Tools and Techniques for Improving Organizational Performance and the Role of Employee Wellbeing: A Case Study of BUNI Travels

This report discusses various tools used by firms globally to gain increments in their routine performance along with the role of employee well-being in improving motivation and productivity in organizational context of BUNI Travels which is a small scale Boston based travel agent planning for market expansion and is requiring new and practical human resource solutions.

People and
Performance

Contents
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Tools and techniques will help improve organisational performance.............................3
The role of employee wellbeing in improving motivation and performance..................6
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES...............................................................................................................................8
APPENDIX.....................................................................................................................................9
A PESTLE analysis of BUNI travels..................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
It is very important for businesses to measure their organizational performance in order to
stay relevant in their target market and sustain their profitability over a long period of time as it
helps in gathering valuable data regarding the workings of the business which is instrumental is
plan and policy formation to better control and optimize the business proceedings. There are
many tools and techniques which are used to boost organizational performance and many are
closely tied with human resource management practices as the workforce productivity and
motivation levels directly affect the level of performance the company displays (Singh, 2018).
This report will discuss various tools used by firms globally to gain increments in their routine
performance along with the role of employee well-being in improving motivation and
productivity in organizational context of BUNI Travels which is a small scale Boston based
travel agent planning for market expansion and is requiring new and practical human resource
solutions.
MAIN BODY
Tools and techniques will help improve organisational performance
In order to ensure proper management of businesses, there are many important factors for
companies to consider which include proper planning and strategy formulation, quality
management along with performance evaluation which are all important criterion for
determining and analysing the current level of permanence and productivity in the business.
Existence of strong leadership is also very important in determining performance and shaping
standards of productivity in the company as organizational leaders play a big role in motivating
the workforce and taking care of employee well-being (Rudman, 2020). Using modern
management techniques is essential for better working of business as BUNI travels is suffering
from suboptimal productivity levels due to having a small and unorganized workforce along with
use of traditional management methods. The newly hired HR manager has various tools and
techniques that can help increase the firm's performance which are listed herein.
 360 degree feedback – It is a comprehensive system of feedback and performance
evaluation in which the workforce employed by the business get their productivity

measured and feedback given by an entire spectrum of entities involved in the
business including their subordinates, superiors and in some cases, even the customer.
Feedback surveys and forms are given to both managers and employees for self-
assessment and work valuation and this method is helpful for organizations to gain an
idea about their workforce quality (Anand and Hassan, 2019). BUNI travels can
benefit from this method as by gaining information about their small personnel size
and their performance they can plan for workforce expansion accordingly.
 Performance appraisals – It is a basic but highly effective method of reviewing an
employee's performance and individual contribution to the company in the form of
standard quarterly, half yearly and yearly assessments. This method is once again
useful for BUNI travels as through these appraisals, each and every employee can be
graded either as an asset or liability which can be used for filtration and optimization
of the workforce and the company can also appreciate and recognize the employees
which are performing by designing proper compensation packages. BUNI travels
should conduct quarterly reviews in order to keep continuous track of employee
productivity amid ongoing expansions.
 Key performance indicators (KPI's) – These are quantifiable units of performance
which are linked with the primary objectives of the company and related to areas in
which critical errors must be avoided at all costs to make sure the company remains
afloat and healthy. KPI's are very useful in helping firms facilitate research and
analysis about their current operational frameworks and also help them in keeping
track of business goals and the current pathway towards achieving them. BUNI
travels can use different KPI's which are focused on multiple departmental functions
such as finance, HR and processes to not only measure company performance but
keep regular track of their progress towards reaching their goal of market
development and expansion.
 Personal development plans (PDP) – This is another major technique for
performance evaluation, appraisal and raising business performance through
chartering an effective employee development plan. PDP is a form of self-reflection
and personal evaluation that the employees and managers in the firms are subjected to
where they grade their own performance, write about their feelings about job roles

and responsibilities and what they would like to do in the future. The HR manager of
BUNI travels can use this tool to estimate the current level of motivation in the
workforce, undertake training and development planning to make sure employee
aspirations are being met and their careers are headed in the right direction.
 Reward and recognition programs – These are special plans made by companies to
cater towards the exceptional part of their workforce which have performed better
than set expectations which is a very important driver of organizational performance
because the need of feeling appreciated for putting in the hard work is an advanced
human need and generates a lot of motivation for all people involved. BUNI travels
can take advantage of its smaller workforce currently by appreciating everyone
individually or personally highlight standout performers to generate loyalty before
planned expansion. This is also a very effective way to lower down turnover costs
which is something a small scale firm looking to grow cannot afford under any
circumstance.
 Training and development – This refers to a method adopted by businesses within
which they subject their workforce to continuous sessions of technical and soft skill
knowledge in order to grow their skill-set and competencies in order to improve
employee and organizational performances along with preparing workforce for more
complex job roles (Ababneh, LeFevre and Bentley, 2019). The newly hired HR
manager of BUNI travels must strive to properly train the small workforce to make
sure the business has the talent to handle expansion activities and new volume of
work without need of extra recruitment and to make sure employees are satisfied with
their current career progression. Expanding sand growing its operations will also
create some new and advanced job positions in BUNI travel’s hierarchy which can be
filled by existing employees if they are trained well enough.
The role of employee wellbeing in improving motivation and performance
The performance which is displayed by every business enterprise globally is largely dependent
on the quality of its workforce and the drive with which its workers come to work every day.
This drive and emotion which compels people to perform certain tasks for personal or

materialistic satisfaction is called motivation and it is one of the most crucial aspects of business
administration. Businesses go out of their way for planning strategies and organization wide
application of policies which directly cater to make the work for their employees more
convenient and they feel involved in the organization’s operations at all times (Ochola, 2018).
Motivation is a complex process which does not follow any fixed rules and patterns and
differs from one person to another as human needs are a deeply personalised concept but the
process is generally divided into two major types which are listed herein.
 Intrinsic – This type of motivation is much rarer and difficult to control and
inculcate in the workforce as it refers to the drive of motivation which comes from
within the consciousness of an individual and is not monetary or materialistic in
nature such as desire to get appreciated for hard work (Bakaç, and et.al., 2022).
 Extrinsic – This other type of motivation is much more common and easier to
understand and manage as it refers to the drive which motivates people to put effort
towards accomplishment of certain tasks because of need of fulfilment of an external
desire which is often of monetary and materialistic nature such as getting more
money and a fatter paycheque at the end of the month.
There are many factors which determine the current level of motivation that exist within a
workforce such as communication channels, systems of proper and timely grievance addresses
and types of compensation packages designed for the workforce but one of the biggest
contributors towards improving organisational performance and motivation is employee
wellbeing which plays many roles in this aspect which are listed herein.
 Organizational loyalty – Employee wellbeing is as very important concept in
improving the way the workforce views their mangers, subordinates and the
organization as a whole as when they feel involved, loved and appreciated through
processes and culture prevalent in the company, they stay for much longer periods of
time while delivering consistently high tier of performance. By taking care of the
workforce, businesses make them realize that the firm they are working for needs
them and values their efforts which is one of the biggest drivers of performance as

loyal employees stick through tough times and are a very important organizational
asset to have at all times (Reich, 2020).
 Competitive edge – Looking after the workforce leads to direct positive effect on a
company’s work culture, climate and internal business environment and makes the
company popular in the market to work for as the prerequisite for many employees is
proper systems of compensation and appreciation which are all concepts that come
under employee wellbeing. By making the company a cool place to work with
exciting rewards and a great time, firms are able to hire much better talent from the
market and in many cases, steal talented employees from rival companies which
leads to removal of competition and strengthening of the enterprise’s market
position.
 Reputation and goodwill – A company’s image in the media and the perception
about its brand in the general public eye’s rests a lot on the amount of care it shows
towards its workforce as unhappy employees are loud and make it known when they
are mistreated at any point of their tenure and they are often backed by powerful
unions which can quickly lead to PR disaster for companies. By properly caring for
employee wellbeing, companies can maintain positive media image and union
relations and generate a lot of goodwill in a short amount of time as satisfied and
highly motivated employees also appreciate the company wherever possible
(Bayighomog and Arasli, 2022).
CONCLUSION
The above concluded report went into detail regarding the importance of driving sand
improving organizational performance and productivity by focusing on its most important asset
which is its workforce. There was a detailed discussion on various tools and techniques that can
help improve the organizational efficiency of travel firms which are looking for growth such as
personal development plans, 360 degree feedback and key performance indicators. The report
also included the many roles played by employee wellbeing in improving motivation levels in
travel companies and boosting performance and there was a PESTLE analysis done on the
external environment of USA’s travel and tourism industry with context to Boston.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Singh, S.K., 2018. Sustainable people, process and organization management in emerging
markets. Benchmarking: An International Journal.
Rudman, R., 2020. Performance planning and review: Making employee appraisals work.
Routledge.
Anand, P. and Hassan, Y., 2019. Knowledge hiding in organizations: everything that managers
need to know. Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal.
Ababneh, O.M., LeFevre, M. and Bentley, T., 2019. Employee engagement: Development of a
new measure. International Journal of Human Resources Development and
Management, 19(2), pp.105-134.
Ochola, G.O., 2018. Employee motivation, An organizational performance improvement strategy
(A review on influence of employee motivation on organizational performance). JOJ
Sciences, 1(5), pp.120-125.
Bakaç, and et.al., 2022. Perceived intrinsic motivation mediates the effect of motive
incongruence on job burnout and job satisfaction. The Journal of Psychology, 156(1),
pp.12-32.
Reich, A.V., 2020. The Role of Work-Life Balance in Tech Companies in Dublin and How to
Improve Corporate Performance as well as the wellbeing of employees (Doctoral
dissertation, Griffith College).
Bayighomog, S.W. and Arasli, H., 2022. Reviving employees’ essence of hospitality through
spiritual wellbeing, spiritual leadership, and emotional intelligence. Tourism
Management, 89, p.104406.

APPENDIX
A PESTLE analysis of BUNI travels
BUNI travels is looking forward to undergoing rapid expansions and increase their
market share by undertaking measures to rapidly boost growth in the travel and tourism sector
which is a highly competitive and disruptive industry in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic
which prompts a thorough analysis of the company’s external environment. A PESTLE analysis
is given below of BUNI travels which is a strategic management tool which separates the
business environment in many distinguished layers for better analysis.
 Political – The United States is a world power and its powerful economy had to slow
down amidst the ongoing pandemic with multiple restrictions and lockdowns which has
had bad consequences for the travel industry. Domestic tourism however is on the rise
following the ease in strictness by authorities as international flights are still banned
which BUNI travels should take advantage of.
 Economical – Due to the constant lockdowns and massive shift in consumer behaviour
and losses to many crucial industries, important economic aspects such as inflation,
unemployment are on the rise and BUNI travels should carefully plan their expansion
activities while keeping operational costs in mind.
 Social – Boston is a historically rich place with many ancient and mediaeval locations
and stories to encounter which makes it a place worth exploring. The city is also a
bleeding hub of many global cultures which has made the culture and cuisine here quite
exotic which makes for great tourist experience. BUNI travels should start proving all
inclusive tours and start Destination marketing of Boston on a large scale.
 Technological – Boston has always been a rapidly growing technological hub of United
States with many companies investing and cooking up with innovative features and
fixtures made up of complex and fascinating tech ology. BUNI travels should promote
tech oriented tourism and offer guided tours across hi-tech labs and buildings.
 Legal – The ambition for growth and thrust for a larger market should not cloud the
ethical considerations for BUNI travels and they must remain customer oriented and

avoid many scams and tourism related frauds which this sector is infamous for. Caring
for customers will pay dividends in the long run.
 Environmental – In the light of the devastating damage done to the environment by
businesses worldwide, there has been large focus on sustainable activities and
undertaking green operations by multiple countries including the USA. BUNI travels
should promote Boston as a destination for eco-tourism and help contribute towards
making it a greener place through events and initiatives.