Treadway Tire Company Job Dissatisfaction and High Turnover at the Lima Plant Case Solution

1. What is the relationship between line foremen at Treadway’s Lima Plant and other groups within the plant: general supervisors and area managers, top management, the union,  hourly workers, each other?

An analysis of employee satisfaction revealed that the line foremen had a tense relationship with the hourly workers. This was because the line foremen felt that the hourly workers had had more authority compared to the authority given to the hourly workers. Furthermore, the two groups had argumentative relationships with each other that showed that there were conflicts between them. The general supervisors are a tier higher in the hierarchy of the organization. General supervisors expect a lot from the foemen and expect the achievement of targets the achievement of which is affected by factors that are not under their control. The management and the union had imperiled relationships because of the moral problems with the line foremen.

Furthermore, all groups lacked moral issues. The foremen were only required to achieve targets. They were not communicated long-term strategic goals of the organization. The hourly workers, foremen, and upper management did not share a work environment that was common and value base because there was no communication about the company's aims and objectives. The foremen were often guided by several groups such as workers, management, and the union. This was because the line foremen were not aware of the expectations that the upper management had of them. The hourly workers were facing issues of trust with the foremen. They did not understand their requirement of authority for achieving the objectives that they were assigned.

2. How do foremen feel about their jobs and why?

The foreman in the organization is the lower-level employees who are not given opportunities to be actively involved in the organization. Due to the given scenario and role of the foremen in the organization, they feel that they are not equipped with the competencies and training that are required to fulfill the requirements and tasks assigned to them. Without these skills and competencies, the line foremen felt disengaged in the work. Furthermore, they did not feel that they were competent enough to achieve the targets assigned to them.

Another aspect that the foremen were concerned about was the union. The union was not favorable towards the foremen whereas, it engaged in annual wage raises and grievance procedures for other employees. This had led to frustration among the foremen regarding their careers. The foremen felt that with employees from other levels were being promoted and offered raises in salary, they did not have positive career prospects in the company.

They also felt uninvolved in the operations of the company. The lack of communication within the employees, especially the isolation of the employees made them feel unengaged with the organization. They felt that they had no contribution or authority in the organization. The conflicting situations and the issues with employee morale showed that the foremen were not satisfied with their position in the company.

3. What are the consequences of those feelings?

The foremen do not have a significant role in the decision-making of the organization, and they are not assessed as valuable employees. This is because their grievances are not given importance in the company, nor is their training important for the company. These feelings lead to the consequence of disengagement in work.