Incentive Program for Retention of Employees with a Mentoring Program - Admission/Application Essay Example

u09a2 Project – Research Essay Revision After completing the Research essay rough draft, there is scope for improvement. Improvement needs to be done regarding the need to incorporate more work related aspects into the body of the paper, outlining the topic of Incentive Program for Retention of Employees with a Mentoring Program. As I work in a company that builds power lines, the research paper has to be formulated by setting around a worker type setting not common staff related issue. The mentoring program will mainly focus on the new employees or newly recruited employees, with the less experienced employees also covered. So, in the Final Research essay, the main focus will be on the newly recruited employees, particularly the lineman and how they and other ill-equipped employees can be optimized through a mentoring program. The main aspects that will be including in the Final Research paper who will play the roles of the mentor and mentee. That is, in my organizations, employees working in which hierarchical stage will play the role of mentor and how they will mentor employees working in the lower stage. The Mentoring program in my organization is based on the hierarchical structure with the top or middle level management team or experienced officials mentoring the ill-equipped lower level employees. The experienced officials include Foreman/Supervisor, Superintendent and Project Managers and they will only play the role of the mentors in the mentoring program. With newly recruited employees particularly linemen and Ground men, and little experienced employees including operator and Journeyman lineman falling short in their performance, they need to be mentored to increase their skill level and knowledge level. Mentoring has become an integral part of any organizations’ functioning, with the recruited employees themselves expecting some aid. So, mentoring is equally beneficial to the employees as well as the organizations. The final Research paper will analyze how the mentors as part of the mentoring program will initiate and control the mentorship for the benefit of the employees as well as my organization. The mentors will normally allocate a specific portion of their work schedule to mentor, and thereby teach and equip the newer employees about all the intricacies of organizational functioning, targets, problems and also how it can be solved. Apart from facilitating the learning of new techniques, knowledge and skill, the mentors has to guide and support the new recruits regarding the various aspects of ground level work. Because of this crucial role, mentors should have the interest, willingness to share their knowledge, intention to develop others and also patience, so that they can optimally mentor the employees. This aspect will also be discussed in the Final Research paper. In current times, shortage of lineman is happening in my organization due to the other prospects that would available. So, the employees including the lineman have to be made equipped and should be encouraged and motivated to give optimal performance. For that, mentoring is a suitable, feasible and effective option. With mentoring the newly recruited employees as well as the less experienced employees, will be better equipped, will exhibit optimum functioning, will contribute to organizational success, will get rewards and thereby will retain to the existing organizations, providing optimum output for many years to come. All these aspects, which was missed in the initial rough draft will be incorporated into the Final Research paper. u10a1 Project – Research Essay: Incentive Program for Retention of Employees with a Mentoring Program Introduction When one speaks or thinks about an industry or an office or an organization, the ‘mental picture’, one visualizes is of machines, smoke outlets, power stations, power lines, etc, etc (in case of industries) and papers, computers, cabins etc, etc (in case of offices). But, the crucial thing that the mind ‘crops out’ is the picture of a working human. Without delving deeply into why mind always associate industry and office with non-living things, the point is, humans are the crucial things who can put an organization in a cruise mode in terms of production, sales, profits, etc. So, the workers only form the crucial ‘cog’ in the running of the organization. But, for the organizations, recruiting the apt workers is not the end of the task. They have to aptly ‘staff’ the staffs through an effective staffing process, by mentoring the recruited workers. This way, they will fit into the job, for which they are recruited for, perform their best in that job and thereby can be retained by the organization. Background To run an enterprise or an organization continuously without any break, the recruitment function and the staffing process should also be a continuous process. That is, it is necessary that the management must ensure a constant availability of sufficient number of efficient employees from managers, executives, technical persons to laborers, for the efficient functioning of the organization. Overall, the recruited or selected personnel should be physically, mentally, emotionally and temperamentally fit for the job. This can be achieved by adopting or by having an optimal recruitment process and importantly through a strong mentoring process. So, only if the workers are recruited perfectly and mentored effectively along with a retention program, they can work perfectly, provide optimum productivity and thereby retained. The mentoring process in any organization including in power line building company like us, will be carried out in two ways or for two types of employees – the newly recruited employees and a little experienced employees, who is about to be exposed to a new process. In my organization, these types of employees are normally recruited and mentored by the experienced officials to get the maximum output and retained. Newly recruited Employees or linemen Before the ‘greenhorns’ or newly recruited employees are placed in highly responsible positions, they need to be given necessary orientation and training as part of the staffing process. In my organizations, linemen and also Ground men are most times newly recruited, while employees for other positions are promoted from within the organizations. Importantly, while employees recruited and promoted for other positions could have some experience, linemen are mostly freshers. Even if the recruited linemen have little experience, they need to be equipped first. For equipping them, then retaining them and making them work with a lot of motivation and confidence, the linemen need to be mentored. Actually, after the recruitment and apportionment is done, the employees will be prepared to start the work as soon as possible. But, sometimes or most times, the recruited employees including linemen should need to be given orientation and training to integrate or assimilate with the working environment and importantly fulfill the work needs. That is, the prospective employees may show optimum interest, performance, etc at the time of recruitment, but after selection, while working in the organization they many under-perform. That is, after performing well during the recruitment process and getting the job, they may become over-confident and may not put the same effort during their work. Also, if the organization fails to give them an optimal working environment as promised during the recruitment process, employees may not perform well in that scenario also. So, this where an optimal staffing process through mentoring will come into the picture, equipping the recruited employees and matching the job needs of the organization. We hire new employees or linemen and Ground men, and immediately after hiring or recruitment, they will be an incentive program for their retention. But, as that employee or lineman will be best of class in this field of work, he could move out of the organization, when better opportunities with better salary packages arrive. So, the key is that apart from the retention program, the recruited employees should be mentored continuously to keep them motivated and confident about their role responsibilities. The linemen will have to put in their best efforts to fulfill the set targets given by their seniors including Foreman/Supervisor, Superintendent and Project Managers, and also to entice the customers. Because of this crucial role and the necessary output, the recruited linemen need to be mentored by the same middle or upper management team of Foreman/Supervisor, Superintendent and Project Managers, thereby enabling them to complete the work successfully. So, the middle management team of Foreman/Supervisor, Superintendent and project Managers first need to set targets for the newly recruited employees or linemen and then need to mentor them as part of the mentoring program, to get the desired output. Mentoring or training employees including little experienced employees and existing employees as part of their need to match the new processes or products After recruiting the new staffs, organizations should also ‘staff’ the recruited staffs optimally as part of the staffing process. That is, when the recruited and the existing employees fall short in their performance, mainly due to lack of skill and knowledge about the process, they can be mentored as part of the staffing process. In competitive environments, every organization including public or private or MNCs (Multinational companies) or domestic organizations should keep on upgrading its product and services to entice as well as satisfy the customers. For that, the employees have to be upgraded first. Upgraded in the sense, according to the needs of the job and the expectations of the customers, the employees needed to be trained and mentored. This is very specific to the employees, who maintain direct contact with the customers like the employees who build power lines to homes. They need to maintain optimum contact with the customers, and need to fulfill their expectations as well complete the job successfully. For that, they need to have optimum skills and knowledge. If they have inadequate or less than expected skills and knowledge, they need to be mentored and thereby trained to fulfill their job needs. This scenario is maximally visible or related to the employees who will be working for the organization for some time like the men who work as operator and Journeyman lineman. That is existing employees or little experienced employees including operator and Journeyman lineman need to be mentored about the new projects or services that will be launched or adopted in our organizations. While building power lines, new technologies as well as new processes will be introduced or incorporated to get optimal work output. Introduction of new processes and technologies is crucial for any organization including my organizations to function smoothly and optimally, fulfilling all the expectations of the customers. These new technologies and processes should be made fully aware to the little experienced employees. With high possibilities that all the intricacies of the new processes not fully understood, the employees need to be mentored to make them fully equipped. Mentoring Background Mentoring constitutes a kind of developmental relationship that will evolve, when a more experienced ‘expert’ guides or teaches a less experienced protégé as part of the staffing process. “Mentoring involves skills transfer from a more experienced to a less experienced person” (Oystercorp Pty Ltd). Toeing the same line, Cooper (2006) defines Mentoring as a strategic approach to develop an employee by pairing him/her with a more experienced staff member who will teach, coach, counsel, sponsor and encourage them. So, an experienced employee will ‘take care’ of a newly recruited employee and develop him/her. Historically, the term “Mentoring” has been in use from earlier centuries, as the word “Mentor” itself is derived “from a character in Homer’s Odyssey, where a goddess takes on an old man’s appearance in order to guide a young boy through a difficult time” (trainingzone.co.uk). Mentoring process in my organization and the role of experienced and ‘hierarchical’ officials As part of the mentoring processes, middle and senior management team or officials should mentor the recruited staffs and even the old employees, for it reach the top echelons. Mentoring can be used to effectively unlock the potential that already exists within any organization. The organization’s most valuable resource is its people or put more concretely, the knowledge and passion that resides within the hearts and minds of its people... introducing mentoring within any organization, will reap the benefits to the organization” (oaktraining.com). That is, when the newly recruited employees particularly linemen and Ground men, and little experienced employees including operator and Journeyman lineman fall short in their performance, mainly due to lack of skill and knowledge about the process, they can be mentored. That mentoring role can be maximally carried out by top or middle level management team or experienced officials such as Foreman / Supervisor, Superintendent and importantly by Project Manger, with each official taking under his ‘wings’ one or two or group of employees, who need to be mentored. Initiation of the mentoring process After the recruitment, while working in their jobs, employees including Linemen, Ground men, Operator and Journeyman linemen may under perform because of certain shortfalls in their skill and knowledge, mainly at the ground level. In that case, the top or middle level management team or experienced officials will need to first interact with them, giving them assurance and confidence that shortfalls can be corrected with their cooperation. After the initial assuaging words, the officials should need to closely analyze the on what aspects, the employees fall short. For example, whether they do not have the necessary technical skills to contribute while building the power lines, not able to grasp and follow the instructions because of the lack of knowledge about the processes, not having mental aptitude to listen to instructions, etc. Based on those findings, employees with certain shortfalls should be brought under officials who will be experienced and can correct that specific shortfall. The number of employees under each official should be decided according to the potential or experience of the official, his/her interest to mentor and his/hers’ work schedule (the time they can spare). So, from one to two or even group of employees can be brought under a single official, and the mentoring program initiated. When there are group of employees under a single official, mentoring programs can be carried out by the organizations in a large scale, at regular intervals. Mentors, being experts will have extensive and in-depth knowledge about a particular field, and so can find out the wrongs the recruited individuals are doing. By holding daily meetings or regular meetings, the experienced officials can tell the staffs in what aspects they are going wrong and importantly will also list out the corrective steps, particularly from their work experience. This meeting or mentoring can be done at the ground level even while the building of the power lines is going on or in the corridors of the offices, after the work is over for the day. During the mentoring process, the mentors should not overtly impose on the mentees and should also avoid domination, but should positively ‘control’ them. Successful Mentors should function as a brilliant and demanding individual, but at the same time supportive and charismatic father figure. That is, he/she should give the employees the space, freedom and mentoring to think, act and develop in a way that could benefit the company and themselves, but at the same time the mentors should also positively control and discipline them, if their thought process and action appear to be detrimental to the organization. The employees for their part would literally do anything for the officials because they cared about what the employees do. The goal for both of them was the same…….make the company better by being “ the best in class “, run the company with pride and be proud to be part of it. So, with this constant mentoring, the skill and the knowledge level of the employees can be improved, which will translate to optimum performance both on the ground as well as during the planning stage. Research shows that mentoring and coaching are among a host of interventions employed by organizations (de Janasz & Sullivan, 2004) to improve human performance. Development of the employees Mentoring is not overtly goal centric and deadlines based, it is an overall development of recruited employees. So, Mentors in my organization ‘mentor’ the recruited employees at different stages in opportune moments, to achieve positive benefits for the employees and thereby organization, not objectives. Thus, it provides the employees in my organization, an opportunity to improve their knowledge and also experience. “Mentoring is usually delivered as part of a development plan or at induction and forms part of a longer term professional development path, which opens doors, shares experiences and widens individuals’ networking systems” (trainingzone.co.uk). “Longer term professional development path” is the key, because mentoring process can go on for a long time through mostly successes and some failures, even surviving relocations or change of places, career growth, etc. The mentors and the employees in my organization have a long relationship. That is, it would not end after achievement of some targets or completion of some tasks, it will continue for a longer time. The duration of their relationship varies along with the intended impact…the mentorship programme is prolonged and holistic. (Dev, 2001). Actually, it is the prerogative of the mentors and the recruited employees or protégés to continue the relationship further or end abruptly, with the protégés mainly taking the initiatives to maintain a long term contact with their mentors. “Even in formal mentoring programs the protégé and mentor have choices—to continue, how long, how often, and our focus. Self-selection is the rule in informal mentoring relationships with the protégé initiating and actively maintaining the relationship.” (corporatetraining.ie). This long term relationship also leads to loyalty on the part of the employees to the organization and thereby retention. Today, PG&E employees still rely on the “old retired supervisors” for information and ideas to get things done when they’re in a bind. The “old retired supervisors” still help in any way they can. That trust and loyalty is as strong as ever because they know the old guys are still “ one of US “ and still hold onto a common sense of purpose and a degree of dedication to the task of making PG&E a better place despite PG&E itself. Conclusion Mentoring, whether on an executive level or for overall staff, are increasingly being recognized as important in employee development.” (impactfactory.com). Mentoring will be mainly carried out at the time of recruitment and can also be incorporated as a regular or annual feature, and this constitutes the best practice. An wholesome mentoring program will do a world of good for the employees, as they will become equipped skill wise and knowledge wise, and will be able to undertake theirs allocated work with renewed confidence, leading to optimum output, success, rewards and thereby retention to the organization. References corporatetraining.ie. Coach, Mentor: is there a difference? Retrieved May 10, 2009 from http://www.corporatetraining.ie/first_train/articles/coach.php Cooper, S. (2006). Eight keys to mentoring success. Retrieved May 10, 2009 from http://www.canadianbusiness.com/entrepreneur/article.jsp?content=20060717_094309_5076 De Janasz, S.C. & Sullivan, S.E. (2004). Multiple mentoring in academe: Developing the professional network. Journal of Vocational Behavior. 62, 263-83. Dev, S. (2001). A mentor or a coach? Retrieved June 10, 2009 from http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20070611/technologylife01.shtml impactfactory.com. Coaching and Mentoring. Retrieved May 10, 2009 from http://www.impactfactory.com/gate/coaching_mentoring_skills_training/freegate_1825-1104-1118.html oaktraining.com. Coaching and Mentoring. Retrieved June 10, 2009 from http://www.oaktraining.com/coaching.html Oystercorp Pty Ltd. What’s the Difference between Mentoring and Coaching? Retrieved June 10, 2009 from http://www.oystercorp.com/assets/pdf/newsletter.pdf trainingzone.co.uk. Coaching and Mentoring: Understanding the Differences. Retrieved May 10, 2009 from http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=154289 Read More