Letter to the decision-maker

Alberto Ala

UMGC

912365, Rome

21 February 2020

Major Gen. John N. Kingston

Assistant Commander, US Air Force Recruiting Service

Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas

Dear Sir,

RE: LACK OF MOTIVATION IN USAF RECRUITMENT PROCESS

I appreciate the role played by your team, which is immeasurable; hence the issue I highlighted is fundamental. The recruitment team has been doing an excellent job over the years, and it is expected that the same standards should be maintained. Therefore, it was hard to believe when the media highlighted the issue of reducing recruitment levels of USAF, which attracts applicants globally. Various problems have been cited as the cause of this decline, such as language barriers, emotional attachments, and tension that surround the process. Your input in this matter will facilitate a better recruitment process in the future.

The US Air Force Recruiting Service team has a primary role in ensuring the process is run to the required standards. Your team has been keen on inclusivity, hospitality, and humanity as the core principles to guide. Please consider there is an equal treatment to Non-Americans as the native for the team to be strong and inclusive. The work done by the USAF is critical for the US and the world, given the influence your country has globally. It will be my pleasure to see more Italians joining the USAF and being proud in offering the services. More so, it is vital to keep informing the public what has been happening over the years and give assurance of better recruitment and working environments

Your views and perception of how USAF operates are critical in revamping an institution that has been an inspiration to many. Joining the team is the dream for many around the world, and whenever there is an opportunity, people are eager to grab the moment. Therefore, it will be an achievement if issues leading to lack of motivation can be resolved in your team as other institutions learn from your approach. It will be fundamental to have an environment that can lure more applicants.

Letter to the decision-maker

Yours faithfully

Alberto

Executive Summary

Purpose and the Method of this Report

The US military service is highly demanding, and sometimes the recruits and qualified soldiers are not given the required credit for their efforts. As a result, some end up giving up and leaving the services, whereas others are not willing to join. The non-Americans citizens are not applying for the chances as various issues such as working conditions and lack of motivation in the workplaceaffect their productivity as well as creating employee tension or dissatisfaction. The purposes of this report are to:

• Determinethe approaches that the Recruiting Service team can use to facilitatemotivation among recruits ad encouraging more to join the service.
• Create awareness of US Air Force among the non-Americans citizens to encourage them to join the service.

The research used both primary and secondary researchapproaches to meet the requirements. Secondary sources included journals, books, and websites that yielded an in-depth analysis of factors leading to a lack ofmotivation in workplaces and how it can be resolved. Conversely, primary research was conducted through interviews, and surveys administeredto the Assistant Commander, US Air Force Recruiting Service, the current recruits, and Italians currently or previously worked for USAF. The aim was to assess the prevailing conditions and what couldhave led some to leave the service. Further, the study evaluates what the USAF is doing to ensure increased application for Americansversus non-Americans.

Findings and Conclusions

Based on previous studies, a lack of motivation in the workplace is a recipe for poor service delivery. The level of motivation among employees determines the quality of the services rendered, and it acts as a mediating factor that defines workplace climate factors. Therefore, companies should ensure that employees are satisfied to enhance their productivity through quality work regardless of the workload as they feel energized and show goodwill to ensure success. Military services are faced with exhaustion, and stress-related to workplaces have led to reduced productivity as employees suffer burnouts. The interrelationship between work activities and fatigue as the latter leads to work stress that affects motivation. The recruitment team should be worried about the consequences of having recruits and graduates without motivation.

Recommendations for Ensuring Motivation among USAF Recruits

Based on the decline in the recruitment level, the team must evaluate the reasons. Therefore, Recommendations for ensuring motivation among USAF Recruits are;

• Having a well-equipped team and allocate adequate time for the recruits to be taken through the process and letting them know the benefit of the career.
• Creating awareness among Non-Americans on the profession, being clear on how they will benefit, and assuring them of the right working conditions during and after recruitment.
• Having a recruitment team and leaders that consider factors that can contribute to improving motivation by rectifying what hurts motivation in employees, such as bad management, workplace tension, and lack of promotion opportunities.
• To implement better rewarding and incentives to soldiers willing to join the team to boost their motivation level.
• Considering the minority communities in the US military, especially on the challenges they face in such environment.

Research onLack of Motivation among USAF Recruits

Introduction

Motivation in the workplace is a significant driver of the productivity of a company. However, some incidences render poor working conditions that lead to causing issues in the workplace. Some of the problems related to lack of motivation include reduced productivity, employee tension or dissatisfaction, and high turnover rates. Therefore, there is a need for management and leaders to consider factors that can contribute to improving motivation, as well as rectifying what hurts motivation in employees, such as bad management, workplace tension, and lack of promotion opportunities for employees.

Problem Statement

Joining the US military service had been a dream for many despite some various issues. The recruitment stage and working period have their fair share of advantages and disadvantages. The recruits and qualified soldiers feel that they are not given the required credit for their efforts, which mar the recruitment process, whereas some leave the service. Non-Americans citizens are not applying for the chances as various issues such as working conditions and lack of motivation in the workplace affect their productivity as well as creating employee tension or dissatisfaction. Therefore, there is a need to determine the approaches that the Recruiting Service team can use to facilitate motivation among recruits ad encouraging more to join the service. Also, to enhance awareness of US Air Force among the non-Americans citizens to invite them to join the service. My community is a minority in the USAF, and if these challenges are addressed, it is expected that they will be willing to participate and boost the team.

Research Methodology

The report used both primary and secondary research approaches to collect data related to factors leading to a lack of motivation in workplaces. The topic is familiar to scholars,which have led to the publication of many secondary sources through journals, books, and websites that yielded in-depth analysis of factors influencing to lack of motivation in workplaces and how it can be resolved (Walliman, 2017).

Conversely, primary research was conducted through interviews, and surveys administered to the Assistant Commander, US Air Force Recruiting Service, the current recruits, and Italians currently or previously worked for USAF. The survey questions were administered to 150 respondents, but only 100 responded and submitted in good time. The aim was to assess the prevailing conditions and what could have led some to leave the service.  Further, the study evaluates what the USAF is doing to ensure increased application for Americans versus non-Americans.

Literature Review

Working place environment is related to diverse workers whose inputs in the organization is determined by the quality and perceptions of their jobs. According to Vanthournout, Noyens, Gijbels, et al. (2014), the level of motivation among employees determines the quality of the services rendered. Further, the authors emphasize how motivation acts as a mediating factor that defines workplace climate factors. Pardoe, Vincent, and Conway (2018) also elaborate on how motivation plays a role in climate adaptation.

Moreover, there are some external influence and the prevailing workplace environment that have an impact on motivation among workers. One of the areas that require motivation is the government’s jobs, as most people have to adapt to mainstreaming climate change based on policies and plans. Motivation is vital for organizations and government offices when implementing climate change. It will affect the decision-making process and resources. In their study, Pardoe et al. (2018) recognized that external influences and hierarchical structures do not have a substantial direct impact among employees on their level of motivation. However, they felt incapacitated to implement some plans.

Effects of Lack of Motivation on Productivity

Various studies have documented challenges that employees go through when working. Among them, include stress or tension and job dissatisfaction. Stress and the level of job satisfaction are determined by factors such as working hours, the type of interaction that the management team has with the employees, and the group coordination (Halkos, &Bousinakis, 2010). It was evident that a lack of motivation and increased stress among employees results in reduced productivity, whereas the opposite is exact. The management has a role to play when assigning duties to employees to avoid circumstances that interfere with personal life. This implies a negative effect on productivity. According to Halkos and Bousinakis (2010), companies should ensure that employees are satisfied and conscientious to enhance their productivity through quality work regardless of the workload. It boosts the energy and goodwill among the employees to propel a business to success.

Employee Tension or Dissatisfaction Due to Lack of Motivation

A good working environment is crucial for employees to deliver the required services. However, some employees feel threatened or under pressure in some organizations. One of the primary causes of dissatisfaction is the lack of transparency and trust from the leaders or employers. Brandes and Darai (2017), in their article ‘the value and motivating mechanism of transparency in organizations,” have elaborated on the role played by transparency in a workplace. The author confirms that clarity enhances organizational performance as the level of uncertainty diminishes among the workers.  Employees are put under various states when working, and some such as wage rate and leadership can affect their satisfaction. For instance, a fixed-wage has a direct impact on satisfaction, especially when it is on the lower side.

Lack of transparency can be overshadowed by rumors and hearsays that lead to tension among employees. If a rumor spreads about the payment decrease of layoffs, the employees will feel demotivated, whereas pressure will dominate the workplace. However, if the leaders show informative transparency is a reliable tool to keep employees well informed and feel trusted too. Transparency goes further to gather the courage to announce ‘bad news,’ which would reduce the damage compared to the failure to let the employees know the real situation as uncertainty is reduced.

High Turnover Rates Due to Lack of Motivation

According to Waldman and Arora (2004), the turnover rate can be calculated by dividing the level of employee terminations by the average number of active employees retained by the employer based on the studied period.  Companies are working hard to keep their employees given the consequences of high turnover rates on the costs of recruiting new employees. One of the primary reasons why there can be High turnover rates is the lack of motivation among the employees. The management has the mandate to ensure that employees are satisfied in their positions to avoid leaving the organization.

Further, if employees are not satisfied with what they are doing, there is a tendency to increase the turnover rates as employees seek better working environments. According to Narayan, John-Stewart, Gage, and O’Malley (2018), Sierra Leone’s health sectors have been poorly performing as the number of healthcare workers willing to work in rural areas has been decreasing. A study to determine the cause of job dissatisfaction and poor retention in the sector revealed that lack of rights, benefits, and opportunities among employees led to an unwillingness to work in these areas. As a result, the health workers are preferring to work in other countries hence increasing turnover rates as they experience demotivation.

Factors Contributing to Lack of Motivation in Work Places

Employers and management teams must address factors that lead to a lack of motivation and rectifying what hurts motivation in employees. Some of the factories identified include bad management, workplace tension, and lack of promotion opportunities for employees. Narayan et al. (2018) cited various factors that include lack of promotion opportunities as the cause of ailing Sierra Leone’s health sector in the rural areas. Demand to deliver quality services among employees has led to social psychological factors that contribute to stress, as workers have to work extremely, which leads to burnout (Prada-Ospina, 2019). More so, workers are suffering and falling sick when in workplaces, which affects their level of motivation and job satisfaction.

Exhaustion and stress related to workplaces have led to reduced productivity as employees suffer burnouts. Article by Prada-Ospina (2019) concludes there is an interrelationship between work activities and exhaustion as the latter leads to work stress that affects motivation among employees. Bad management is another cause of demotivation among employees.  A case study on the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) is an indication of the consequences of bad management in which the employees are not involved in decision-making (Tsvangirai, &Chinyamurindi, 2019). The authors empathize on good engagement with employees to maintain motivation.

Research Results and Findings Analysis

Interview results from Assistant Commander, US Air Force Recruiting Service

Major Gen. John N. Kingston, Assistant Commander, US Air Force Recruiting Service, was committed to expressing the prevailing conditions in the recruitment processand environment. He noted that there had been a decline in the number of recruits willing to join the service. However, he was not sure of the factors leading to this decline despite the efforts to improve the recruitment process and creating publicity on the positions. He acknowledged that some recruits had decried challenges such as language barrier, hostility, discrimination, and weak rewarding system, which have led to job dissatisfaction to the extent of leaving the service within a short time. He further elaborated on the plans that the US government is adopting to increase the number of recruits from various counties. The use of English and French integrated with gestures and body language has helped non-American in understanding some of the necessary activities during recruitments.

Survey report

Are you currently working in the USAF?

Are you currently working in the USAF? If not, would you rejoin or recommend your fellow Italians to join?

What could be the cause of lack of motivation among the USAF recruits?

How has a lack of motivation among recruits affected their performance?

Therefore, based on primary research, there are still a good number of Italians in the USAF services. Those who have left cited that some improvements have been witnessed in recent years, and they can either rejoin or recommend other Italians to join. Leading factors to lack of motivation during the recruitment and after graduation were stress or tension and job dissatisfaction. They largely contribute to pressure and not happy in the service.

Recommendations

Based on the decline in the recruitment level, the team should consider some solutions. Therefore, Recommendations for ensuring motivation among USAF Recruits are;

• Having a well-equipped team and allocate adequate time for the recruits to be taken through the process and letting them know the benefit of the career.
• Creating awareness among Non-Americans on the profession, being clear on how they will benefit, and assuring them of the right working conditions during and after recruitment.
• Having a recruitment team and leaders that consider factors that can contribute to improving motivation by rectifying what hurts motivation in employees, such as bad management, workplace tension, and lack of promotion opportunities.
• To implement better rewarding and incentives to soldiers willing to join the team to boost their motivation level.
• Considering the minority communities in the US military, especially on the challenges they face in such environment.

Conclusion

To sum up, the lack of motivation in workplaces, such as the military, is a significant setback for organizations as the employees feel in the wrong position. Recruits and newly graduated soldiers do not deliver the required services, whereas some may opt to leave the current employer for better opportunities. The working environment should be favorable for all employees and void of tension or stress that could ruin their motivation.  Further, it is the role of the employer to ensure thatemployees are enjoying their workplaces to ensure high productivity that will boost profitability and service delivery at par.

References

Brandes, L., &Darai, D. (2017). The value and motivating mechanism of transparency in   organizations. European economic review, 98, 189–198.

https://doi-org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2017.06.014

Halkos, G. & Bousinakis, D. (2010). The effect of stress and satisfaction on           productivity”, International journal of productivity and performance management, 59     (5), 415-431. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410401011052869

Narayan, V., John-Stewart, G., Gage, G., & O’Malley, G. (2018). “If I had known, I would         have applied”: Poor communication, job dissatisfaction, and attrition of rural health           workers in Sierra Leone. Human resources for health, (1).

https://doi-org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/10.1186/s12960-018-0311-y

Pardoe, J., Vincent, K., & Conway, D. (2018). How do staff motivation and workplace                environment affect capacity of governments to adapt to climate change in developing    countries? Environmental science and policy, 90, 46–53.

https://doi-org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.09.020

Prada-Ospina, R. (2019). Social psychological factors and their relation to work-related stress       as generating effect of burnout. Interdisciplinaria: Revista de psicología y ciencias           afines, 36(2), 39–53. Retrieved from

https://search-ebscohost-         com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=140966723&site=eds-     live&scope=site

Tsvangirai, F. &Chinyamurindi, W. (2019). The moderating effect of employee motivation           on workplace surveillance and employee engagement amongst employees at the    Zimbabwe Revenue Authority. South African journal of human resource      management, (0), e1. https://doi-org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/10.4102/sajhrm.v17i0.1106

Vanthournout, G., Noyens, D., Gijbels, D. et al. (2014). The relationship between workplace        climate, motivation and learning approaches for knowledge workers. Vocations                   and learning 7, 191–214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-014-9112-1

Walliman, N. (2017). Research methods: The basics. Routledge.