For this assignment, you will create a presentation using PowerPoint to summarize the issues resulting from the acquisition, present two major trends as seen in the company culture survey, and make three recommendations for HR initiatives that do not exceed the $50,000 budget. This budget does not include any suggestions for raising compensation for the employees, rather should be used towards Psychology Industrial and Organizational specific interventions such as job analysis, performance reviews, training, or additional survey work. This list is not exhaustive.
___A regional trucking company, Kent Trucking, located in a southern state has bought out a larger trucking company in New England, Thomas Trucking. Prior to the acquisition of Thomas Trucking, Kent Trucking owned 17 18-wheelers and employed 30 full time employees, including truck drivers, dispatchers, and accounting staff. The day-to-day operations of Kent Trucking is led by the owner and CEO, Gabriel Kent. Mr. Kent has an old-school mentality and is known as a micro-manager. He pays above-average mileage to his truckers and keeps his feel in top condition. Thomas Trucking, on the other hand, was run by the Thomas brothers, who inherited the firm from their late father. They weren’t detail oriented and had a hands-off approach to running the business. Their father’s long-term secretary, Mrs. Barrier handles most of the day-to-day management of the 35 18-wheelers and 45 full-time employees. During the acquisition process, the Thomas brothers arranged for Kent Trucking to provide a lump sum to Mrs. Barrier to help her retire after 44 years of service. Drivers at Thomas Trucking report that the fleet is aging and DOT and maintenance logs are often forged or neglected. Thomas Trucking boasts a very loyal clientele used to paying bargain prices for their logistics needs. On a whole, Thomas Trucking Drivers are paid approximately 15% less than those from Kent Trucking.
__Mr. Kent knows he has a problem on his hands. Not only must he transition the paperwork and processing from Thomas Trucking to his staff at Kent Trucking, he must also tackle the backlog of maintenance in his new fleet. He simply does not have time to address the personnel issues so he’s contracted you, an independent Industrial and Organizational professional to interpret the results of a confidential culture survey and make recommendations for three HR initiatives for his Kent Trucking staff to implement. He has a relatively modest budget of $50,000.
__For this assignment, you will create a presentation using PowerPoint or Prezi to summarize the survey data that follows and will include.
-Trends seen in the company culture survey data for each of the parties (Kent Trucking, Thomas Trucking).
-Make three recommendations for HR initiatives that do not exceed the $50,000 budget.
–This budget does not include any suggestions for raising compensation for the employees; rather, it should be used towards Industrial and Organizational specific interventions such as job analysis, performance reviews, training, or additional survey work. This list is not exhaustive.
__Your presentation must include the following slides
__Slide 1: Title slide
__Slide 2: Bio/qualifications your qualifications as an Industrial and Organizational Psychology professional
_Slide 3: Summary of the acquisition.
_Slide 4: Research on typical issues associated with acquisitions.
_Slide 5: Summary and trends in the survey data for Kent Trucking, including at least one open-ended comment to highlight.
_Slide 5: Summary and trends in the survey data for Thomas Trucking, including at least one open-ended comment to highlight.
_Slide 6: General research on employee engagement.
_Slides 7-9: One slide for each proposed Psychology Industrial and Organizational Psychology recommendations, including budget information and support for these ideas from academic research or best practices.
_Slide 10: Closing graphic or SmartArt showing the three interventions in a timeline or other integrated way.
_Slide 11: Conclusion and your enthusiasm for the project.
_Slide 12: References
_Each slide must be narrated or include at least one full paragraph of speaker’s notes. All slides must be properly cited
_Abbreviated details from company culture survey:
_Kent Trucking Employees:
-35% report being satisfied with the pay and benefits associated with their role.
-42% indicate they plan to stay with the organization for three or more years.
-12% report an overall satisfaction with their direct supervisor.
-79% report feeling safe at work.
_Some open-ended comments included:
-I will probably work for Kent Trucking until I die because no one pays better, even though I hate coming to work each day.
-If Mr. Kent would just get out of our way, we could streamline our accounts payable process. He insists on doing things the old school way when we could be doing it in a more modern way and paying our vendors on time. Paying them on time could get us discounts!
-I am really proud to drive for Kent! When I stop for gas, I’m always reminded of how nice my rig is compared to some of the junk running around out there.
-I don’t know why we needed to buy that company-things were fine here and don’t need to change. Those Yankees looking down on us is the last thing I need.
-I haven’t been working in this office very long. So far, it seems like my co-workers get yelled at a lot for not doing their job perfectly. I’m scared of making mistakes, but I know I didn’t get the formal training I need to do my job.
_Thomas Trucking Employees:
-18% report being satisfied with the pay and benefits associated with their role.
-22% indicate they plan to stay with the organization for three or more years.
-84% report an overall satisfaction with their direct supervisor.
-21% report feeling safe at work.
_Some open ended comments included:
-I have been working here for 32 years and I don’t want anything to change just because we were bought out by someone who doesn’t know our customers and our business.
-Thomas Trucking has always felt like family. We may not have the best trucks but we know our bosses love us and always have our backs.
-When I had cancer three years ago, Mr. Thomas paid my salary and Mrs. Barrier made dinner for my family. I can’t imagine these new owners will care as much for us.
-I want to remain working here, but if I don’t see more money from my work I’ll be forced to get a new job or even career!
-I am so tired of having unreliable equipment. Sometimes, I don’t even feel safe. I really resent being encouraged to lie to the DOT.
******** Please use attached source for 1 of 3 references/sources:
Conte, J. M., Landy, F. J. (2018). Work in the 21st Century: An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 6th Edition. [[VitalSource Bookshelf version]]. Retrieved from vbk://9781119493440