Training and Development

 

Human resource management is starting to place an increasing emphasis on and need for employee training and development, Every corporation needs to spend on staff training due to the rapidly evolving nature of technology and the business environment in order to build and maintain competitive advantages (Oday Alnabhan, 2005). Training and development place a strong emphasis on enhancing the performance of both individuals and groups through the establishment of an effective system within the company that focuses on the knowledge, techniques, and information needed to accomplish the goal. Effective employee training promotes the growth of employees' skills and knowledge, which in turn helps a business increase productivity and experiences overall growth Also, Identification of performance requirements, knowledge, skills, and abilities required of an agency's personnel to meet the standards is the goal of training and development, resource allocation will be made easier by excellent training (Sambandam, 2021).

 

Further, Training is a specific activity that imparts new knowledge or abilities, frequently given to freshly hired or promoted staff, both are crucial responsibilities of company human resources professionals, who are normally in charge of organizing and carrying out these initiatives (Maryville University, 2021).

The writer is currently working in the largest network telecommunication in Sri Lanka and this organization is conducting various training programs and workshops for all employees to refresh their knowledge, introduce new things, and share employees' knowledge with others. Also, the selected senior employees are eligible for the six sigma course and the organization will provide the opportunity to join it free of charge. This was a benefit for the staff who really want to grow employees' educational path. Further, some higher management employees and technicians will get the opportunity to participate in the training programs which are conducted overseas. Providing proper training and development programs leads to employees and allows employers to pinpoint their knowledge and skills. HR and the training team want to get the full potential of each and every employee to grow personal growth and the organization's success.  Moreover, the organization conducts a special training program called "CSTA" for employees who want to join the Quality team and are willing to be a trainer for newly recruited employees. This will be really helpful to make employee's professional life path a quick way.The HR and training team wants to through proper training and development programs educate employees about new skills and provide updates on existing skills to enhance productivity.

 

Training and Development Help with Reducing Employee Turnover

 

Companies are looking for strategies to retain employees in light of the expensive possibility of employee turnover, Reducing staff turnover requires investment in training and development (Maryville University, 2021). Every year, employee turnover costs U.S. businesses $1 trillion, and replacement expenses can be up to 150 percent of an employee's compensation, According to an article by SHRM, employee training reduces turnover and absenteeism, additionally, a recent LinkedIn Learning study revealed that 94% of workers would stay at a firm longer if it supported their professional growth (Carlevatti, 2022).

 

In conclusion, Employee training and development programs can strengthen the soft skills that are essential in adapting to changes at work and in society and one of the easiest ways to bring costs down is through employee training. HR is responsible to organize the proper training and development for the employees who are working in the organization for a long time instead of recruiting new employees from the outside. Moreover, the HR team and management should identify each and every employee's potential in order to achieve the organization's goal and future development.

 

Reference list

 

Carlevatti, J. (2022). Benefits of Offering Employee Training and Development. [online] Available at: https://corporatetraining.usf.edu/blog/benefits-of-offering-employee-training-and-development [Accessed 29 Nov. 2022].

 

Maryville University (2021). Importance of Training and Development for Employees. [online] Maryville Online. Available at: https://online.maryville.edu/blog/importance-of-training-and-development/.

 

Oday Alnabhan, D.B.A. (2005). Learning and Training Development in Human Resources Management. Master Research Degree Level. [online] Available at: https://www.academia.edu/35426111/Learning_and_Training_Development_in_Human_Resources_Management.

 

Sambandam, R. (2021). employee traning and development: a tool to increase the performance among workforce in organization Employee Traning and Development: A Tool to Increase the Performance Among Workforce in Organization. employee traning and development: a tool to increase the performance among workforce in organization Employee Traning and Development: A Tool to Increase the Performance Among Workforce in Organization, [online] (12(8):7869-7884). Available at: 357528021_employee_traning_and_development_a_tool_to_increase_the_performance_among_workforce_in_organization_Employee_Traning_and_Development_A_Tool_to_Increase_the_Performance_Among_Workforce_in_Organization [Accessed 29 Nov. 2022].

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Recruitment and Selection

 

The process of hiring someone for a job involves determining the need for the position, establishing the position's and the job requirements, holders advertising the position, and selecting the most appropriate person for the job (Recruitment & Selection - Overview, 2021). For the growth or replenishment of talented workers in the modern workplace, effective recruitment and selection procedures that are sufficiently sophisticated and founded on the evidence of job competency and person-organization-job and team fit are essential (Lill and Coetzee, 2021).

 

 

Recruitment goals

 

Ø Reduce the number of candidates who are overqualified and underqualified to increase the success rate of the selection process.

Ø Recruit individuals with the knowledge and experience necessary to accommodate the organization's strategies.

Ø Find qualified candidates to help the organization achieve its objectives.

Ø Comply with the organization’s legal requirements relating to the composition of the workforce.

 

 (A guide to recruitment and selection, 2022).

 

There are two types of recruitment internal and external recruitment.

 

The case study has done for the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT's recruitment and selection practices' effects on organizational performance (AITI-KACE), The study used a sequential explanatory mixed method design with a sample of 39 respondents, Interviews, and focus groups were used to collect qualitative data for analysis, According to the study's findings, AITI-KACE has a policy on hiring and choosing employees that it largely abides by. Both internal and external sources were used for recruiting and selection, further, To ensure that the best and most worthy personnel are hired, the study also advised that established norms and procedures on the recruitment and selection processes be properly followed (Nanor et al., 2022).

 

The writer is working at a reputed telecommunication network organization in Sri Lanka and the organization is mainly focused on recruiting employees in 3 main languages (Sinhala, English, and Tamil) known employees to fill the resource gap in order for an organization can save costs. As a network company, the organization is responsible to provide its service to all Sinhala, English, and Tamil customers, and the HR team is paying an additional Rs.1500 for the employees who can speak/write 3 languages and which is cost saving for the organization. it is a better option instead of recruiting 2 language known employees. Further, the organization will make sure to recruit all the main religions' (Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim) employees as this organization is responsible to work 24/7 days. Then the company will be able to work every day even on special occasions.

In conclusion, when recruiting new staff to the company, the HR team should identify candidates’ academic qualifications and how candidates efficiently work in this kind of workplace. When individual skills are buildup, organizational skills will be automatically build-up. The contributions of each employee play a pivotal role in the sustenance and growth of a business. Hence it is extremely important to select the right person for the job. 

 

 

 

Reference list

 

A guide to recruitment and selection (2022). A guide to recruitment and selection. [online] Available at: https://www.kenjo.io/recruitment-and-selection [Accessed 24 Nov. 2022].

 

Lill, X.V. and Coetzee, M. (2021). Recruitment and selection. Recruitment and selection. [online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355486263_Recruitment_and_selection [Accessed 24 Nov. 2022].

 

 

Nanor, A., Owusu, E., Senyah, M.M., Owusu, E.K.O. and Agyei, S.K. (2022). Recruitment and Selection Policies and Procedures and their effects on Organisational Performance: A Case Study. Technium Social Sciences Journal, 35, pp.405–417. doi:10.47577/tssj.v35i1.7204.

 

 

Recruitment & Selection - Overview (2021). Recruitment & Selection - Overview. [online] Available at: https://www.tutor2u.net/business/reference/recruitment-selection-overview [Accessed 25 Nov. 2022].

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Employee Engagement and Talent Retention

 Engaged employees experience better health, and they develop their own professional and personal resources, which boost their competency and help retain talent, For an organization to be successful, employee engagement should be a strategic goal. Organizations should be proactive and logical when implementing effective retention methods in order to recognize and categorize talented individuals for retention (Ngozi and Edwinah, 2022). Also, by concentrating on the connections between human resource management (HRM), knowledge management (KM), change management (CM), and employee engagement, talent retention in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry can be achieved, furthermore, The suggested framework emphasizes the significance of putting into place particular talent retention methods in knowledge-intensive industries like ICT in order to maintain employee engagement in both their work and their employer (Kossyva et al., 2021).

 

To demonstrate the relationship between talent management and employee engagement, retention, value addition, and enhanced organizational performance, talent management deals with acquiring, developing, and retaining important organizational talent (Mohammed, 2015). 

 

The writer is attached to an established telecommunication network company in Sri Lanka and the organization’s management has provided an opportunity to enhance the employee's knowledge and take out employees' talent from the six sigma program. This will be provided to the executive staff who are working at the organization to engage and grow their personal skills to go to the next level. Via this program, the organization can be identified the real talented employees and it makes the employee satisfaction level high. Furthermore, the HR team is conducting a few training programs related to the enhance the innovation sessions to get an idea about the new services, and the employees can engage and support the introduced new product and services and which will help to enhance the organizations’ performance and goal.

 

Since the performance of the private sector is crucial to Sri Lanka's economic development, it requires a smooth operation to accomplish the best, to carry out these operations, it is crucial to keep stable and capable workers (Karunathilaka and Khatibi, 2016).

 According to the (Karunathilaka and Khatibi, 2016) research, in order to evaluate the data from the questionnaire survey given to 218 HR professionals working for private sector organizations, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the Pearson correlation test, and regression analysis were all used. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to check for the data's normality. According to the findings, talent retention methods are a strong predictor of performance in businesses operating in the private sector.

In conclusion, HR strategies are impacting talent retention on the performance of private sector companies in  Sri Lanka. Talent engagement and talent empowerment strategies are affecting talent retention towards the organization's performance. 

Reference list

 

Karunathilaka, G. and Khatibi, A. (2016). THE HR STRATEGIES IMPACT OF TALENT RETENTION ON PERFORMANCE OF PRIVATE SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS IN SRI LANKA. THE HR STRATEGIES IMPACT OF TALENT RETENTION ON PERFORMANCE OF PRIVATE SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS IN SRI LANKA. [online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359480156_THE_HR_STRATEGIES_IMPACT_OF_TALENT_RETENTION_ON_PERFORMANCE_OF_PRIVATE_SECTOR_ORGANIZATIONS_IN_SRI_LANKA [Accessed 22 Nov. 2022].

 

‌Kossyva, D., Theriou, G., Aggelidis, V. and Sarigiannidis, L. (2021). Talent Retention through Employee Engagement, Human Resource, Knowledge and Change Management: A Conceptual Framework. International Journal of Applied Research in Management and Economics, 4(2), pp.35–45. doi:10.33422/ijarme.v4i2.631.

 

Mohammed, A. (2015). The Impact of Talent Management on Employee Engagement, Retention and Value Addition in achieving Organizational Performance. [online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329642507_The_Impact_of_Talent_Management_on_Employee_Engagement_Retention_and_Value_Addition_in_achieving_Organizational_Performance [Accessed 22 Nov. 2022].

 

Ngozi, D.-E. and Edwinah, A. (2022). Employee Engagement and Talent Retention: A Review. South Asian Research Journal of Biology and Applied Biosciences, 4(5), pp.188–197. doi:10.36346/sarjbm.2022.v04i05.003.

 

 

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Remote working and employee engagement

 

The Covid-19 pandemic is unlike anything we have ever experienced in recent times. Compared to a few months ago, the world has changed, the pandemic has disturbed the business environment and aided in the development of new company models, flexible working methods, and exponential technology (P M and John, 2020). Further, many people have lost their employment and income sources, and others, especially in industrialized economies, have been furloughed or forced to rely on government assistance. Due to a lack of feedback from their employers, employees who were forced to work remotely were prone to experience pressure on their performances. A 2019 study on remote tech workers revealed that 82% of them felt burned out, 52% worked more hours than usual, and 40% felt they had to give more than their coworkers in offices (Oliver, 2021).

Remote work is a notion that enables employees to do their work outside of the typical office setting without having to commute or go to the organization's location, Employee engagement can be understood as a commitment on the part of an employee or employees to the organization to be successful (Ashwini Anand and N. Acharya, 2021)

Figure  1: Survey Results: Remote Work Post Covid-19

Source : (VROOM Digital, 2020)

 

According to the above survey, ‌A staggering 95% of these employees were able to work remotely with COVID-19 restrictions, Many employees who had never contemplated working remotely did so as a result of this change in environment (VROOM Digital, 2020).

Every company had to face a remote working system. The writer was in customer service (non-voice team) in the largest telecommunication network organization in Sri Lanka.. When the first lockdown with the covid 19 pandemic situation and the organization's employees had to adjust to the working-from-home concept. The benefits of remote working can be just as advantageous for the employer as the employee. This was a new experience for the staff and this was a profit for the company as management could save costs on transport, electricity, building rent and all. Beyond profit margins and higher quality, more efficient work opportunities could be able to keep organizations’ employees.

Further, employees were happy to work from home as employees had a comfortable environment and employees can stay as they wish when they doing their work. Initially, this was a challenge for all employees, and then adapted to it. But After seeing the drop in employee performance organization realized the importance of engagement, and as a result, there were one-to-one sessions with employees, and employee surveys were done. Through the data collected, the business became aware of the problems faced by the workforce and began to address them. The employee feels more involved with the organization as a result of the virtual connectivity sessions, and non-voice performance is currently up to par.

In conclusion, even though the idea of remote work is not very novel, it is becoming more and more popular. Working remotely can have both advantages and disadvantages. However, given that it is the best alternative, a solution to these issues must be found.

 

  

Reference list

 

Ashwini Anand, A. and N. Acharya, S. (2021). Employee Engagement in A Remote Working Scenario. International Research Journal of Business Studies, 14(2), pp.119–127. doi:10.21632/irjbs.14.2.119-127.

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P M, N. and John, A. (2020). Organisational engagement during Remote work -HR perspectives. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346941174_Organisational_engagement_during_Remote_work_-HR_perspectives [Accessed 12 Nov. 2022].

 

Oliver, J. (2021). How Remote Work is Shaking Up the U.S. Workforce: Research on the Recent Shift to Remote Work. [online] University of Arkansas, F ersity of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1062&context=finnuht [Accessed 12 Nov. 2022].

 

VROOM Digital. (2020). Survey Results: Remote Work Post Covid-19. [online] Available at: https://www.vroomdigital.ie/blog/how-covid-has-changed-employee-attitudes-toward-remote-work/.

 

 

 

 

Developing and Sustaining Employee Engagement

 

The sustainability of engagement activities is improved by developing and maintaining management functions that support employee engagement and by training managers to use those functions with an emphasis on control (Conkright, 2015). In today's extremely competitive and dynamic corporate world, employee engagement is becoming vastly and critically important, A motivated workforce provides their time and energy to the organization's success, which is a crucial asset, Employees who are strongly immersed in their work with a lot of enthusiasm and performance are considered to be engaged, They are also physically, cognitively, and emotionally linked to their organization, They frequently go above and beyond the terms of the work contract (Rana and Chopra, 2019).

 

Organizations can support their employees by giving them the chance to grow in their careers by funding their formal higher education while they are still employed, Employees must be given a variety of jobs, roles, and responsibilities. Employees have the option to switch from their regular work profile to another position, giving them the chance to expand their knowledge and acquire new abilities (Rana and Chopra, 2019).

 

Figure 1: Developing And Sustaining Employee Engagement

 

 

 Source : (Simran, 2022)

The writer currently working on the largest telecommunication network in Sri Lanka. The organization’s management has identified the above-mentioned (figure 1) points and provided support to the employees very effectively and those can supportive to reach the organization's goal and employees' personal improvement. Writer’s attached organizations’ Non-voice team managers annually go through each and every employee's actual performance and select the top 3 best performers of the year and selected employees will receive certificates with considerable cash prizes. Apart from that, a work hard performers are rewarded with certificates and gifts. 

 

Employees with higher years of work experience tend to have a strong sense of alignment with employees’ roles and jobs assigned. The employees have high sense of purpose and achievement on the personal and professional front that maintain them engaged. Employees see their long association as recognition of their contribution to the organization-building process and feel proud to be part of the growth and success journey of the organization.

 

The organization’s HR team has opened more opportunities to grow the employee's skills and build up the relationship between higher management and internal teams. This will be highly supportive to grow the employee's personal skills and future path.

 

Further, to increase employee engagement levels, employers should give careful thought to the design of engagement initiatives (SHRM, 2019). As HR professionals consider implementing or changing strategies or programs to boost employee engagement, the HR team should do the below:

l Make sound investments

l Create an "engagement culture

l Base investment decisions on sound data

(SHRM, 2019)

 

In conclusion, the organization’s management and the responsible team should understand that each and every employee is playing a huge role in their job scope and the management team should provide more opportunities to grow their self equally based on their performances. The management should identify the weakness and create a supportive environment and flexible culture is important within the organization as then the organization can develop and sustain employee engagement in a proper way.

 

Reference list

 

Conkright, T.A. (2015). Using the Four Functions of Management for Sustainable Employee Engagement. Performance Improvement, 54(8), pp.15–21. doi:10.1002/pfi.21506.

‌Rana, S. and Chopra, P. (2019). Developing and Sustaining Employee Engagement. Advances in Human Resources Management and Organizational Development, pp.142–164. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7799-7.ch009.

 

SHRM (2019). Developing and Sustaining Employee Engagement. [online] SHRM. Available at: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/sustainingemployeeengagement.aspx.

 

Simran (2022). Developing And Sustaining Employee Engagement. [online] Available at: https://mantracare.org/employee-wellness/sustaining-employee-engagement/ [Accessed 15 Nov. 2022].

 

Employee engagement through communication

 

According to the research, higher organizational productivity and profitability have been linked to employee engagement, among other positive outcomes; nevertheless, there is a dispute in the literature on what constitutes employee engagement and how employees really practice it (Schroeder & Modaff, 2018).

Since it supports organizational effectiveness, internal communication is a requirement for organizational success, The research specifically looked at the relationship between employee engagement and constructs like participative organizational culture, supportive communication climate, participative leadership communication, quality and reliability of the information, two-way asymmetrical communication, and two-way symmetrical communication, The results highlight the critical role that internal communication plays in achieving employee engagement (Mbhele and De Beer, 2022).

 

Figure 1: Employee communication

 

Source :(Abhisek Gupta, 2017)

 

According to figure 1, employee communication will be successfully completed when there is proper communication among employees, and it should be trustworthy, need to set an objective of the plan that the management or organization is going to implement. When the change vision is visible, communication can be done without criticism from the employees. Also, proper communication can be leading the positive thoughts from employees.

 

The writer has attached to the Sri Lankan largest network telecommunication company. The organization’s Leaders' and managers communication taken a most prominent place as that is a top internal communication factor that statistically correlates to employee engagement. The tone for employee communication is set by managers. Managers and leaders must therefore be the ones to start conversations and set an example for others, this can entail informing staff members about changes to company strategy, company news, or new projects (Firstup, 2021). Through effective employee communication, great leaders can motivate and unify their workforce.

 

For example, when the processes or KPIs change in the organization, management communicates the changing process to the employees effectively. proper communication can lead to any kind of changes within the organization and those can be achieved smoothly. Employee engagement is only attained when an engaging work environment is created and the employee decides to work on it, as it is believed that employee engagement is a shared obligation between the management and the employee (Sköld, 2019). Internal communication is speedily gaining importance in organizations,  as employers are realizing its positive effects and its impact on the long-term productivity and progress of organizations.

 

In conclusion, unfortunately, many business leaders and managers fail to realize the importance of effective employee communication. The importance of employee communication cannot be understated. An employee communication plan must be created by Management with the specific demands, objectives, and pain points of the business in mind if it is to have the greatest impact.

 

Reference list

 

Abhisek Gupta (2017). Employee communication. [online] Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/AbhisekGupta6/employee-communication-71948466 [Accessed 10 Nov. 2022].

 

Firstup. (2021). What is employee communication and why it’s more important than ever. [online] Available at: https://firstup.io/blog/what-is-employee-communication-and-why-its-more-important-than-ever/.

Schroeder, S. and Modaff, D.P. (2018). Exploring employee engagement through communication. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, 19(1), pp.35–43. doi:10.1080/17459435.2018.1468807.

 

Sköld, M. (2019). Employee perspective on communication and engagement. [online] Luleå University of Technology. Available at: http://ltu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1335082/FULLTEXT01.pdf [Accessed 10 Nov. 2022].