Case Scenario: After 6 months as the manager of the 30th district's social work administration you have started to note a troubling development in turnover rates. Shortly before you took over the position a new online support department was set up. Unlike the traditional case workers that meet citizens face-to-face, staff members in the online support department only communicate with citizens electronically and in writing (such as through emails, chat services etc.). Old staff members that were relocated to the new online support department have complained that they do not feel that they can see if citizens appreciate their services. Despite its short lifetime, turnover rates are almost 40 pct. in this department, much higher than the average 8 pct. for the entire administration. Valuable experiences are lost with tenured staff members exiting in the organization and recruitment costs have far exceeded the allocated funds on this year's budget. You need the online department to be able to process the high work load and you are therefore keen to figure out how you can maintain a high level of motivation among the staff in the online support department.
Discussion Questions:
A. Based on the case description, describe characteristics of the work/job in the online support department that might make it hard for staff to keep their motivation high.
B. Explain why end users such as citizens and clients can increase and maintain high levels of motivation among employees.
C. As the manager of the 30th district's social work administration, discuss ways that you might partner with - or in other ways draw on - recipients of the social services to increase the motivation of your staff in the online support department.