Analysis of Harrah’s Entertainment Case: Rewarding Our People

Chris Martin BADM 7070 11/23/12 Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. : Rewarding Our People Marilyn Winn faces a tough challenge to improve employee satisfaction and motivation in a struggling economy that has just experienced the 9/11 disaster. Many of Harrah’s employees feel that the incentive program that Winn has implemented sets goals that are too aggressive while others feel a sense of entitlement for the bonuses.

Both of these cases do not help Winn improve employee motivation and customer service. Winn needs to find a way to revise the employee rewards program that she has implemented to reduce turnover, improve employee motivation, and, ultimately, improve customer satisfaction. In order to get employees at Harrah’s motivated, Winn should implement an employee drop box for any feedback of the current reward system or innovative ideas on how the system could be changed.

The purpose of this drop box would be to send a message to the employees that Harrah’s values its employee’s opinions and cares about its employees. If employees feel that they have a say regarding the development of the system, it will lead to better satisfaction with the system overall and thus be more likely to motivate them to better serve Harrah’s customers. This feedback system could also improve turnover, as employees would feel more valued by the company.

Winn could also customize current system to give employees the option to receive vouchers that are worth more than the cash reward. By getting a physical reward, employees are less likely to feel entitled to the reward. Implementing these two plans could greatly improve employee satisfaction and could help to achieve Harrah’s most important goal: customer service.