For this assignment, start doing research for your next major writing assignment: a formal report! You’ll identify a workplace issue you’d like to research, research the issue and possible solutions, and then write a formal report with recommendations for management to consider to address the issue. To get your brain going, here are some general categories of workplace issues and topics you might want to choose:
Organizational Culture & Communication:
Toxic Workplace Culture: How does it manifest, what are the impacts, and what can be done?
Communication Breakdowns: How does poor communication affect productivity, morale, and decision-making?
Generational Differences: How do different work styles and expectations across generations create challenges?
Remote Work Challenges: What are the unique issues of remote work (isolation, collaboration, etc.) and how can they be addressed?
Employee Well-being:
Burnout and Stress: What are the causes, symptoms, and effective prevention/management strategies?
Work-Life Balance: How can companies support better work-life balance, and what are the benefits?
Mental Health in the Workplace: How can employers create a supportive environment and reduce stigma?
Workplace Harassment and Discrimination: Forms, prevalence, impact, and prevention measures.
Leadership & Management:
Ineffective Leadership Styles: How does poor leadership affect employee engagement and performance?
Micromanagement: What are the negative consequences, and how can managers delegate more effectively?
Favoritism and Unfair Treatment: How does it damage morale, and what are fairer practices?
Performance Reviews: Are they effective, and how can they be improved to better motivate and develop employees?
Productivity & Efficiency:
Time Management Issues: What are the common time wasters, and what strategies improve productivity?
Meeting Effectiveness: Are meetings too frequent/long/unproductive, and how can they be improved?
Technology in the Workplace: Is it hindering or helping productivity, and what are the best practices for implementation?
Employee Training and Development: Is it lacking, and how does it affect skill levels and job satisfaction?
Other:
Ethical Dilemmas in Business: Examples of ethical challenges faced in the workplace and how to navigate them.
Diversity and Inclusion: How can workplaces become more inclusive, and what are the benefits?
Workplace Safety: Examining hazards in specific industries and ways to improve safety measures.
Employee Turnover: What are the common reasons for leaving, and how can companies retain talent?
Important considerations when picking a topic for your formal report:
Relevance: Ensure the topic is relevant to their field of study or career interest.
Data Availability: Choose a topic with sufficient data for analysis and recommendations.
Scope: Narrow the topic to a manageable size for a formal report.
Part 1
Tell me what workplace issue you’re going to be researching and why you chose it.
Part 2
Research!
1. Use our library databases (the OneSearch database should be enough) to find and read 5 peer reviewed journal articles to help you learn about your identified workplace issue and possible solutions you might want to advocate for in your report. Having a hard time finding information? Ask a librarian!
2. Consult the resources below for relevant statistical data.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)Links to an external site.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)Links to an external site.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)Links to an external site.
Gallup Workplace InsightsLinks to an external site.
Pew Research CenterLinks to an external site.
3. Write me a memo where you provide the following:
For each of the 5 articles:
Title and author
summarize the article in no more than 200 words
identify what the article is going to be used for in your report
Then include a no more than 200 word summary about what useful data you were able to find and how that data will contribute to your report.
KEEP IN MIND: You might still need to return to researching as you’re writing your report. Research is a recursive process. In the moment of drafting the report you might find yourself thinking “it’d be useful if I had X piece of information” or “I want to make X recommendation, but I need support for it.” That’s fine! Do more research. That’s how research works in the real world. It’s not an ended phase that happens before you draft. This assignment is just to get you started.
All I’m looking for is a rough draft of this assignment to help me write the actual when it comes time. Most importantly, I need help with the research.
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