Analyze Current Literature to Explore Potential Solutions, Essay Example

Introduction

For businesses to be maximally successful, managers must create an ideal mixture of employees that are able to contribute their unique talents to the team and work together effectively. In order to accomplish this, managers must work closely with members of the human resources team in order to ensure that ideal talent is acquired and that these individuals desire to remain with the company. Unfortunately, this also includes identifying ineffective team members and terminating them due to a lack of efficacy, work ethic, and trainability. To avoid this need completely, as it reduces employee morale, it is important for human resource managers to determine how to identify the individuals that will be ideal for the job. This will enhance the development of the company because individuals who remain long-term will have a greater skills in the specific areas needed, be familiar with the company’s operations, and therefore enhance productivity.

It is detrimental for companies to avoid focusing on employee retention because it is ultimately the employees that contribute to the success of the company. If employees typically do not remain with an organization for a prolonged period of time, this will become reflective of the company overall. It will take longer for work to get done, employees will be less familiar with daily operations, and it will cost the company more money for find new talent. It is therefore essential for employers to determine how it can best retain its effective employees and rid itself of ineffective individuals without reducing company morale. Researchers have proposed a variety of methods that allow this to be accomplished effectively.

Employee Retention and Motivation

Overall, employees are more likely to remain with a particular company if they feel satisfied with their day to day work. Although not every job can provide their employees with work that they consider to be enjoyable, this experience can be enhanced by managers that are adequately aware of how their employees can be motivated. Ultimately, good managers make it clear to their workers that the work they do is contributing to the bigger picture, and they will often ensure that their workers are presented with the final results. The sensation that one is working towards something often fills the individual with the opinion that the work that is being performed is meaningful, and this will motivate them to work more quickly in order to see the outcome sooner.

There are many motivation theories that effective managers can utilize in order to enhance the performance of their workers (Ramlall, 2004). Many of these theories indicate that if an individual feels that they are given responsibility over their work, they will perform better because it will be a better reflection of what they are able to achieve. Furthermore, they work efficiently because they feel that their ideas are valued and that they are actively working towards the success of the company and that their individual contribution plays a major role (Levine, 1990). In addition, managers can motivate employees in this manner simply by demonstrating that they notice the work that is being done, providing compliments or constructive criticism as relevant.

Ultimately, an essential way that good employees can be retained is by utilizing these individuals to their maximum potential. Effective managers are able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of these individuals and can maximize their strengths by assigning them relevant work. During this process, it is important to ensure that these individuals feel that they are doing well and are provided relevant feedback throughout the process.

Employee Retention and Organizational Culture

Many research studies have also indicated that an important factor in employee retention is organizational culture (Sheridan, 1992). Although organizational culture is a broad understanding of a particular company, it is important to emphasize that this aspect of the workplace often defines what a company is. In the case of hiring, the human resources team would ideally only consider the employees who would be a good match for the culture of the workplace. Generally, an individual who appears able to get along well with coworkers, expects to work the hours defined by the company, and is able to handle supervision or work independently as required will be considered ideal. These and many other factors are variable within the workplace, and it is important to ensure that the employee will find themselves comfortable within the organization if they are hired.

Often, many employees who go through the interview process will claim that they believe they are a good fit for a particular workplace because they wish to find a job. However, many of the individuals that are not truthful during this process find themselves searching for a new position shortly afterwards. It is therefore in the best interest of the human resources team to determine the most effective ways to determine if an employee that they are considering to hire is a good fit. Ways of doing so may be conducting interviews with various members of the staff present, requiring follow-up interviews, and ensuring that the potential employee can demonstrate a thorough understanding of the position before they are hired. Ultimately, if the correct individual is found for an open position, they will likely remain with the company for a long period of time due to mutual satisfaction.

Employee Retention, Salary, and Benefits

One of the most effective ways to increase employee retention is by ensuring that their basic needs are met (Samuel et al., 2009). According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, individuals can only work towards enhancing their creativity and other smaller scale goals once they are certain that they will be able to survive. In the modern world, this means employees are most likely to be effective if they do not have to worry about their salary, which will in turn enhance their ability to be certain that they will eat at every meal and continue to have a roof over their head. As a consequence, it is reasonable to award effective employees with a salary increase so that their lifestyle may afford more luxuries. If employees feel that the work they do will be met with a reward, they will be motivated to work harder to an extent. In some cases, individuals can be effectively rewarded similarly with promotions, indicating that the company trusts them enough to give them added responsibilities.

Other variables that tend to work as reasonable rewards for employees fall under the category of benefits. While the most commonly thought of benefit is health care, it is important to consider things like vacation time is another aspect of this category. To reward long-term employees, several companies provide these individuals with a greater amount of vacation days per year. Thus, new employees will have less paid leave while having the opportunity to accrue more time if they remain in the company. Furthermore, some companies set their pay scales so that employees that have remained with the organization will get a natural pay increase over time. Providing these added benefits and incentives is a great way to ensure that effective employees are retained over time.

A final way to retain effective employees and to enhance their work is by providing them with free training to develop their skills. This is a situation in which both the employer and employee win because the development of these skills will ultimately enhance the company in the long run and it will provide the employee with potential to get a raise or promotion. Furthermore, it will provide individuals who do not feel that they are succeeding at their job the ability to correct their mistakes, which will motivate them to work more hard and feel that the company is working as a support system.

This will help increase employee retention because it will demonstrate to employees that if they work hard, they will be rewarded and provided with the opportunity to grow within the company. Employees that do not feel this way will often leave to seek employment in a company in which this will be possible. Additional ways to support effective employees is by providing them with benefits and enhanced training programs.

In conclusion, there are many resources available to managers to ensure that their effective employees are retained. However, it is their responsibility to determine how these rewards should be issued so they are maximally effective.

References

Levine DI. (1990). Participation, productivity, and the firm’s environment. California Management Review, 32(4): 86–100.

Ramlall S. (2004). A Review of Employee Motivation Theories and Their Implications. Journal of American Academy of Business. Retrieved from ftp://118.139.161.3/pub/moodledata/113/Ramlall_2004.pdf

Samuel MO, Chipunza C. (2009). Employee retention and turnover: Using motivational variables as a panacea. African Journal of Business Management, 3(8): 410-415.

Sheridan JE. (1992). Organizational Culture and Employee Retention. Academy Journal of Management, 35(5): 1036-1056.