STRATEGIES FOR BOOSTING EMPLOYEE MORALE IN AN ORGANISATION: A CASE STUDY OF CADBURY NIGERIAN PLC LAGOS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background to the Study

For the singular fact that much of the efforts that determine the successes or failures of any establishment depends less on the management and policies and more on the employees who execute and implement these policies, the importance of employees’ enthusiasm and work attitude cannot be overemphasized.

The management of employees and the maintenance of their working spirit goes beyond the payment of salaries and the assignment of duties. The establishments rely on the employees for the attainment of whatever goal or target they have set for themselves which means that the maintaining of high performance and the spirit to meet the targets is also part of what is to be looked after by the employers; creating a conducive working environment and the incentive to go the extra mile beyond one’s job description.

So that a great amount of managerial effort and resources go into the maintaining both the morale and attitude to work of employees in order to make sure that they go the extra mile more than their job description. Each establishment evinces different methods of achieving this aim depending on their aims and objectives.

1.2   Statement of the Problem

Between creating an enabling environment for the employees and handing out incentives to them is the list of measures needed to boost the spirits of the employees. Without this extra nudge, the situation is usually one of apathy and the lack of the will to put extra effort past the agreed ones that are in their job description. However, often employers find that it is the extra efforts on the parts of the employees that make all the difference. So employers device systems known as reward systems which “addresses these four areas: compensation, benefits, recognition and appreciation” (Entrepreneur Media).

However, not only for appreciation and recognition, the ones who do not make it to this system are equally compensated in order to help boost their morale in the job. The research problem at the heart of this study is to identify and discuss the numerous strategies employed by organisations for the purpose of boosting their employee morale with Cadbury Nigerian PLC Lagos branch as a case study.

1.3   Research Questions

1.3.1      what are the usual strategies employed by organisations for boosting their employees’ moral and attitude to work.

1.3.2      Which ones are peculiar to Cadbury Nigeria PLC especially Lagos branch.

1.3.3      How far have they gone into significantly boosting the morale of the Cadbury Nigeria PLC employees in Lagos.

1.4   Objectives of the Study

This research work aims at studying the different strategies employed by organisations in boosting their employees’ moral and attitude towards their work by looking at that of Cadbury Nigeria PLC Lagos. The research work will identify the different strategies employed and how they are applied in the company with their target employee spirits in mind.

It also describes the processes of application of these strategies and how they are fitted for the best outcomes. Sometimes a reward system or employee management system can end up making the employees lazy and complacent thereby defeating the aim of its establishment in the first place. It also measures, statistically, how much these strategies have gone into improving the employee performance of the company from the time of their adoption.

1.5   Significance of the Study

The significance of this work goes beyond its immediate objective of studying and enumerating the different strategies employed by organisations like Cadbury Nigeria PLC in boosting their employees's morale . It sheds light on the human resources myths that have grown moribund and proffers feasible and viable methods of incentives. This work is also important in terms of understanding the minds of the average corporate and public employees and show the factors that affect them the most. 

1.6   Research Hypothesis

The assumption upon which this research work is built is one which recognizes the need for the boosting of employee morale for the benefit of the establishment.

1.7   Scope of the Study

The focus of this research work is on the strategies employed by Cadbury Nigeria PLC Lagos in order to boost the morale and work attitude of its employees. The strategies involved and discussed in this work border on the ones that aim at recognizing and awarding employee excellence and sustain their interest in the work namely annual leave, car loans, medical insurance, etc.

1.8   Limitations of the Study

Time and space have so far, in the course of this research work conspired to exacerbate and increase the research effort that was put into this work. The time frame allocated to a research of this kind proved insufficient in the face of the work load and literature to be reviewed for this study.