Significance Of Training And Development In Employee Retention - Research Paper Example

Significance Of Training And Development In Employee Retention Employee Motivation The desire by employees to enhance their skills is indisputable. Training and development promote workplace learning. Workers strive to acquire skills to enable them to accomplish greater responsibilities in the workplace. William (2004) observes that employees are motivated and are likely to stay in an organization where they are offered the opportunity to continue growing and developing their career and as well as their knowledge. This is a clear indication of the significance of training and development in employee retention. Schrader & Lawless (2004) share this opinion and observe that when the employer expands the job description in the employee development program to integrate greater and challenging responsibilities, they are motivated to undertake the new responsibilities; hence their continued stay in the organization. Ownership of Organizational Goals Training and development empower employees to participate in decision making as well as self-management. Development of employee capacity can also include involvement of employees in developing organizational policies (Shields 2007). It promotes goal ownership among the employees and reduces overreliance on the management regarding the accomplishment of day to day tasks. Johnson (2001) observes, people usually desire to have autonomy in their day to day activities, which is significant in encouraging them to remain in the organization. With such empowerment, democracy is established in the workplace whereby the employees' views are taken into consideration and integrated into to the organization’s strategic plan. Employees are allowed to attend and contribute to significant meetings, which makes them feel desirable and appreciated and hence feel that they are part and parcel of the organization (Colling 1995). Career Development McConnell (2003) argues that provision of up-to-date training and development opportunities to employees enhances their value in the labor market and hence increased career mobility. This positively affects their job security since they keep in mind that their skills are in line with the current demand for human resources within the organization. The employees’ security comes from the realization that they remain equivalent with employees in other organizations. Competent employees view stagnation in a particular position as a potential cause of redundancy thus they stay in the organization where career development is guaranteed (Startups 2006). How Training and Development Increases Revenues and Productivity Empowerment Strategies for training and development empower employees to accomplish tasks effectively. The need to continuously acquire knowledge is important especially for the constantly changing business environments (McConnell 2003). Schrader & Lawless (2004) observe that new technologies that require skilled workers cannot be applied if an organization fails to train its employees. The alternative is to hire skilled workers, which is a move that might be costly for the organization especially in the long run due to the constant technological advancements and market changes. Capacity Building Workplace learning involves constant skills upgrading to help employees improve their performance. Coaching is among the workplace learning strategies that are focused on giving the employees additional skills to improve their competence. For example, when new employees are engaged in a company, they usually possess some skills but have little experience in the organizational operations. Coaching them is necessary to improve their knowledge regarding the organization. It helps them to apply the skills acquired through studies in real practice (Colling 1995). The result is usually positive and the employees can perform better, thereby increasing productivity among the employees. Coaching motivates the weaker employees to perform better and also facilitates the transfer of knowledge from the experienced employees to the newly employed. William (2004) argues that happy employees are productive employees. High Commitment Training and development help employees to accomplish tasks better and with ease through the application of the new skills, which increases self-actualization and job satisfaction. The overall result is the greater commitment that is not based on external influences such as rewards and compensation. Workers become more creative and are also able to approach problems decisively. Training and development also generate positive attitudes among employees, which is important in team building (Johnson 2001). Performing Training Needs Assessment (TNA) Organizational Analysis Training needs assessment is aimed at establishing learning objectives as well as the rationale of training in organizations. It leads to a definite design and appraisal of training activities (Barbazette 2006). According to Bartram & Gibson (1997), the first step involves conducting an organizational analysis whereby the initiator of the training demand is understood, supporters of the training as well as the source of finances for the activity. Employees willing to attend as well as those who do not want are recorded. The management has to determine the key areas where problems are likely to emerge in the training period. These include inconsistencies between the task and the approach used as opposed to the inputs and outputs. It is important to relate the inconsistencies to the processes, structures, employees, management as well as organizational culture. The level of the employee in the organizational structure should also be known at this stage. The target group should also be agreed upon depending on the nature of work, functions of the position held as well as the department (Bartram & Gibson 1997). Task Analysis The second step involves task analysis whereby the management agrees on the task components. These include the activities to be undertaken by the targeted group for training. The managerial tasks and the training logistics are also determined at this level (Barbazette 2006). The desired level of performance should be defined in relation to the organizational strategy. Evaluation of the current levels of performance is necessary while determining the desired level. The current inconsistencies in performance are supposed to be analyzed at this stage to guide decisions regarding the training needs (Billett 2009). Determination of Training Needs The third activity involves establishing the training needs, which begins by analyzing the non-competency gaps existing amongst the employees. The causes of these gaps must be established to help in predicting the nature of solutions to be applied. The various causes need to be identified including those in the external as well as the external environment. These include factors associated with the operating environment such as competition and technological advancement as well as those concerned with the organizational operations such as awareness, skills, strategies, and values. This should be followed by an analysis of the competency gaps that match the inconsistencies in performance. These are the key components to be improved by the training (Training and Development 2008). Billett (2009) argues that the relevant and noteworthy differences of the desired level from the current situation should be known to help in determining the manner in which the gaps will be closed. At this point, the managers might find that there are non-training solutions to bridge the gaps such as redesigning of strategy, re-organization of processes as well as re-designing the tasks. On the other hand, some of the gaps may be found to necessitate training (Mccleland 2002). The training needs have various ways of getting satisfied. These include; workplace learning whereby the employees learn new skills under the supervision of skilled members of the organization. Employees may also be sponsored to attend formal classrooms. The studies may be full time or part time, which might be fully or partly sponsored by the organization (Giffin 2010). Relation between Job Descriptions and Training and Development Activities Content of Job Descriptions The content of job descriptions determines the kind of training and development activities that need to be undertaken for particular positions in the organization. According to Whitfield & Poole (1997), job descriptions should illustrate the tasks, responsibilities, and roles associated with a particular job. The necessary qualifications, significant contributions and expected outcomes of a particular position, as well as workplace relations with other employees for a particular job, are also specified in the job descriptions. They also contain essential information regarding the working environment and the growth potential, which the management should take into consideration when developing training and development activities. In this perspective, training and development activities to a great extent are based on the job description. Fowler (2000) observes that job descriptions act as indicators of the nature of training and development. For example in the contemporary business environment, constant changes necessitate changes in job descriptions. On the other hand, any change in the job description opens up a training and development opportunity for the incumbent employee. Changes in the Operating Environment Job descriptions together with training and development activities are correspondingly influenced by changes in the operating environment. A change in the job description has to be accompanied by a change in training and development activities. Technological changes have led to the inclusion of new competencies in job descriptions. Viswesvaran & Ones (2000) observes that organizations have been compelled to computerize their operations to increase efficiency and enhance communication. This led to a change in job descriptions for the various positions thereby necessitating a change in the training and development activities. With the increased knowledge and new challenges, personal and career development is accomplished as remuneration and employability ascend (Billett 2009). Flexibility Just as training and development are based on training needs assessment, job descriptions are also based on job analysis. Both activities are focused on determining the knowledge and competencies required for tasks to be accomplished and for productivity o be accomplished in the organization. The two assessments are concerned with the working environment, tools, knowledge, and abilities required as well as relations between different positions in the organization. According to (Luthans & Stajkovic 1999), appropriate job descriptions are dynamic and are reorganized as duties change. They also allow flexibility among employees rather than limiting them to their responsibilities, which allows them to broaden their experience, develop skills and enhance their capacity to contribute towards the accomplishment of organizational goals. Similarly, flexible training and development allow employees to acquire new knowledge and skills as changes occur in relation to their responsibilities (Mccleland 2002). Conclusion Employees are empowered to participate in decision making and to accomplish tasks effectively through training and development. Training needs assessment is significant to determine the learning objectives. Job descriptions are necessary to illustrate the duties and responsibilities of a person holding a particular position. Flexibility in training and development enhances acquisition of new knowledge and skills whenever they necessary. Implications for Managers The human resource management’s role in an organization is to ensure that employees are exposed to training opportunities. The managers need to understand that skills acquired from this kind of training allow the employees to understand the operating environment better and to maintain awareness of the business goals as well as the practices that can lead to their successful accomplishment. It is also important for managers to understand that competition among employees is maintained through ensuring that they have hopes to advance in their careers. Their morale decreases when they work in the same position over a long period of time without chances of personal and career development. 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