Theoretical Perspective 1: Individual Expectations Of Career Development

Great Essays
Analysis
Theoretical perspective 1: Individual expectation of career development
Research has shown that failure to meet employee’s career development expectations would lead to the loss of talented workers. (Harrison, 2016) When talented workers work hard and often perform better than their peers, they expect their employers to treat them better by supporting them in career advancement. However, when the organisation is not doing well, career advancement tends to fall short of their expectations which result in them believing that they could excel better in other organisation with their work ability. (Martin & Conrad, 2010)

Theoretical perspective 2: Difference in motivational needs and work values
In the 21st century, the ease of labour mobility has resulted in increasing workforce diversity. As workforce are increasingly diversified, the expectations between individuals and motivational needs differs. (Jyoti & Vijaya, 2015). Similarly, generational diversity displays different values and attitudes among the different generations. (Lee, 2013) For instance, the GenYs values learning and advancement in a job more while the GenXs values flexibility more. (Adkins & Rigoni, 2016) Therefore, with differing work values between generations, each generation has its unique work attitude and preference. (Dose, 1997) The increasing workforce diversity thus makes it hard for managers to retain employees as individuals are motivated differently, by the activities and outcomes that they value. (Maslow, 1943) However, contrary to popular beliefs, greater retention rate was found in more diverse workforce. (Leonard & Levine, 2010) A diverse workforce enhances employee’s morale as they feel valued for who they are and are accepted for their contributions. (Wilber, 2015) Hence, high morale foster a positive environment which result in greater talent retention. Theoretical Perspective 3: Lack of employee engagement Engagement in work is linked with feeling valued, secured, supported and respected. (Seppala & Cameron, 2015) It is crucial for managers to engage their employees as it provides a platform for managers to understand their concerns and needs. A research conducted by Mercer reported that employee engagement would retain talent as they have lower tendency to seek other job opportunities and a stronger want for their job (Smith, 2010) However, a study conducted by Accenture contradicts with the above mentioned as it reported that more than 43% of the highly engaged employees had weak or at best, lukewarm intentions to stay with their company. (Craig & DeSimone, 2011) Based on a global study, some reasons include, lack of development opportunities and employees finding their work too demanding. (Swank, 2016) Hence, despite being highly engaged, talented employees could still choose to leave. Interview Findings The first interviewee Mr Sum, has been a director of a SME for over 20 years.
…show more content…
Mr Sum mentioned that the challenges he face in retaining talents includes them going back their homeland, comparison with peers in the same industry and failure to meet his employee’s expectations. In Mr Sum’s case, workforce diversity, mainly the difference in nationality creates communication barriers leading to unhappy working environment. He did not think that generational diversity poses a difficulty as all of them have a common goal which is to complete the project. Lastly, he believes that employee engagement is important but not sufficient in retaining his employees due to attractive offers by competitors. The second interviewee, has been with Coca Cola Beverage for 34 years but only 4 years as a warehouse manager. The second interviewee mentioned that the challenges he face in retaining talents includes limited opportunities for career progression, other attractive offers as well as employees having unlimited expectations, wants and needs. In the second interviewee case, workforce diversity is not a problem. Rather, he thinks that it would help in retaining the talent as it creates a fair and transparent …show more content…
In theory, high level of employee engagement result in lower tendency to leave and a stronger desire for their job. However in reality, even when the company actively engages their employees, employees still leave for better job opportunities. This is coherent with the study by Accenture that even highly engaged employees have weak intention to stay. This can be attributed to the desire for career advancement and the practicality of humans. Also, as highlighted by Mr Sum, employees tend to compare with peers from the same industry. Hence, they may feel undervalued in the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Achieving Career Goals

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How does a degree in your program of study enhance your professional and career goals? Before I address how a degree in nursing will enhance my professional and career goals first let me tell you a little bit about why I chose this profession. I, like many others, am currently pursuing a degree in nursing. However, what motivates me to be a nurse may be a little different.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    3. Notes A few questions proved to measure the difference between engaged employees and those that are not engaged. They measure the core of a strong workplace. 1.…

    • 2973 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To elaborate further on social cognitive career theory (SCCT), Hackett, Lent and Brown (2000) discussed strategies for which SCCT counselors should navigate through their clients’ career obstacles. First, Hackett et al. (2000) stated that SCCT focuses on the interaction of individual aspects such as self-efficacy, result outcomes, and future goals, and how those interactions contribute to career development (Hackett, Lent, & Brown, 2000). To begin their evaluation, the authors analyzed environmental factors from a SCCT perspective (Hackett et al., 2000). When examining career development through a SCCT lens, there are two major factors that influence it, (i.e., objective and observed environmental factors; Hackett et al., 2000).…

    • 910 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Reducing Turnover at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Applied Case Study I place very high importance in employee onboarding and retention. I was prideful in my last position to have the highest employee retention rate and one of the best continuing education plans for the 90+ employees that reported in my department.…

    • 1021 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Career development is the most essential aspect of human development. According to Donald Super, career development is a life-long process that consist of multiple roles and transitions of career behaviors from birth to death. Moreover, career behaviors occur in different stages. For instance, Super identified factors regarding to career behaviors in adolescents and young adults. These factors include planfulness, exploration, information, decision- making, and reality orientation (Herr, 1997).…

    • 1542 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Applied Management Theory We are at a crossroads in the world of business management. At a time of fast changes in the workplace, companies that are not adapting are failing at an increasing faster rate. In the past 50 years, the life expectancy of a typical Fortune 500 company has fallen from 75 to 15 years. Not only that, but employee engagement is also at an all-time low.…

    • 1776 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    People have different reasons for continuing their education. My primary reason for continuing my education is I want to learn new things and keep abreast to changes. Another big concern of mine is that new ideas and solutions to problems are discovered every day through technology. Being that I am closing in on 50 in a couple years, the things I have learned have become out dated. So in order to be successful at anything people have to stay abreast of the things going on around them.…

    • 1047 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The research problem is well presented. The problem is that leaders and organizations understand that low employee engagement is…

    • 1119 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Introduction Employee engagement is a workplace tactic that brings about the ideal conditions for all associates of an organization to: excel each day, commit to their companies’ goals, and be driven to contribute to the organization’s success. Employee engagement can be measured and can vary from poor to great. Nurturing employee engagement in the workplace can also deepen communication between members of an organization and increase the overall productivity. The purpose of this study is to establish whether there is a relationship between employee engagement and employee satisfaction. Problem Statement Employee satisfaction and employee engagement are similar ideas that are significant to organizations who want to preserve their employees’…

    • 1767 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Perrin (2003), also defined engagement as the ‘employee willingness and ability to contribute to company success, through putting extra time, brain power and energy to their work’. According to Shuck and Wollard (2010), employee engagement is “an individual employee’s cognitive, emotional, and behavioral state directed toward desired organizational outcomes”. The willingness on the part of employees to go to the extra mile than what they ever did before can be termed as engagement, in terms of business demands and client demands. This cannot be achieved alone, it works hand in hand with motivation, so these are the major dilemma faced by many managers and leaders today. How to continuously engage their employees to give the best out for the…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Arvind Motor Case Study

    • 1778 Words
    • 8 Pages

    CHAPTER-1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT Project is on employee engagement and retention strategy under taken at Arvind motors, Mangalore for the period of 12 weeks. Aim of the study was to find out what kind of employee engagement and retention strategy will help the employees to perform better. The organization success is highly dependent on engaging the employees by various activities to retain them to perform better. Therefore it is necessary for the company to find out which employee engagement activities make the stay in an organization for a long period. “Employee engagement” refers to bonding between employers and employees “Retention” refers to the efforts made by the employer to retain employees.…

    • 1778 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In today’s ever –changing world, organizations must make decisions to apply strategic changes within the business. This is essential for the organization to adapt to new competitive forces and remain relevant in their market. Yet decision making is not always easy. Once an alternative is chosen, the ultimate success of it depends on whether it can be translated into action. Managers must therefore rely on managerial, administrative, and persuasive abilities to gain support from employees and reduce resistance to change.…

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Introduction Over the recent decade, employee engagement has grown to become a critical area of research and importance. It has shown that, most firms are willing to go above and beyond to invest in their employees, in order to enhance their productivity and more importantly, to retain them. A brief history…

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Module 3: Reflection Paper: Employee Engagement The importance of employee engagement has increased in importance since its recognition as a major factor contributing to organizational efficiency and organizational profit (Shoaib & Kohli, 2017). Employee engagement has been defined as an employee’s sense of purpose and belonging in an organization that contributes to the employee’s motivational state and willingness to contribute to the employee’s work role and the overall success of the organization (Shoaib & Kohli, 2017). In addition, employee engagement has been linked to staff satisfaction and retention (Tillott, Walsh, & Moxham, 2013). Employee Engagement in Healthcare…

    • 785 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Career Success Evaluation

    • 2115 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The third part is a discussion of the findings of a qualitative research using semi-structured interviews. The fourth and final part will provide a critical evaluation of the writers’ final stance on this topic. The subject of career success has been extensively researched throughout the years, plenty of research has been done on how other variables such as person-environment fit and organizational support lead to a career success (Ballout, 2007), happiness in the workplace suggest that positive emotions should be valued as they can promote optimal functioning being important for career success (Boehm & Lyubomirsky, 2008). These studies serve as a reference to the importance of what career success is; likewise, the subject can be determined to be important for employees as well as employers.…

    • 2115 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays