Why Won't They Take a Break?Five years ago, your company assigned you to a management position in its new research facility in SouthKorea. You were thrilled with the promotion and grateful to your bosses, who recognized your skills andtalents. At the same time, there was a lot to be nervous about-adjusting to a new culture and language,finding a school for your kids and a job for your wife, figuring out where to buy familiar groceries. But evenwith all the struggles, you've thoroughly enjoyed your time in Korea, as you got to learn new things fromyour employees and teach them new things from your experiences. In fact, you're quite surprised thatyou've had such little conflict with your Korean associates.There is, however, one area that you could never quite get a handle on-vacation time. Like every otheremployee in the company, your employees were given three weeks of paid vacation per year. But, other thanthe occasional three-day weekend, they never took any time off. At first, you wondered if this was justunique to your company. But then, you saw statistics that showed that Koreans, on average, worked morethan 2,300 hours per year, 600 more than the average American. While these long hours show greatorganizational commitment, they have extremely negative effects. Overworked employees are more prone tostress and physical illness and are less likely to be efficient or productive. Indeed, according to theOrganization of Economic Cooperation and Development, an international group comprised of 30 of theworld's largest economies, South Korea ranks near the bottom in terms of productivity.Even the South Korean government has taken notice of the dangers of overwork. A few months ago,President Myung Bak Lee announced that all state employees would be required to take 16 days of vacationper year. You were quite happy to hear about this policy, and you were hopeful that it would influence theprivate sector. But you also wonder if there aren't other changes needed. From your conversations withKorean managers, you've learned that there is one big reason why Korean employees don't take vacationtime-because their supervisors don't take vacation time. Even while requiring government employees totake 16 days off, President Lee himself has taken off only four days since his 2008 election. Jin-soo Kim, adirector in the Ministry of Public Administration who wrote the 16-day policy, took no vacation time at allin 2008. Even you, the "enlightened" American, remember working through Lunar New Year's Day, one ofthe biggest holidays in Korea.You desperately want your employees to take more time off. It's what's best for them, their families, and forthe company's productivity and efficiency, What is the best way to motivate them to take a break?Source:Evan Ramstad and Jaeycon Woo "South Korea Works Overtime To Tackle Vacation Shortage" The Wall Street Journal. March 1,2010. A1, 22.Questions:1.Which motivation theory(s) do you think would help communicate the importance of vacation time toyour employees?2. How would you convince your employees that working less hours, not more, is more beneficial forthem and the company?

Motivation : Motivation can be defined as a feeling which defines the psychological state of a…

Answered: Questions: 1. Which motivation…

Understanding Business

12th Edition

ISBN:9781259929434

Author:William Nickels

Publisher:William Nickels

Chapter1: Taking Risks And Making Profits Within The Dynamic Business Environment

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Questions: 1. Which motivation theory(s) do you think would help communicate the importance of vacation time to your employees? 2. How would you convince your employees that working less hours, not more, is more beneficial for them and the company?