QUESTION
Criminal justice
Due February 28th 2021
Please master level
Instructions
There are issues with correctional officer turnover, which also impacts inmate safety. Concerns include the impact the turnover has on other employees as they may feel that the rookies are not as dedicated to the success of the institution. This impacts motivation and communication between officers and with inmates. Please research correctional officer turnover and address the questions below. Please also review the following article: Lommel, J. (2004). Turning around turnover. Corrections Today, 66(5), 54-57. Use the South University library to access the full text article.
Studies of criminal justice employees consistently indicate that one of the biggest stressors for an officer or employee is the organization itself, not the nature of the job.
Problems at Centervale Corrections Facility
You are the Corrections Human Relations and Training Officer for a large metropolitan correctional facility known as the Centervale Corrections Facility. This facility has existed for 17 years and has well-developed policies and practices.
The Centervale Corrections Facility was one of the more respected facilities because it diligently practiced the humane and ethical treatment of inmates. Employees were always reported to have been satisfied with the job. Employee evaluation processes within the organization were well thought of for their level of fairness and effectiveness. Moreover, the structural and social aspects of jobs were always well planned, so that employees were clear about what was required of them.
However, over the past two years, things have changed.
The level of job satisfaction experienced by employees is at an all time low. A huge number of people aspiring to be officers apply to your facility every year, yet they don’t seem to stay. Upon being questioned, the officers list burnout, communication problems with senior officers, lack of motivation, low pay, poor understanding of job requirements, and poor cooperation from other agencies among their most important reasons for being unhappy with the job. They have been reported to say, “This is not what we expected. This is supposed to be one of the best correctional facilities in the country. But everything is messed up.” It seems as though somewhere over the past few years the staff at the Centervale Corrections Facility has become stressed and unsatisfied with the work environment.
The turnover is causing a lot of stress and strain within and around the facility. It is becoming painfully obvious to the government authorities that somewhere down the line planning and management of the Centervale Corrections Facility has deteriorated.
For this assignment you are the Human Relations and Training Officer, you have been assigned the task of reviewing the existing policies and processes in the facility and suggesting an improved management plan so that job satisfaction will increase and job stress will decrease. To do this, you need to understand the reasons for low job satisfaction.
Your revised management plan must address the following:
1. How will you prevent burnout among the employees?
2. How you will improve communication between senior and junior officers?
3. What are the ways in which you will increase motivation and job performance?
4. How will you improve cooperation from other agencies?
The above are specific questions you need to answer. Keeping these questions in mind, to bring about a change in the situation at Centervale Corrections Facility, you also need to focus on:
Job redesign
Effective leadership
Improved supervision
Effective evaluation and performance measures
Image with other agencies
As the Human Relations and Training Officer, you have a significant task at hand. You need to revise the policies and processes in the facility so that job satisfaction increases and job stress decreases. To do this, you need to understand the reasons for low job satisfaction.
Support your analysis by citing ethical theories and arguments. Submit your response in a 4-page Microsoft Word document to the Submissions Area by the due date assigned. Name your document SU_MCJ6001_W2_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.doc. Cite sources in APA format on a separate page.
Subject | Law and governance | Pages | 3 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Preventing Burnout among the Employees
Employee burnout refers to emotional and physical fatigue that contributes to a reduced sense of productivity and personal attitude and identity at work (Shirom, 2010). It normally takes place as a consequence of sustained frustration, stress, or tight deadlines at the workplace among other substantial reasons. Burnout manifests itself in different ways depending on employees’ personalities. For example, some employees manifest endless tiredness as a result of burnout, some become argumentative at the workplace, manifest anger, sarcasm, or decide to be absent from work without a justified reason (Längle, 2003). Employee burnout has extreme consequences to both employers and employees, especially for their health if the root cause is not well established and understood (Day, Crown, & Ivany, 2017).
The key ways to prevent burnout include the provision of remote and flexible working strategies to employees in order to prevent undue anxiety and stress (Fuhl, 2018). This helps employees to work in ways that suit their schedules and personal lifestyle as well. Supporting employees’ welfare is another key way to prevent burnout (Marc, & Osvat, 2013); this calls for putting employees’ wellbeing and health at the forefront and central point of the organization’s philosophy. In the same breath, educating employees on the signs and burnout warnings is very crucial to the prevention of burnout. This can be done through the creation of an action plan for getting affected employees back on track in line with more balanced work-life. Lastly, encouraging work balance, giving employees the necessary tools for managing stress like mentorship programs, and equipping line managers with skills, abilities, techniques, and tools to fully comprehend the workloads encountered by employees helps to prevent burnout (Keinan, & Malach-Pines, 2007).
How to Improve Communication Between Senior and Junior Officers
Communication between senior and junior officers calls for a symbiotic and mutual relationship through amicable and open channels of both action and words (Vdovin, 2017). Both senior and junior officers have different roles that require effective and efficient ways of communication that contribute to non-contradictory ways that can breed conflict in the running of an organization (DeKay, 2012). In searching for the best ways of improving communication between senior and junior officers, one does not only create a fruitful and enabling working environment but a formidable, engaged, and motivated workforce (Mackenzie, 2010).
The best ways to improve communication between senior and junior officers include having consistent communication moments, meetings through channels that are not tedious in nature; one on one meetings keeps not only senior and junior employees updated but also boost their engagement, relationship, and morale (Mackenzie, 2010). Another way is by entreating and providing deemed feedback where necessary; finding ways to ask for feedback from both senior and junior officers helps in improving communication between the two officers (DeKay, 2012). It helps them feel how important their ideas matter to the organization. In the same line of thought, putting the right channels of communication that enables senior officers and junior to reach out to each other creates amicable and accessible ways that help improve communication (Vdovin, 2017). Under the ethical theories, listening and respect are at the core of true and efficient communication; the senior and junior officers can therefore improve communication between them by exhibiting such values.
Ways to Increase Motivation and Job Performance
Employees are human beings with both extrinsic and intrinsic needs that keep on changing from time to time; no one organization can claim with complete assurance to have found a strategy for driving motivation and performance that works universally and consistently. Increasing motivation and job performance is a subtle and resolute challenge that calls for more than an annual evaluation (Burkus, 2012); for this to happen, employees’ expectations have to be made clear, renewed, and purified. Their goals need to be objective, with measurable standards in place to review their performance. Furthermore, proving constant feedback helps employees to know how much their actions affect the organization hence aids them in making necessary changes.
Correcting employees privately and exercising human promotion motivates employees; it gives them a sense of belonging and boosts their self-esteem (Burkus, 2012). On the other hand, praising employees publicly before other employees gives them an impetus to push through their persistent stellar performance. Furthermore, introducing both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards that cater to both the physical and psychological needs of employees increases motivation and job performance. Lastly, investing in employee career development programs, wellness programs, and prioritizing work-life balance strategies increases motivation and job performance; empowering employees and creating a culture and philosophy of recognition within the working environment on the other hand helps to increase motivation and job performance.
How to Improve Cooperation from Other Agencies
For an organization to work harmoniously to realize its goals and set forward objectives, it is important to nurture an enabling environment that champions cooperation with other agencies (Wong, 2020). Improving cooperation from other agencies depends on how much employees are allowed to take part in decision-making, and how well the levels of the organization and departments work hand in hand to realize the organization’s common objectives. In order to improve cooperation from other agencies, team conflicts should be resolved quickly when they resurface, and employees should be encouraged to socialize outside the organization to embrace and learn from other agencies (Wells et al, 2014). Furthermore, training employees and encouraging them to embrace ongoing learning processes about what other agencies hold dear opens doors to improve cooperation from other agencies (Brown, 2019).
On the other hand, advocating for teamwork as part of organizational and workplace culture and philosophy helps to improve cooperation from other agencies (Culpepper, 2003). Creating visionary leadership and assigning both task and relationship agency-oriented leaders that are open to sharing experience, skills, abilities, and knowledge in an environment of goodwill and trust in place contributes to the improvement of cooperation from other agencies (Gratton, & Erickson, 2007). Lastly, improving internal organizational employee communication and engagement with other agencies; building a correctional workforce (Lommel, 2004) and building interdependence streamlined processes among agencies helps improve cooperation from other agencies.
References
Brown, L. (2019). How to Improve Cooperation in the Workplace. Retrieved on February 23, 2021,
from: https://www.teambonding.com/improve-cooperation-amongst-co-workers/
Burkus, D. (2012). Six Ways to Drive Employee Performance and Motivation. Retrieved on February 23, 2021,
from: https://davidburkus.com/2012/07/six-ways-to-drive-employee-performance-and-motivation/
Culpepper, P. D. (2003). Creating cooperation: How states develop human capital in Europe. Cornell University Press.
Day, A., Crown, S. N., & Ivany, M. (2017). Organisational change and employee burnout: The moderating effects of support and job control. Safety science, 100, 4-12.
DeKay, S. H. (2012). Interpersonal communication in the workplace: A largely unexplored region. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 449-452.
Fuhl, J. (2018). 7 Tips to avoid employee burnout. Retrieved on February 23, 2021,
from:https://www.sage.com/en-au/blog/avoid-employee-burnout-tips/
Gratton, L., & Erickson, J., T. (2007). Eight Ways to Build Collaborative Teams. Retrieved on February 23, 2021,
from: https://hbr.org/2007/11/eight-ways-to-build-collaborative-teams
Keinan, G., & Malach-Pines, A. (2007). Stress and burnout among prison personnel: Sources, outcomes, and intervention strategies. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(3), 380-398.
Längle, A. (2003). Burnout–Existential meaning and possibilities of prevention. European Psychotherapy, 4(1), 107-121.
Lommel, J. (2004). Turning around turnover. Corrections Today, 66, 54-57.
Mackenzie, M. L. (2010). Manager communication and workplace trust: Understanding manager and employee perceptions in the e-world. International Journal of Information Management, 30(6), 529-541.
Marc, C., & Osvat, C. (2013). Stress and burnout among social workers. Revista de Asistenta Sociala, (3), 121.
Shirom, A. (2010). Employee burnout and health. Contemporary occupational health psychology, 59-76.
Vdovin, A. (2017). How to Improve Communication between Managers and Employees. Retrieved on February 23, 2021,
from: https://www.alert-software.com/blog/how-to-improve-communication-between-managers-and-employees
Wells, R., Jolles, M. P., Chuang, E., McBeath, B., & Collins-Camargo, C. (2014). Trends in local public child welfare agencies 1999–2009. Children and Youth Services Review, 38, 93-100.
Wong, L. (2020). 11 Ways to Improve Collaboration Between Departments. Retrieved on February 23, 2021,
from: https://www.workzone.com/blog/9-ways-to-improve-collaboration-between-departments/
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