BHR 4680 Unit I Assessment

UNIT I

QUESTION 1

In order for an organization to increase employee engagement, the company may use various methods. Discuss the influences and learning in the workplace that contribute to training and development. In addition, address your personal experience with employee engagement.

In today’s highly competitive business environment, training and development of employees is of the utmost importance to employee retention and to stay competitive in today’s market. A high employee turnover can be costly not only financially, but also from a human capital standpoint. Organizations often have a hard time recruiting quality employees and invest large amounts of resources into the recruiting process. When offering training, the most important aspect from a business standpoint is how the training improves the businesses bottom line. It is also important, however, that the training benefits the employee personally by improving the individual’s performance, aiding in their personal professional growth, make employees feel valued and in control of their career. Such employees generally do not seek employment outside of their current organization but rather strive to move up within and ensure the retention of motivated, high-quality employees.

My previous employer, ADP, Inc., offered training on an ongoing basis, not only officially but also unofficially by encouraging employees to share knowledge on a daily basis. While ADP offers continuous, mandatory training that is related to an employee’s specific role, they also offer employees the opportunity to voluntarily sign up for various certifications that are recognized industry-wide, offer generous tuition reimbursement, and highly encourage sharing one’s knowledge in one’s field of expertise. Because the company invests heavily in the professional growth of its employees, their turnover is fairly low. The competition also values the training provided by ADP. My employment at ADP made me much more competitive. While employed at the company and ever since, I have recruiters contacting me on a regular basis even though I am currently not in the market for a new job.

QUESTION 2

It can be said that the most important talent management challenge that managerial positions face is identifying employees with managerial ability and training and developing those skills. Identify the factors related to identifying employees with managerial ability and training and developing those skills, and summarize what is needed to successfully manage an organization globally.

Traditionally, a manager was expected to possess four basic skills: planning, organizing, controlling, and leading. The current environment, however, expects an effective leader to have additional qualities. Highly effective communication skills, being well-versed in employee development, and rather than taking a top-down approach, a manager has to be able to collaborate with employees. Managing in a global environment brings on additional challenges as organizations deal with language barriers and cultural differences that can make effective communication challenging. The challenges of identifying employees that are management material are two-fold: not only has the required skill-set expanded, but with an aging workforce many experienced managers are slated to retire, which creates an even higher demand for new managers and filling these positions with qualified individuals becomes even more of a challenge.

While managing in a global environment requires additional skills, due to a much diverse workforce domestically, these skills are becoming more and more important for all managers. Employees from various cultural backgrounds, a rise in immigration due to the lack of talent within the U.S., and companies offshoring positions overseas with employees being managed remotely require the entire workforce to show a much higher cultural sensitivity than was previously needed, which is especially true for employees in leadership positions.

Many management positions are filled with existing employees in non-leadership positions as promoting from within is not only less costly, but organizations can target employees who display managerial abilities. Some organizations allow employees to test different roles to pinpoint where an employee’s interests and strengths lie. Managers have individual coaching sessions with each employee to develop short-term and long-term goals. Many organizations offer leadership programs that interested employees can apply to and team members are often cross-trained in different roles. Cross-training not only helps in identifying individuals with managerial abilities but also provides more efficiency.