Training and Development of Employees at American Express Business Travel in London - Essay Example

Organizations have always strived to find ways of improving their employees’ performance and productivity. With globalization and with the multi-national organizations providing attractive opportunities to qualified professionals, another factor that has become a cause for concern is the retention of talent. The issue has become even more relevant as the changing business environment requires organizations to be more efficient and effective. Human Resource practices are being increasingly recognized as an important factor in the organization’s quest to achieve better performance and to retain its qualified workers.

When an organization recruits its employees, it not only hires their hands or skills but the entire person as a whole. Though all organizations follow some set of rules and practices in the administration of personnel affairs, those organizations that understand that the development of their people is crucial to retaining them, do so by streamlining their policies with individual development, motivation, and job satisfaction. By doing this, it is hoped that the results will translate not only in improved performance and productivity but also in encouraging organizational loyalty among the employees. Others however try to take the shortcut – increase work hours, cut costs, and overload employees – and expect to see productivity increase. All Organizations however seem to be involved in the practice of human resource management, though with different objectives in mind and follow different theories to back their particular approach.

Variable such as rewards including training opportunities for learning and development are often rewards that talented individuals seek (Rumpel & Medcof, 2006). This statement is usually appropriate when basic expectations are fulfilled e.g. pays and compensation. Employees, especially young professionals, have the tendency of wanting to upgrade themselves through learning and chances for advancement. They also prefer to learn and use new technology.

The importance that appears to have been placed by numerous researches on the job and professional skills training in terms of employee satisfaction and retention is noteworthy. The aim of this dissertation is therefore to understand employee perceptions of training and development opportunities at American Express Business Travel (Amex), a corporate travel service situated in Croydon, near London.