Reference:

Human Resource Management by Gary Dessler, 15th Edition, (Global Edition)

Pearson Education Limited, 2015.

Human Resource Theory & Practice

Managing Employee Retention, Engagement, and Careers

 Strategies to retain employees and reduce turn over

Why Employees Leave?

According to a survey conducted by WorldAtWork [1], following are the main
reasons of employee turnover:
• Pay • Promotion Opportunity
• Work life balance • Stress
• Career development • Health care benefits
• Length of commute • Retirement benefits
• Company culture • Nature of work
• Relationship with supervi-
sors/manager

Reference:
[1] www.worldatwork.org/waw/adimLink?id=17180
Impact of Turnover
Negative Aspects of Turnover
• Can disrupts pursuance of company’s goals
• Impact on revenue
• Increased direct costs associated with turnover such as cost of recruitment,
selection, training etc.
• Low energy levels among remaining employees
• Decreased product quality
• Deteriorating service quality
Impact of Turnover
Benefits of Turnover
• Can get new and improved skillset
• Reduction in office politics
• New employees brings new ideas
• New employees are generally more motivated
• New employees can be selected as per the updated skills requirement
aligned to company’s strategy
• New employees challenge status quo
Strategies to Enhance Employee Retention
Following practices, if employed by HR, can lower the turnover

• Hire the right people for the job

• Market competitive compensation packages
• Comprehensive reward and recognition system
• Promotion opportunities
• Training and development
• Employee empowerment
• Employee grievance mechanism
 How to Keep Employees Engaged and Committed

Employee Action that Foster Engagement

identified the following employee actions that foster engagement
• Participation in organizational affairs
• Anticipating that organization is committed to them
• Understanding their department’s role in organizational success
• Clearly linking their efforts towards achievement of organizational goals
• Getting a sense of accomplishment from their work at the company

Reference:
[2] Human Resource Management by Gary Dessler, 14th Edition, (Global Edition)
Pearson Education Limited, 2015.
 Manager’s Action that Foster Engagement
Following actions can foster engagement among employees :

• Align employee goals

• Build team trust
• Celebrate contributions
• Show them the way
• Trust each other
• Be strategic and share the plan
• Foster job satisfaction
• Be market leaders in pay

Reference:
[4] 10 ways to foster employee engagement By Tom Salonek,
Contributing Writer at the Business journals
 Role of Employers & Supervisors in Developing an
Employees’ Career Path

Introduction to Career?
Career can be defined as the “occupational positions a person has had over many years” [2]

Career Management is a process for enabling employees to better understand and develop their ca-
reer skills and interests and to use these skills and interests most effectively both within the company
and after they leave the firm. [2]

Career Development is the lifelong series of activities (such as workshops) that contribute to a per-
son’s career exploration, establishment, success, and fulfillment. [2]

Career Planning is the deliberate process through which someone becomes aware of personal
skills, interests, knowledge, motivations, and other characteristics; acquires information about oppor-
tunities and choices; identifies career-related goals; and establishes action plans to attain specific
goals. [2]

Psychological Contract is what the employer and employee expect of each other and identifies
each party's mutual expectations. [2]
Definitions taken from:
[2] Human Resource Management by Gary Dessler, 14th Edition, (Global Edition)
Pearson Education Limited, 2015.
 Employee’s Role in Career Management
[5] highlights the following as the employee’s role in career management:

• Career management fail because individuals and employers have higher expectations from each other in terms of
development.

• Employee should define his career aspirations like where he/she wants to be in 10 years’ time and if the present
organization can ensure these conditions.

• An employee should create a career plan, identifies his goals and his focus on specific tasks.

• An individual should do a thorough self analysis to become aware of his strengths, weaknesses and knowledge or
skills, which are required to achieve the goals.

• Share his plan with manager and seek feedback/guidance.

• Identifies the requisite courses or trainings for development and if company can provides assistance.

• Share his/her progress of development with the manager or HR representative on regular basis to get feedback or
guidance, which is necessary in order to improve and evaluate as an employee. 
Reference:
[5] The role of the individual, manager and employer in career development
By Katarzyna Szydlowska, 2018
 Employer’s Role in Career Management
[2] lists the following as the employer’s role in career management:

• Employers can create Web-based or offline libraries of career development materials

• They can offer career workshops and perhaps individual career coaches for career guidance.

• They can provide career development centers at work sites that employees use on company time.

• Employer can analyze an employee’s training and development needs.

• Career-oriented appraisals to match Employee's strengths and weaknesses with a feasible career path
and required development work.

• Employer can also providing periodic job rotation to develop a more realistic picture of what employee
is (and is not) good at, and thus the sort of future career moves that might be best.
Reference :
[2] Human Resource Management by Gary Dessler, 14th Edition, (Global Edition)
Pearson Education Limited, 2015.
 Manager’s Role in Career Management
[5] considers the following as the manager's role in career management:
• The manager should play supportive and motivational role in the career development.

• Manager should be a mentor willing to expand the capabilities of the individuals and improve their per-
formance. He must also incorporate coaching skills into his management style.

• The manager can support his or her subordinates’ career development needs by ensuring they have
the right skills and scheduling a regular performance appraisal.

• Managers must also make expectations clear. Finally, managers must focus on the extent to which the
employee’s current skills and performance match career aspirations.

• Provide the employee with an informal development plan.

• Keep subordinates informed about how they can utilize the firm’s current career related benefits, and
encourage them to do so.
Reference:
[5] The role of the individual, manager and employer in career development
By Katarzyna Szydlowska, 2018
 Promotion Policy and Employee Lifecycle
Career Management

Employee Life-Cycle Career Management

An employee’s tenure with a firm tends to follow a life-cycle, from employment interview to first job,
promotion, transfer, and perhaps retirement.

Four important rules that can impact the effectiveness of promotion decisions: [2]

1. Seniority VS Competence

2. How Should We Measure Competence?

3. Formal Process VS Informal Process

4. Each firm will determine whether the promotional process will be formal or informal.

5. Vertical (within the same functional area) VS Horizontal (in different functional areas) Promotions

Reference:
[2] Human Resource Management by Gary Dessler, 14th Edition, (Global Edition)
Pearson Education Limited, 2015.
 Formulating Promotion Policies
• Unclear promotion policies can create conflicts and high turnover rates among employees [2]

• Vague and unclear promotion procedures can appear discriminatory.

• Employers need to create a transparent promotion policy and consistently applying that policy's
standards to each employee seeking advancement.

Employer must take practical steps while formulating promotion policies. This can include: [2]
1. Establish eligibility requirements, for instance, in terms of minimum tenure and performance ratings.

2. Require the hiring manager to review the job description, and revise if necessary.

3. Vigorously review all candidates’ performance and history.

4. Preferably promote only those who meet the job’s requirements after promotion.
Reference:
[2] Human Resource Management by Gary Dessler, 14th Edition, (Global Edition)
Pearson Education Limited, 2015.
 How to manage Dismissals?

Bases for Dismissal

[2] has identified the following as the bases for the dismissals:

• Unsatisfactory performance refers to a persistent failure to perform assigned duties or to

meet prescribed standards on the job. Such as excessive absenteeism, tardiness, a persis-
tent failure to meet normal job requirements, or an adverse attitude. [2]

• Misconduct is deliberate and willful violation of the employer’s rules and may include steal-
ing and rowdy behavior. This includes Insubordination i.e unwillingness to carry out the man-
ager’s orders, and disrespectful behavior toward the manager. [2]

• Lack of qualifications for the job is an employee’s inability to do the assigned work, al-
though he or she is diligent. [2]

• Changed requirements of the job is an employee’s incapability of doing the job after the na-
ture of the job has changed. [2]

Reference :
[2] Human Resource Management by Gary Dessler, 14th Edition, (Global Edition)
Pearson Education Limited, 2015.
 Dismissal Process
[2] defined the dismissal process as follows:
1. First is making sure the right people are let go; this requires having an effective appraisal system
in place.

2. Second is compliance with all applicable laws.

3. Third is executing the dismissals in a manner that is just and fair.

4. Fourth is security, for instance, retrieving keys and ensuring that those leaving don’t take prohib-
ited items with them.

5. Fifth is reducing the remaining employees’ uncertainty and addressing their concerns. This typi-
cally involves a post-downsizing announcement and program, including meetings where senior
managers field questions from the remaining employees.

Reference :
[2] Human Resource Management by Gary Dessler, 14th Edition, (Global Edition)
Pearson Education Limited, 2015.