Discussion Reply

Employee Engagement

            Valentine et al., (2020) states that employee engagement “is the extent to which an employee’s thoughts and behaviors are focused on his or her work and their employer’s success.” Many companies are challenged with employee engagement which is an important component of a company’s success. May academic researchers have found that employee’s who are engaged in the success of their firm have a connection to their workplace (Valentine et al., 2020).  Employee engagement and job satisfaction are two concepts that are directly linked. Dhir et al., (2020) highlights that employees who are satisfied with there workplace are more likely to produce quality work and be dedicated to the goals of the organization. Employee satisfaction is often tied to a few different areas. Those include relationships with coworkers and management, available training and development, benefits, work conditions, and recognition (Dhir et al., 2020).

Employee Retention

            Employee turnover has an impact on the function of daily operations while increasing the operating cost of a business. Valentine et al., (2020) states that “turnover is the process in which employee leave an organization and have to be replaced.”  It is important to note that there is an average cost of 33% of an employee’s annual salary associated with their turnover (Valentine et al., 2020). This is a substantial cost that companies may be burdened with during times of high turnover. In addition to the increase financial impact of employee turnover there is additional negative impacts on the performance of the organization. De Winne et al., (2019) highlights that there is a direct correlation between employee turnover and negative firm performance such as reduced profitability, reduced productivity, and a negative impact to customer satisfaction.

            Employee turnover cannot be reduced to zero, but firms can reduce the turnover by implementing different tactics.  Valentine et al., (2020) highlights that firms must collect data to help them make decisions that may aid in employee retention. A common method to gather quantitative and qualitative data is to administer employee surveys. Surveys may provide managers data that allows them to see where there are pain points are for employees. Which allows the firm to make changes that may provide a positive impact on the employee and increase retention (Valentine et al., 2020).

Strategic Recruiting and Selection

            Human resource departments are responsible for maintain a workforce by recruiting quality talent. As a strategic function of human resources, a viable pipeline of top talent should be maintained (Valentine et al., 2020). Phillips et al., (2015) highlights that strategic recruiting and regular recruiting have different goals. Recruiting is to find and maintain a pool of viable employees. Strategic recruiting is the search for talent that aligned with the firms’ goals and strategies. Additionally, the individuals that are recruited must have specific knowledge, skills, education, and talents that can be utilities by the organization to achieve its goals (Phillips et al., 2015). Phillips et al., (2015) notes that the employer’s brand and the job descriptions are important components that top talent may view when seeking employment.

When human resource departments are seeking top talent, it is important to screen the candidates. There are standard practices used to evaluate employees regardless of level. A competent to top talent that may be difficult to evaluate is passion. Keller et al., (2016) states “that passion leads you to excel in whatever you do.” A quality employee will be passionate about there role, company, and career. Passionate employees are also engaeged employees who can provided value to an organization.