objectives
Primary objective: To identify employee commitment and satisfaction in order to establish areas of
concern that need to be addressed to improve employee motivation
How did Ithala Group meet
employee’s expectations?
Secondary objectives:
How strong is employee
morale?
21 3
How do employees rate
current management?
Do employees receive
feedback from their manager’s?
Is good work seen to be
recognised and rewarded?
Are employees motivated and
aligned with the Ithala Group
vision? Do they believe in the
products and services Ithala
Group offers?
Have the expectations of
employee’s been met ? How has
their experience of employment
in Ithala Group been?
We conducted research both online and face
to face, with interviewers available for
assistance if needed in the following areas:
• Ezakheni Industrial Estate
• Isithebi Industrial Estate
• Head Office, Umlazi
Who took part? Where did we go?
We invited all employees at Ithala Group, falling into
the following departments and grades to participate:
Departments:
Business Finance Group Strategy
Group Corporate Services IT
Group Finance Properties
Group Chief Executive Ithala Limited
Grades: A2 - F
Sample
Ithala Group consists of four business units which provide different products and services. It is important to ensure
that all employees, despite which business unit they work in, are aligned with the overarching vision of the company.
Thus…
4
TRI*M Typology – basic segmentation
low
high
low
hi
gh
Satisfaction
Motivating environment
Drivers Highly satisfied with the organisation and have a high level of loyalty to the organisation
CriticsRather critical and therefore difficult to lead; they are individualistic and mainly interested in their own professional advancement
ResidentsSatisfied but rather security driven; they have a stabilising effect on the organisation
Dissatisfied and disconnected from the organisation; major source of negative word-of-mouth; they represent underutilised resources of the organisation
Detached
TRI*M Typology - Ithala Group
Drivers5%
Critics7%
Detached57%
Residents31%
Satisfaction
Motivating Environment
Base 332
TRI*M Index 25
Nearly 6/10 of your employees feel dissatisfied and
disconnected from the organisation.
3/10 employees are residents – they feel
satisfied but are driven by feeling secure
This is the area that you want majority of your employees to be
positioned in
7
TRI*M Grid – the basic structure
HighLow
High
Low
Respondents are directly asked what they think is important
Another measurement of importance based on an indirect analysis of their actual commitment.
CLAI
MED
IMPO
RTAN
CE
IMPACT ON EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT
MotivatorsImprove these strengths, eliminate dangerous weaknesses!Use these strengths in order to communicate!
Must Haves
Don't fall below a specific quality level. This will not be accepted by your employees!
Potential Savers
Examine your engagement.Concentrate on those quality elements that could become opportunities. Hidden
Opportunities
Look for possible motivators.These items offer the potential to increase commitment.
Ranking
Address first
Address second
Address third
8
Areas to address: key
In order to recommend clear and actionable opportunities to improve on, we have rated what your employees said based on stated importance and the impact on employee commitment
We have ranked the statements in order of which should ideally be addressed:
Rated far below average, this is the statement which has the highest combination of stated importance and impact on employee commitment
Rated below average, this will be the statement with the next highest combination of stated importance and impact on employee commitment
Rated below average, this is the statement with the third highest combination of stated importance and impact on employee commitment
PerformanceFar above averageAbove average
AverageBelow averageFar below average
Areas to maintain: key
Similarly, we have also rated the aspects that your employees found to be above average based on stated importance and impact on employee commitment
We have ranked the statements on order of which should ideally be maintained
Rating
Keep up the good work - Maintain
Good job - Continue
You’re on the right track – Keep going
Rated above average, this is the statement which has highest combination of stated importance and impact on employee commitment
Also rated above average, this will be the statement with the next highest combination of stated importance and impact on employee commitment
Also rated above average, this is the statement with the third highest combination of stated importance and impact on employee commitment
PerformanceFar above averageAbove average
AverageBelow averageFar below average
12
Employees seems to be satisfied interdepartmentally – majority consider their immediate manager to be
trustworthy and to treat them respectfully. They rated their direct colleagues friendly, reachable and found sharing of
knowledge and experiences, as well as their willingness to get involved above average.
However, there is a high level of detachment in Ithala Group, being driven by:
• A lack of training and development opportunities
• Not being rewarded according to performance and skills
• Little opportunity for job rotation
• Negative perceptions from the general public – adaptability and high quality products/services, amongst other things
were rated below average
• Communication between departments and the speed in which colleagues respond to requests is below average
• Agreements made in meetings are not complied with and employees cannot talk about mistakes made at work openly
These could be driven by a wider intradepartmental issue: Management is performing on average across the
board. They are treating employees with respect and dignity however they are not providing a particularly motivating
environment. There is also a lack of honest and open communication regarding corporate issues and the strategic
orientation of Ithala Group.
Key findings
Total [n=323]
Properties [n=98]
Ithala Limited [n=97]
Business Finance [n=34]
Hygienic/Motivator
Training and development opportunities that help employees in their long-term
career development
Areas to address - Quality of work
Address first
Address second
Address third
Training is seen to be lacking across all departments apart from Business Finance. Investing money into training your employees is a win win - boosting staff morale
whilst increasing productivity
Areas to address: Income and benefits
Address first
Address second
Address third
Employees do not feel that they are rewarded based on their job performance, resulting in a loss of motivation
Opportunity to implement a` performance base rewards/recognition programme
Total [n=323]
Properties [n=98]
Ithala Limited [n=97]
Business Finance [n=34]
Potential/Hidden opportunity
Employees to be rewarded according to their job performance
Hygienic
Fair income in comparison with colleagues within Ithala Group
Appropriate salaries for specific roles
Total [n=323]
Properties [n=98]
Ithala Limited [n=97]
Business Finance [n=34]
MotivatorIthala Group offers promotion and professional development according to performance and skills
Motivator/ Hidden Opportunity
Opportunities to participate in professional development measures/programmes
Hidden Opportunity
Ithala Group offers opportunities for job rotation (within department, subsidiary or team)
Areas to address: Professional development and promotion
Address first
Address second
Address third
It is concerning that no employees rated professional development at Ithala Group above average – is there a possible problem with promotion schemes? If
this is addressed, it could cause great satisfaction amongst staff.
Total [n=323]
Properties [n=98]
Ithala Limited [n=97]
Business Finance [n=38]
MotivatorHonest information and open communication on corporate issues
Hidden Opportunities
Information which is adequate
Useful information for daily work
Personal information from superior/team leader
Hygienics
Easily accessible information which is relevant for employee’s work
Information on the strategic orientation of Ithala Group
Areas to address: Information and communication
Employees do not consider Ithala Group to offer honest information and open communication
Total [n=323]
Properties [n=98]
Ithala Limited [n=97]
Business Finance [n=34]
Hidden Opportunity
Openly and without fear be able to talk about mistakes made at work
Areas to address: Co-operation with your close colleagues in your own organisational unit
Address first
Address second
Address third
The only aspect rated below average is being able to speak about mistakes openly and without fear
A manager should...Total
[n=323]Properties
[n=98]Ithala
Limited [n=97]
Business Finance [n=34]
Potentials
Provide a motivating environment
Support the professional development of the employees
Areas to address: Line manager’s leadership style
The performance of managers are being rated average – apart from the Properties Department whose
managers are not providing a motivating environment or supporting their professional development.
Address first
Address second
Address third
Is Ithala perceived to be...Total
[n=323]Properties
[n=98]Ithala
Limited [n=97]
Business Finance [n=34]
Motivators
Adaptable to market changes
Have high quality products and services
A strong competitor in key growth areas
A leader in the industry in important ways
An innovative/progressive company
Areas to address: Image and attitude of Ithala Group perceived by the market and general public
It is concerning that the general public perceive Ithala Group to be inadaptable and the quality of it’s products and services to be below average
Total [n=323] Properties [n=98]
Ithala Limited [n=97]
Business Finance [n=34]
MotivatorImplementation of the derived measures
Hygienic/ Motivator Development of measures
HygienicInformation on the results of the employee survey
Areas to address: Employee survey
Address first
Address second
Address third
Employees do not seem to believe that anything will be implemented from this survey.
We strongly recommend sharing the results and ways in which you plan to address areas of dissatisfaction with all staff - make them aware that their
voices are being heard.
Improve staff treatment: Overall
“The way they [managers] communicate with staff - they shout in front of everybody and use
unnecessary words e.g. Stupid”
“Respect is also crucial because we are all working towards the same goal no one has a right to bully another staff member even if you are the staff member's superior we
all have to work together to keep this organisation alive”
“Staff are treated differently/discrimination”
“Managers must understand that being a manager doesn't mean that he/she
must oppress people, his or her role is to help people to discover who they are and to be given a platform where they
can do what they are good at”
“Ithala Limited is divided in their attitude and commitment to the staff’s well being”
Improve staff treatment:Recognition of good work & long service:
“Recognition for good performance e.g. Employee of the month”
“If Ithala can recognise top performers, this will motivate other staff”
“Employees should be rewarded fairly and consistently in
accordance with their performance”
“Ithala needs to recognise employees that have a long experience and
promote them to better”
“The company must recognise their long service and better qualified employees for better positions”
33
Improve staff treatment: Added extra’s
“I think training is needed for us to excel in our jobs”
“Constant training and development of staff”
“Provide more training or refresher courses”
Fairer salariesMore Training
“Reward employees accordingly, not management to receive crazy salaries
and employees to receive disappointing salaries”
“Correct the huge gap of salary between employees”
Improve customer service
“When it comes to customer services Ithala matches the likes of all
government departments”
“Ithala must start to be innovative, introduce new products on demand by the target market-our target has changed and
we have not changed at all”
34
Improve leadership
“With strong leadership Ithala
can become a leader in the
industry like it used to be, that
will bring back the job security in us
staff”
“There exists a distinct lack of integration within
the organisation, a situation arising from top
management's lack of drive and leadership,
leaving the organisation in doldrums”
“There is a general lack of discipline and commitment within the organisation, possibly as a result of no
clear direction by management, no role models e.g. Do as I say-not do as I do”
“Management to be fair to all employees and stop having favouritism amongst staff”
“Ithala can be an organisation that
should remain competitive to other financial institutions,
however, this can only be achieved through
strong direction”
“Management need to work harder on staff motivation”
35
Communication
“Lack of communication within the organisation is really affecting the working environment”
“Staff communication is terrible”
“Communication is extremely important and I believe Ithala still lags behind”
“We need transparency when there are new developments that are taking place”
“Transparency should be the name of the game and we are sick and tired of CEO's that are having their own agendas”
Employing the right person for the job…
“Ithala must employ qualified people rather than friends and connections”
“People must not be in positions because of their level of education and
without taking the experience on the job into consideration. Ithala has a
number of academics but with less experience-Ithala is losing in hiring
these experts but they can't deliver as per their title given because there is
a lack of experience”
“Some employees are put into positions that are
made for them. To Ithala, qualification is more
important than skill. Over 55 year old employees
were given the option of early retirement thereby
making us feel unwanted”
37
Image
“The Ithala Group needs to have clear understanding of what it wants to achieve and stick by those goals”
“There is a distinct lack of clarity of mission and roles”
“Articulation of vision… a little understanding of where we come from, where
we are now and where we are going”
“Our company must shy away from the politicians because Ithala is treated as the carpet of the so called politicians which is
detrimental to the image”
“External factors (political) have extremely dented the image and brand of Ithala on the public at
large”
38
Employee survey
“I sincerely wish to see something positive to come out of this survey”
“It is important that when surveys are done necessary
measures should be taken where it needs to be”
It is important to communicate the findings of this survey – send an
email out to all employees with the results and with the action points that will happen in the next few
months
40
Quick recap… what are key motivators?
Performing above average:
•Team spirit and solidarity
•An organisation that is good to work for
•Job security
Performing on average:
•Customer orientation
•Fairness towards employees
•Clear understanding how staff contribute to the success of the organisation
•Clear understanding of what the organisation is trying to achieve
•Clear understanding of the mission and mandate of the organisation
41
What are key motivators?Cont’d...
Performing below average:
•High quality of products and services
•Innovative/ progressive company
•Strong competitor in key growth areas
•Leader in the industry in important ways
•Leadership have a clear vision of the future
•Staff commitment to the mission and mandate of the organisation
•Leadership have made changes which are positive for the company
•Implementation of the derived measures from the employee survey
Performing far below average:
•Promotion and professional development according to performance and skills
•Perceptions of being adaptable to market changes
42
What are the hidden opportunities?
•Performing on average:
•Personal information from superior/ team leader
•Usefulness of the information for daily work
Conflicts and disagreements handled in a constructive way
•Openly and without fear talk about mistakes made at work
Performing below average:
•Leadership responds to important external issues
Performing far below average:
•Opportunities for job rotation
43
What are the Hygenics?
Performing far above average:
Job fits to my knowledge and skills
My work provides me a variety of tasks and activities
In my work team we have clear roles/ areas of responsibility
Retirement pension offer of your company
Performing above average:
My immediate manager is open and honest in communication
My immediate manager treats employees with respect and dignity
44
What are the HygenicsCont’d…
Performing on average:
I can easily get access to the information which is relevant for my work
Colleagues thinking and acting customer-oriented
Evaluates performance frankly and fairly
Information on the results of the employee survey
Performing below average:
Fair income in comparison with your colleagues in your company
My salary is appropriate for my role
Areas of focus
Recognition of good work –promotions to be based on performance and skills.
Improve staff treatment –Contribute towards staff motivation, training/ development programmes
Improve communication from leadership – positive PR, regular communication with updates on corporate issues and strategic orientation. Posters in the kitchen/bathroom about upcoming events or training will keep everyone updated
Refresh image – need to make your mission well known to all employees – road shows are a great way to get staff buy in
Employee survey – results of this survey must be shared with all employees and measures must be implemented