Attracting & Retaining Talent - the Importance of First Impression by Yamamura, Birk & Cossitt - Article Example

Business units in today’s competitive world need to ensure that strategies are in place to hire and retain the correct manpower. Manpower in an organisation decides the success and failure of an organisation so considering this aspect of business is vital. For this management needs to ensure that “the first impression created by the employer on the employee, profession and the employee impression towards the firm are all correct”. (Yamamura, Birk & Cossitt, 2010) The article presents the same view and highlights the fact that “first impression holds importance as it helps to decide the employees association with the organisation both in the long & short run”. (Yamamura, Birk & Cossitt, 2010) The entire process holds importance. It starts from hiring spree and continues till productivity. The article highlights the fact that “it holds more importance for accounting professionals as they are few and requires specialized knowledge to deal with it”. (Yamamura, Birk & Cossitt, 2010) This thereby determines the long term relations. It also guides on the future of the employee with the organisation and his career development with the organisation. The article also speaks about “the growth in generation Y and the manner they carry about their work compared to previous generations and the integration of technology and work life balance that influences their life style”. (Yamamura, Birk & Cossitt, 2010) Thus, this article on the whole tries to highlight the importance of retaining talent and ensuring that they are retained for the future. The article speaks about the importance of first impression and any alteration will lead the organisation to lose on vital employees. It is true that first impression the organisation “creates on the employees decides whether an employee will join an organisation or not”. (Yamamura, Birk & Cossitt, 2010) This is true as when the employee comes in contact with the organisation he creates an impression and that guides him through out his career until he has worked for some time with the organisation and become acquaint to it. Even a study reveals that “an employee impression about an organisation is created the first time he comes in contact with the organisation either through their website or direct contact which decides his future course of action”. (Swartz, 2010) His decision to pursue with the company is based on this and this decides his future with the organisation. First Impression holds various advantages for both the employees and the organisation. Firstly, “it will help the employee and organisation both decide the actions they will take in the future”. (Swartz, 2010) This will ensure timely supply of workforce and help the management in the future. Secondly, it will also help to fill the vacancies in the future. This will help the organisation in succession planning as the vacancies can be filled in house. This will also ensure that employees understand the culture properly and integrate it with their learning’s. The disadvantage is that first impression might create a wrong picture of the organisation or the employee for which the consequences will be borne in the long run. This will affect the growth productivity in the future. The article also speaks about retaining employees. This is a very critical aspect especially in the accounting section as it is difficult to fill the void created there. It is important especially at times of recession to hold on to them. To retain those employees organisation needs to motivate the work force. There are different ways which the organisation can look into. It can use both the financial and non financial incentive. This is an important measure as organisation has to ensure that employees are motivated so that they remain with the organisation. Here, motivation plays an important role and that needs to be integrated with incentives. Even a study reveals that “employee retention holds prime importance for the business units and by using the intrinsic rewards helps to retain the employees, improves satisfaction and creates a bright career prospect”. (Tymon, Stumpf & Doh, 2010) This thus looks into the motivational aspect and helps management to retain employees by motivating them. Another survey shows that “as compared to 2009 where 35% of the employees expected higher employment level the percentage has risen to 50% in 2010”. (Kootungal, 2010) This presents the fact that employees are looking towards being part of the same organisation through development of their career. This is associated with motivation and will help to ensure that employees remain loyal. Retaining employees and ensuring that they contribute to the organisation helps in a variety of ways. The advantage of retaining employees for the organisation is that they understand the culture properly. This helps the organisation as the work culture is already understood and working on those will ensure that work is completed in a better way. Secondly, it helps to fill future vacancies. The organisation can use those talented employees to fill the important position. This will help to ensure that the organisation don’t have to waste time and resources on it. They can fill the vacancies easily and can concentrate on important matters. Thirdly, retaining employee will create a good image. It will help the employees to feel part of the group. Also the image will improve as more employees will look towards it as there is job safety. This will help to ensure that the brand image improves and this will thereby lead to development. Retaining employees also has a disadvantage. It creates over reliance on the employees. This might make the employees feel that the job won’t be completed without them. This might make the organisation suffer as it will create unnecessary voids which will lead to gradual decrease in the growth rate. The article also lays stress on the importance on work life balance especially for generation Y who rely on technology and a mix of both where there is growth along with personnel development. This is an important aspect of business and needs to be stressed on as it guides the employee towards the goal to be achieved. It helps them to identify with the job and helps to reduce dissonance so that work is better accomplished. A study reveals that “dissonance between work value and rewards indicates dissonance which spreads to the work culture and influences the satisfaction level of the employee thereby taking its toll on motivation”. (Porfeli & Mortimer, 2010) This indicates the importance of motivational theory in work place. Managers need to ensure that special tool and techniques are ensured to bring about a match between the two. This will help to achieve the desired result and help to achieve the personal and organisational goal. Another study in the same direction reveals that “ensuring proper work life balance helps to motivate the employees as it helps to remind the employees continuously about the vision, mission and goals they need to accomplish”. (Jay, 2010) Organisations providing this will ensure that generation Y which comprises of the majority of work force is able to dwell on important matters so that motivation rises. Thus, work life balance will help to ensure that the motivational theory works well for the organisation and designing different incentive programmes will help to achieve the goals. This will serve the following benefits for the organisation and will help to improve the final results. Firstly, it will help to ensure that motivation is high. It will help employee to be satisfied and ensure that their performance is transformed into better results. They will feel contend which will help to ensure that they identify themselves with the organisation. Secondly, it will help to design the incentive programme accordingly. It will help to identify the individual needs and then designing on the basis on it will ensure that it is directed towards each employee. This will provide individuality and help to make programs directed towards each employee. The disadvantage associated with this is that it will lead to over reliance of employee on work life balance which might tend to convert some of the hard working employee lazy. This will thereby affect the overall performance level and will lead to employee not performing up to the expected level. Thus, we see that organisations and employees need to develop a good image and then work towards a common goal. While doing so it is important that the different intricacies of the job are included into it. Organisations need to ensure that a work life balance is ensured and incentive programs are designed in such a manner that it is directed towards each employee. Organisations need to ensure that a proper mix of all the qualities which are required to motivate the employees are looked after as it will transform into motivation. This will make the employees satisfied and ensure that they remain with the organisation. This will help to fill the vacancies in house and also ensure that succession planning is also looked after. Including this in the scheme of planning will help the organisation, individual employee and people associated with the company achieve the goals. References Porfeli E & Mortimer J, 2010, “Intrinsic work value reward dissonance and work satisfaction during young adulthood”, Journal of Vocational Behaviour, Volume 76, Issue 3, page 507, Orlando Kootungal L, 2010, “Survey: Rise in Optimism”, Oil & Gas Journal, Volume 108, Issue 7, page 1, Tulsa Jay J, 2010, “Lead & Motivate: not just your team but yourself too”, Super Vision, Volume 71, Issue 6, page 11, Burlington Yamamura J, Birk C & Cossitt B, 2010, “Attracting & Retaining Talent: The importance of first impression”, The CPA Journal, Volume 80, Issue 4, page 58, New York Swartz M, 2010, “Make a website jobseeker friendly”, Canadian HR Reporter, Volume 23, Issue 8, page 22, Toronto Tymon W, Stumpf S & Doh J, 2010, “Exploring talent management in India: The neglected role of intrinsic reward”, Journal of World Business, Volume 45, Issue 2, page 109, Greenwich Read More