Employee Loyalty: Motivation Efforts of Amis and St. Louie’s Playground Corporation Towards the Retention of Its Employees

Abstract

This research is a case study on how Amis and St. Louie’s Playground Corporation initiates motivation and retention efforts towards the development of employee loyalty. The foundation and literatures used in this research assume that employee loyalty is a consequence of effective motivation aimed at the retention of the company employees. The researcher developed this study since employees nowadays tend to jump from one company to another, as a result of their discontent in the way companies manage them. This study therefore seeks to help organizations discover ways on how to gain loyalty from their employees, and to avoid the drawbacks and costs of employee discontent and turnovers. To set the limitations and boundaries of this study, a descriptive research was conducted on five main areas of concern. This study seeks to find out the strategies that are being used to motivate and retain employees, and to determine the tools or methods that the company employs to better understand its employees. Hopefully, the researcher wants to determine whether the company’s efforts are aligned with the priorities of the employees, by gauging whether or not, the motivation and retention efforts satisfy the elements of the CARE model employed in the study to develop loyalty as perceived by the employees. Furthermore, it is fervently hoped that this study can determine other necessary strategic efforts of management in measuring loyalty among its employees. To be able to achieve such objectives, a scheduled interview was conducted with the Chief Executive Officer of the organization, Mr. Amis Quizon-Tumang. This study also made use of a survey-questionnaire that was administered to all twenty (20) employees of the organization. The researcher used the range of means based on the Likert scale in interpreting and analyzing the data. This study found out that the management’s distinct motivation and retention efforts involve the concepts of physical workplace, proper attention, fun, pride, communication, valuable mistakes and company plans for employees. At present, the management does not have any tools yet but is contemplating on using survey instruments to know their employees better. The perception of employees on the rankings of the motivating factors and relevant efforts is different than that of the management except on the issue of training and career advancement plans. Although the management’s efforts satisfies the elements of the CARE model, the researcher finds it necessary for the management to consider adopting tools, to make work more challenging, to provide social opportunities and to recognize the value monetary rewards to employees. Considering the findings of this study, the researcher realizes it is possible to form a general notion of employees’ priorities given with the right methods of inquiry, amidst their complexity. It had also been found out that it is possible to align the efforts of the management to the priorities of their employees only when they (management) ask what their employees want. After thorough research and understanding, the researcher came up with the following conclusions to fulfill the objectives of this case study: 1) Considering the general atmosphere of the organization as a determinant of effective motivation and retention efforts, the researcher identified eight (8) distinct strategies that are being used by the management to motivate and retain employees: a. Providing good physical workplace, b. Giving proper attention to employees, Promoting the spirit of fun in the company, c. d. Instilling pride in the organization, Providing systematic training, e. f. Being sincere and honest with communication and adopting various avenues for communication, g. Adopting a philosophy that it is alright to make mistakes and you do not have to pay if you committed one, since that will help you to master the craft and; h. Letting employees know that they (management) have plans for them and they are vital for the growth of the organization. At present, the management is not using any tools to determine what will make their employees loyal to the company but they are planning to have one, specifically pointing out that it could be in the form of surveys. The management and employees have a different perception on the rankings of the motivating factors of workers and perceived necessary efforts that the company should do to make employee stay with the company. They only agreed with the entry where the management should make training and career advancement plan as their topmost priority. Considering the outcomes of the employee survey, it is apparent that the management’s efforts to motivate and retain employees satisfy ail the elements of the CARE model, with strength on its communication efforts.