Question

Please read the case study below and answer the questions that follow.

Tesco began in 1919 with one man, Jack Cohen, a market stallholder selling groceries in London. TESCO was formed out of a merger with T.E. Stockwell from whom he purchased tea for sale on the stall. The first store opened in 1929.

Since then, Tesco has expanded across the world. It now has over 2,200 stores including hypermarkets and Tesco Express outlets to meet different customer needs. As a conglomerate Tesco also offers alternative goods and services such as insurance, banking and online shopping. With net profits of around £3.4 billion Tesco has become the largest British retailer and one of the world's leading retail outlets on three continents. Tesco's growth has resulted in a worldwide workforce of over 468,000 employees.

To support its growth, Tesco needs staff that are motivated, flexible and well-trained and who recognise customer needs. In turn, Tesco's employees are supported by the company in their various roles and at different levels - from customer assistants in stores to department managers; from warehouse employees to office and logistics staff. Tesco recognises that employee motivation is important for the continued growth of the company.

Questions:

1. Suggest motivational strategies for Tesco employees.

(5 marks each)

2. In your opinion, how communication should be run in a company such as Tesco?

Answer 1

1. Motivation is basically the instinct which drives the employee’s efforts and compels him or her to perform well in the company. By giving the employee challenging goals, the company tries to maintain his interest in his work, the employee feels valued and engaged and hence, is motivated to perform well. This is one of the most effective ways through which the companies try to retain the employees and reduce voluntary turnovers. The personality tests can be used to analyze the personality of the employees and to identify the motivating factors for their specific personality type. This motivating factor can be used to influence the performance of the employee in the company. If the employee is motivated to do his job and ready to work beyond his assigned duties for the benefits of the company, then the employee can be considered to be engaged and motivated at the workplace. When an employee has no motivating factors to work and seems dissatisfied with his job, he can be considered disengaged at the workplace. He seems disinterested in his job and thus hamper his performance. The overall teamwork will also be hampered and degraded due to this. So, it is quite critical to identify the motivating factors of the employees and keep them fulfilled so that the employees are satisfied and they perform their best for the company. The motivating factors can be identified using the performance appraisal analysis of the employee.

Some of the motivational strategies which can be used at Tesco are as follows:

• Recognizing and rewarding talent of the employees
• Facilitating the work life balance of the employees by giving them perks and benefits
• Providing the facility of telecommuting to the employees

2. In growing companies like Tesco, maintaining clear communication lines across the organization is quite essential. This helps in maintaining the pace of growth of the company. Tesco must opt for a flatter organization structure. This helps in maintaining direct communication among the employees. The employees will be able to voice out their opinions and concerns about projects and initiatives. This also helps in creating a culture of innovation and creativity in Tesco and facilitate its competitive advantage in the market.