Abstract
For organizations to be successful and remain competitive, it is crucial to continuously measure the performance of employees as they are major determinants of organizational success or failure. The term “employee performance” is widely researched in various fields, with a common goal of improving overall organizational performance. Employee performance has a direct impact on customer service that further determines customer satisfaction. There are many factors that influence how employees perform and this study focused on the working models. The type of a working model that an employee has access to (either by choice or default), has an impact on how they perform their job, and how they deliver services to customers. This study was conducted at a South African bakery with the aim of evaluating the impact of a working model on employee performance and customer service. Observations and interviews were conducted first to obtain thorough knowledge and understanding of the challenges encountered by the bakery. Quantitative data collection method in a form of survey questionnaires that were drafted in line with five related SERVQUAL constructs (tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, empathy, and serviceability) was used to collect data from customers. Questionnaires were distributed to two hundred participants and one hundred and eighty-six (186) questionnaires with responses were received. The Statistical Package for The Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the questionnaire responses and to interpret the study results. Validity and reliability of the study were tested. Observations revealed that customers’ purchasing queue was moving slowly as employees took longer to produce goods ordered by customers. Some customers would leave the company premises in frustration because of the slow service provided by the employees. During the interviews, top management revealed their willingness to consider solutions provided by the researcher, which is a structure of working model to improve customer performance which in turn would improve the service provided to the customers. Findings from data collected through SERVQUAL questionnaire resulted in a suggested employees’ working model for Company A to make use of. For future research, the use of other SERVQUAL tool constructs to collect service-related data that matches the context of the study being conducted for data collection accuracy is recommended, and lastly, use larger sample size, different geographical locations, and various sectors to widen generalization of the findings.
Keywords: Working-models, employee performance, customer service.