be given a copy of their contract, stating that overtime hours will not be compensated on an hourly, or per diem, basis and shall be reviewed with human resources personnel
2. Branch managers shall be given a sample report, detailing granted PTO to salaried employees under overtime conditions
3. Branch managers shall be given a petty cash account to provide for beverages and meals during overtime hours for salaried employees
Part B: Informal Field-Investigation Report
Phoenix Advertising
Interoffice Memorandum
DATE: May 20, 2009
TO: William Ludwick, CEO Roanoke Branch
FROM: Michael DeCristofaro, President of Human Resources
SUBJECT: Employee Productivity and Morale
Purpose
To investigate the causes of employee problems, client complaints, and decline in productivity and morale at the Roanoke branch of Phoenix Advertising.
Identity of Facility
Branch #4, Phoenix Advertising, Roanoke, Virginia
Description of Investigation
On visiting the site over a period of 7 workdays, I observedemployee operations, client handling, and management procedures, conducted interviews, and client surveys. I spent the first three days (May 14- 16, 2009) observing all branch operations and documented ineffective and effective practices currently in use at the Roanoke branch office in order to diagnose the problem areas and to develop a plan to implement enhanced operating procedures.
During the following 3 days (beginning May 17)I individually interviewedthe four longest employed Graphics and Design Department artists (Tom Mcgraff, Karen Vogel, Patrick Murphy, Mike Jones) in the main conference room to discuss their complaints.The following day, May 18, I met with Andrea Ferchaw, head of the graphics department,in her office, to review measures she has taken to accommodate artists’ complaints. On May 19, I met with the entire Graphics Department, collectively, in the main conference room. The main objective of the interviews was to fully surmise the point of origin of the problems, the point of contentions, and the waysmanagement has worked to resolve the problems.
On the first day of my visit I distributed a surveyfor existing clients. The questions asked the client to score the level of work, timeliness of completion, communication with sales reps and account managers, and overall job satisfaction based on the following categories: excellent, effective, satisfactory, good, ineffective. After compiling the survey scores I determined the areas in most need of improvement (based on median scores of four categories questioned).
A list of the employee interview questions asked and a copy of the client survey distributed are both attached to this report.
Results
My investigation identified the following problems:
- Policies concerning overtime are not being followed: Salaried employees are not compensated for overtime hours. However, the branch managers should be allocating PTO to salaried employees in an attempt to compensate for the overtime hours that they have invested in individual projects; this has resulted in a decline on productivity and morale.
- Art directors have been giving inadequate feedback to graphic designers; this has resulted in slower progress in project completion.
- Art directors are altering the graphic designers work without consulting them on the changes; this has resulted in declined client approval of final project.
- There is a significant decline in communication between account managers and clients, resulting in a lesser amount of feedback to generate to artists/copywriters.
- Account managers have not documented client response. This has made it impossible to provide the graphic artists and copywriters a clear vision for project details, resulting in longer time requirements per project.
Conclusions
In brief, the new management at the Roanoke branch has not been operating the office at the expected level of performance, and this has caused the employees to lose morale, feel unappreciated, and produce less work in more time. Because of the breakdown in communication, the new management has lost the respect of the seasoned artists and the result is poor performance and dissatisfied clients. The Roanoke branch has contributed greatly to the overall success of the company in previous years because it handles some of the largest accounts. But now the top four clients have lodged complaints, and after taking the survey they indicate that the work is substandard at best. This has all contributed to the 31% decrease in productivity. Fortunately, implementing a few simple measures, and keeping the management under close supervision, will rectify the problem.
Recommendations
1. Policies concerning overtime procedures and expectations must be adhered to: Salaried employees shall be given a copy of their contract, stating that overtime hours will not be compensated on an hourly, or per diem, basis and shall be reviewed with human resources personnel.
2. Branch managers shall be given a sample report, detailing granted PTO to salaried employees under overtime conditions which shall be reviewed with human resources personnel.
3. Branch managers shall be given a petty cash account to provide for beverages and meals during overtime hours for salaried employees.
4. Art directors are to meet with the graphic designers discuss changes that need to be made on the project.
5. After meeting, the graphic designers will be given adequate time to develop the changes and have them approved by the art director. This mutual development of the account will allow the artists to work collaboratively and will ensure that the client receives the completed project upon the agreed due date.
6. Account managers need to be in daily contact with the client until the project has been approved by the client. Account managers are to document all communication with the clients and email a copy to the copywriters and graphic designers.
4. The copy writer must meet with the account manager for a project development prior to writing the copy. Account managers must act as the liaison between clients and copy writers, and therefore need to maintain an aggressive amount of communication in both directions. This will ensure that the copy developed for the advertisement will meet client demand upon the first draft and will reduce the amount of hours required to complete the project on time.
7. Managing director, Moe Frands, will oversee operations remotely through weekly reports on hours each employee is putting in, along with project progress, and management strategies to establish a rapport with the employees.
8. Reassess the situation in twomonths. If client satisfaction and employee-management rapport hasn’t increased, then consider hiring two new graphic artists and one new copywriter in order to handle the new accounts.
Copies:
Executive Team
Gregory S. Forest, President;
Bill Ludwick, Chief Executive;
Saul Waters, Chairman;
Theresa Wyalusing, President of Human Resources;
Moe Frands, Managing Director;
Sasha Larr, Planning Director;
Jane Dresser, Creative Director