Natural Batik Village

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The batik fabrics in Natural batik Village are made off 100% natural fiber which has a special cooling effect on the skin. The fabrics also help to prevent skin irritation for people with sensitive skin. The company has a wide range of design that suits both formal and casual needs for customers.

In Natural Batik Village, the batik lessons are its main attraction. There is a space where tourists can experience the company themselves in art of Batik making. For a tee, the company has provided materials for the making of self-created batik. Besides that, the company will provide demonstrations as a hand–on approach to help the customers. The most exciting part is that the company provides free delivery to the customers’ address after the lesson is done. Every pieces of the batik is done by hand. Thus, there are actually no two pieces alike. It may look similar but it sure that it is not exactly the same, which made it is a unique work of art.

The company knows with a simple tagline, “A Touch from East Coast”. The company operates from Monday to Sunday, 10 am to 7 pm.

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Figure 2: Natural Batik Village Organization Chart

Issue(s)/Problem(s)

Managing Voluntary Turnover

Natural Batik Village is facing the challenge of managing high employee turnover, that is, high number of employees leaving the organization. Most of the employees initiate the turnover which results in voluntary turnover.

Issue 1: Voluntary turnover

Being located in suburban area, many locals choose Natural Batik Village as temporary workplace before furthering studies or acquiring better job opportunities at different organization. Besides, as a crafting company, all of the workers at the factory section need to work with heat and within discomfort work environment. Thus, the company face high employee turnover and the result is costly. Some former employees also quit due to low salary payment compared to the market price. Most of the time, the workers quit without informing the higher management earlier.

In Natural Batik Village, every new employee is given three months contract as a probation period before being offered fixed post within the organization. As can be seen in Appendix 1, the workers need to fill out a form before reporting for duty. Unfortunately, high number of the employees decides to stop continuing the contract and leave the company.

Issue 2: Train new employees

For Ms. Safiah, the Natural Batik Village’s Supervisor who is in charge of the human resources, replacing workers is tiring as she needs to train new employees again and again. Even more, new workers need time to learn their jobs as mastering art skill is time consuming and as a consequence, reduce the company’s efficiency. Besides, every new worker will also takes some time before building the teamwork skills.

Issue 3: Job dissatisfaction

To avoid the company from losing competent employees, the company will provide training and extra allowance during the end of the year. Other than that, Ms. Safiah will also ask for any job dissatisfaction or problems faced by the employees before allowing them to leave. Then, she will try to solve the inconvenience faced by the employees and sometimes, Ms. Safiah able to retain the workers. Ideally, a manager should monitor and fixed any job dissatisfaction early because there is evidence proving that changes in satisfactions level relates to turnover. When satisfaction levels drops, employees are far more likely to quit.

Issue 4: Division of work

Within the company, Ms. Safiah is responsible in dividing and giving tasks to her co-workers. She will give around ten tasks to each employee so that they can rotate and work around different positions within the company. Even Ms. Safiah herself will sometimes act as the cashier and promoter during crunch time. She also emphasizes that every employee need to be multitasking as the company have small employment sizes. However, many aspects of a task have been linked to dissatisfaction. In general, employees are bored and dissatisfied with simple, repetitive jobs. People also are more dissatisfied with jobs requiring a great deal of physical strain and exertion. Next, employees also will feel dissatisfied if their work is not related to something they value. The task management practice by Ms. Safiah can give role overload towards her co-workers. It is a result when employees were given too many expectations or demands which is common within small size organization. This practice then can be one of the reasons for high number of employee turnover at Natural Batik Village.

Issue 5: Avoiding job withdrawal

Within crafting industry, the company needs to seek for talented and skillful employees and to retain them as long as possible. Therefore, the company needs to prevent a broader negative condition, called job withdrawal-or a set of behaviors with which employees try to avoid the work situation physically, mentally or emotionally. Job withdrawal results when circumstances such as the nature of the job, supervisors and co-workers, pay levels or the employee’s own disposition cause the employee to become dissatisfied with the job. Natural Batik Village needs to start monitor and consider these circumstances to avoid from losing more of its talented employees.

Issues 6: Managing Human Resource

Acting as a supervisor, Ms. Safiah provides supportive environment towards her co-worker. She will try to solve problem among her co-worker first before discussing it with the upper management. Having no related certificate related to human resource, Ms. Safiah uses her own approach and skills to deal with people either from outside or inside the company. She also uses most of her decision-making and interpersonal skill in managing the human resource of Natural Batik Village. Refuse to directly directing her co-workers, Ms. Safiah loves the approach to plan and organize in performing her human resource job.

Issues 7: Exit Interview

Regardless of all the efforts done, some employees inevitably will leave the organization. Natural Batik Village has taken the opportunity to done an exit interview with the leaving employees, a meeting of the departing employee with the employee’s supervisor to discuss the employee’s reasons for leaving. Ms. Safiah