Is it possible to hinder the development of cynicism through a selection of compensation factors? : A study of personnel in three Teboil service stations in Finland

Sammanfattning:

The purpose is to study and test a selection of compensation variables and examine whether these factors can influence on employee cynicism. The study focuses on the personnel in three service stations in Finland that are part of Teboil’s organisation. These three stations were chosen to represent all the service station within Teboil. These stations are considered to be an appropriate pick for this study since their recent organisational changes.

This subject was considered to be interesting to study when taking into consideration the current situation in the economy. The economical recession forces many organisations to act meaning changes in the organisational structure and among the employees. Teboil improved the income effectiveness by making changes that resulted in reduction in salaries and working hours etc. In order to maintain the motivation among the employees in spite of these unfortunate changes this study examines non-monetary means to compensate people and hinder the development of cynicism, since these cases, reduction in employees’ pay checks and working hours can be assumed to be factors that affect on the cynicism level.

This particular organisation was chosen for this study because the researcher has been a part of this organisation on and off for several years and also there was a need for this kind of study in the service station area, since it was evident for the managers that some issues will raise when the cut backs will be introduced. This survey also showed the managing department’s concern about the well being of the employees in the stations. It showed that the consequences of these changes were taking into consideration and the satisfaction of the employees was very important to maintain.

The conclusion of this study is that internal as well as individual equity are the compensation factors that affect the most on cynicism. These factors comprehend the equality among all the employees, among employee and his/her co-workers (internal equity) and the equality between the input and output (individual equity). In order to maintain these important aspects equal, non-monetary compensation means are suggested. Propositions are mainly to give positive feedback regularly in order to show the appreciation and also monitor the employees and more eagerly and consistently recognize the good performance.