International Conference on Economics, Business and Marketing ...

International Conference on Economics, Business and Marketing Management (CEBMM 2011), Shanghai. China

GROOMING ALLOWANCE AND ITS EFFECT ON EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION Rashad Yazdanifard Faculty of Information and Communication Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, 63000 Cyberjaya, Malaysia. [email protected]

Usman Musa Zakari Usman Faculty of Information and Communication Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, 63000 Cyberjaya, Malaysia. [email protected]

Abstract-For years employers/managers have faced a challenge to retain their most core male/female employees because they don’t properly understand what motivates them. The idea of management in the workplace is to get things done through employees and this requires the manager’s ability to motivate these employees through setting appropriate organizational policies. One of the ways to motivate female employees analyzed in this paper is through appropriate grooming allowance. Few female employees have been satisfied with their company concern on their personal appearance/looks because of varying organizational policies. Th is neglect of grooming allowance as a motivational factor among employees in this era needs to change and organizations should consider keeping up appearances as a key motivational tool. This paper discusses the degree to which grooming allowance is, is se xist and how it motivates women in the workforce. Key words- Grooming, Allowance, Workforce. I.

INT RODUCT ION

This study investigates how personal grooming gives a confident feeling to male and women in the work place, enhancing their looks to motivate them to work in line with organizational goals. Grooming allowance given to male and women in the work place is intended for impressive personal appearance to improve company staff image and impressions to the public as will be described in the later text below. When adjusted appropriately, grooming allowances can be used as motivational devices in for women organizations by compensating female employees. II.

CONCEPT EXPLANATION

A. Grooming in the work place This requires that employees should be clean and presentable at their respective work places [1] grooming policy are made by the top management of the organization and are rarely challenged. An example of grooming allowance is one advanced to service worker in the tourism industries. There are various standards of grooming in work places ranging from employers who only asked their employees to be clean and neat to employers with more specific policies requiring a certain mode of dress or uniform [2]. Three alternative approaches toward grooming have been adopted by organizations as explained below: 

Approach A is very general and nonspecific, it demands cleanliness and neatness in their employees appearance. The approach allows for flexibility to set standard according to department or supervisor instruction.

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Approach B requires employees to wear a uniform.

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Approach C requires employees to dress professionally besides been clean and neat.


The more formal or professional the grooming of the company the more trust the company gets from it customers. Grooming is a daily activity for most adult women; it is very closely related to their self-satisfaction. B. Employee Allowance? Allowance is a good tool for helping the organization to make their employees and understand how they are valued [3]. Allowance is a sum granted as reimbursement for expenses [4]. An example is grooming expenses. Allowance is an amount paid to employees as part of their salary package, or to defray their out of pocket expenses incurred on behalf of the firm [5]. Its sign of consideration for possibilities and help the employee to modify circumstances, Our organization today differs by many futures, especially the way they handle their businesses. There is no exactly way of giving an allowance to an employee, it only depend on the commitment of the employee toward the organization, the organization can decide when and how to give, as well as the percentage to be giving out base on the employee position. C. Employee Motivation Motivation is the inner force that drives individuals to achieve personal and professional goals -employee motivation can be viewed in two dimensions namely: Internal/external motivators and Negative/Positive motivators [5]. 

Internal and external motivators. Internal Motivators; Attributes of the job that generally compel employees to decide to seek or maintain a particular type of employment in a particular industry [6]. Internal motivation is seen when an individual undertakes a job, career, education or an activity for its own sake without any sort of external reward. Internal motivation can result from our feelings (e.g., happiness, anger, and sadness), thoughts (e.g., “I better finish the report before the deadline tonight.”), values and goals. These inner drives provide people their most basic form of satisfaction. 

External Motivators;

Attributes of work that generally makes employees seek and to maintain employment with their working company [7], such as cost of living allowance or coercion and anything the industry offers in response to an employee’s inner drives. Among basic External motivators there are Wages and benefits that enable employees to afford basic necessities and some luxuries such as grooming opportunities

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Positive and Negative Motivators  Positive motivation; Aspects of work that involve people in an activity that has a virtuous end, such as volunteering, athletics, or art.  Negative motivation; It occurs when employees behaviors and actions are unethical or has a destructive end, such as being judgmental to others, physical altercations or malicious damage. 

III. SUBJECT DESCRIPTION A. Basic Elements of grooming The basic elements of grooming are cleanliness, mutual grooming, caretaking, usually childcare and also the care of ill, disable, or elderly people [8]. Good grooming is an important element in maintaining a healthy body and an attractive, cared for appearance.[9] The appearance of being unkempt uncared for. Unconcerned is a classic symptom of mental illness, of a loss of awareness or concern for one’s effect on other.


Good grooming is important to the health, social acceptance and the development of poise and self-confident habits are developed early in life [10]. As soon as she is able to do so, the youngster should be assisted in taking on the responsibility of her own personal grooming [11].The grooming begins at the top of your head. The cap of hair framing your face in a cropped afro, or hanging long and loose, should begin with a healthy scalp. The most creative style in the world will not last long without it. For healthier hair, try eating plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, sunflower seeds, fish, fowl and other source of protein. Hair should also be kept clean and neat [12]. Dressing for success include more than haw you chose your right outfit, to complete your professional look you must also consider accessories and personal grooming, you should always dress to impress clients, investors, and customers, because a winning sales pitch is not enough to seal the deal. A women’s professional appearance needs to support her professional accomplishments [13]. One of the most important aspects of grooming is the hairstyling, women these days go to great lengths of caring their hair. Because they want perfection in everything they do, mostly their communication in their working place, it can be their hair color, hairstyle, or anything related to their hair. In fact just a hair groom is not enough for them [14]. They prefer a variety of different types of specialty treatments for their hair. Profession hairstyles have become a must for today’s style set. A hairstyle which is in fashion today will become obsolete or old fashioned after sometime [15].Nowadays, style and looks have become more important, as people tend to notice their looks and appearance first [16]. One needs to adopt a hairstyle illustrating some real difference, if they desire to keep up with the latest trends in hairstyle. People can easily get one by consulting a hairstylist. They can provide a perfect haircut and required level of hair care to you [17].To get a unique look with good grooming equipment can be difficult as the world becoming competitive every day, good things always goes with high price [18]. IV. DISCUSSION Employees are the backbone of any business, hence interaction and the nature in which they present themselves to clients in any way needs to be enticing. A company’s excellent product and competitive price don’t sell as much as helpful, friendly, understanding and professionally well-groomed appearance of employees. While advertising attracts customers to your business door, the company employees will either keep them coming/maintain them or drive them away. Grooming and personal appearance portrays a positive image; employees are expected at all times to present a professional, businesslike image to customers and the public. Acceptable personal appearance like proper personnel grooming and maintenance of work areas is an ongoing requirement of employment with most growing companies. Employees are expected at all times to look professionally presentable. Radical departures from conventional dress or personal grooming acceptable in the organization should not be violated. The employee’s appearance reflects how they feel about themselves in the workplace; they are not only representing themselves but also the co mpany in general. A worker may be the only employee a customer meets when dealing with a business, how the company representative is perceived influences customer perception of the office or business. The kind of business a company represents determines the attributes they will want to project. Personal grooming gives a confident feeling to an employee in his or her organization to be able to freely communicate and or demonstrate to their customers. Good personal appearance of a company representative communicates to the client being served, indicating how important the representative is to the organization. Dressing for success includes more than just choosing the right outfit. To complete your professional look you must also consider accessories besides personal grooming. Staff should always dress to impress clients, investors, and customers, because a winning sales pitch is not enough to seal the deal. An employee’s professional appearance needs to support his/her professional accomplishments in an organization. V. CONCLUSION

Employers/managers have faced a challenge to retain their most core employees because they don’t properly understand what motivates them. Grooming is one of the most crucial factors that motivate


employees; it requires that employees should be clean and presentable at their respective work places. Motivation is the inner force that drives individuals to achieve personal and professional goals. Grooming policies are made by the top management of the organization and are rarely challenged. An example of grooming allowance is one advanced to service workers in the tourism industries as explained in the context. Grooming allowance is a good tool used by managers to enable the organization create a sense of belonging and value among employees. Grooming allowance is a sum granted as reimbursement for grooming expenses incurred by employees. Employee grooming is necessary in the corporate world and our society, because it gives employees good feeling and self-confidence besides creating customer confidence in the organization including the company image. Employees are the backbone of any business, thus interaction and the nature in which they present themselves to clients in any way needs to be enticing. VI. REFERENCES [1] [2]

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[5]

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