Employee Turnover and Retention Strategies Essay

Employee Turnover and Retention Strategies - Essay Example Every department, be it operations, finance, human resources, or sales and marketing, must invest in motivating, training, and retaining their best human resources to make a difference through their core competencies. As Susan Heathfield said: "Managers readily agree that retaining your best employees ensures customer satisfaction, product sales, satisfied co-workers and reporting staff, effective succession planning and deeply imbedded organizational knowledge and learning." Today organisations are willing to look upon their staff not so much as employees or workers but as 'knowledge workers'. As Peter Drucker observed, "while the more than fifty-fold increase in productivity of the manual worker was the greatest achievement of the 20th century manager, the most important work of the 21st century is to increase the productivity of the knowledge worker." (Pottruck and Pearce, 131). The more competent workers your company or organisation loses, the more will it set your clock back in finding and training suitable replacements at much greater costs. In the meantime your loss becomes your competitor's gain, which again has adverse implications on the success of your operations. Among the major causes that propelled employees to quit an organisation, the following conditions mostly relating to work culture have been identified as contributing to employee dissatisfaction and consequent exit: Lack of clarity in company policies, practices, and procedures Excessive controls and autocratic leadership Bureaucratic work environment with lack of trust Inadequate remuneration and unjustified cost cuts Poor quality of supervision Lack of opportunities for growth Absence of facilities for training and development Lack of scope for utilization of skills and talents Poor communication (with the employee not knowing what is expected of him daily) Lack of rewards, recognition and encouragement Unfair and inequitable treatment of employees Overbearing attitude and threatening by supervisors The Case of Solution's Solution's began operations on a small scale in 1967 as a recruitment agency for social care specialists. Headquartered in London, Solution's expanded in a big way in four decades to establish itself as the largest social care agency in the UK, with 160 employees spread over18 branches. The year 2004 proved to be a disappointment for the company in terms of financial performance, compelling it to slash commissions given to consultants for recruitment mostly in branches located in London. The weak performance also resulted in the retrenchment of up to 15 branch administers, apart from the voluntary exit of many employees who signed up with rival agencies. An analysis showed that the major cause for high employee turnover (91%) in 2004 was the cost reduction strategy adopted by the company. With a view to putting the operations back on rail, the company opted for a change of leadership at the top. A new managing director joined the board in January 2005 with a mission to improve the health of the company in general and the turnover situation in particular. He believed that the key to success through increased sales lay in ensuring employee satisfaction. Accordingly he straightway set about implementing certain remedial and innovative measures for a

How does photo Journalism impact the public awareness of humanity Essay

How does photo Journalism impact the public awareness of humanity - Essay Example They are the pictures that reflect what is going on in society and Americans see on the front page of their newspapers that compelled Americans to construct opinions and take action accordingly. If viewed and analyzed through the window of history, it transpires that photography has asserted itself to be a valuable medium for improving America both ethically and communally, thus revealing that photography is a form of communication that is evenly as well-built as any other type of communication. The Research Question The research question for this paper is â€Å"How does photo Journalism impact the public awareness of humanity?† The question needs be elaborated through multi-dimensional perspectives. At one side, it address the significance of photography in journalism, while on the other hand, it also corresponds various ways and means which are direct or indirect consequences of public awareness owing to photojournalism. Yet another importance is that of humanity which has u niversal implications. In media and communication, every image is full of meaning and message. Background of the Study Today, there are a vast number of people who are still skeptical of the invention and question whether it has resulted positively. The photograph has been an extremely valued invention, by allowing social advancement for minorities, allowing for a more valued news press, and giving artists the chance to steer away from portrait-painting and develop such movements as Impressionism. In general, life as we know it today would not be remotely close to what it is had photography not been invented, and we are able to see this since photography was first generated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By the invention of photography, minorities, primarily women, were given an equal opportunity to excel in a hobby. Through out the eighteen hundreds, women were beginning to be more and more aware of the need for equality. Co-ed universities and schooling outside of the home were becoming more prevalent through out the United States, and women's activist groups were popping up with an intense velocity. The desire for equality had an equal or greater swiftness in itself, and women all across America were ready and willing to fight for it. Photography was a hobby that was easily done in the home, and although many women's pieces were not given proper recognition until years later the knowledge that women had the ability to do something just as well as men could, gave them inspiration to succeed in photography, as well as life. Objective of the Study This paper will respond and evaluate the question whether photojournalism has a considerable impact on public awareness of humanity. There are so many versatile ways in journalism to convey and spread news and information in society. Although photojournalism is an old method and apparently seems diminishing and dim aspect of media as compared to modern digital technology based ways of news presentation, yet nobody can deny its impact and significance and it is still influential where no other technology can meddle. For example, if we peep through history, we will come to know that in WWI and WWII, it was only photojournalism that narrated the atrocities and tactics used by the confronting parties of the war. Again, it was photojournalism that showed the dismal image of humanity during war and general people was convince to think

Customer Service Management of Rogers Cable Inc of Canada Essay

Customer Service Management of Rogers Cable Inc of Canada - Essay Example The deregulation of the media and communication industry brought the major challenge before the monopolistic RCI. The Canadian Telecommunication Act of 1993 was governed by three principles; the universal service, fair treatment of the customers and interconnectivity of networks. This marked the arrival of a competitive market in the industry. There was a need for RCI to survive among the potential competitors like Bell Canada. As the customers of RCI will be thrown open to various options, there was an urgent need to retain them. Consequently the customer service of RCI was facing a severe test. Hence the company conducted a refined analysis in regard to its customer service. The analysis revealed the critical condition about RCI’s service issue. The analysis produced that there was a significant number of repeat service calls after the installation. An in-depth analysis conducted on a sample of 100 customers confirmed that 20% of them had a repeat work. After considering the historical data it was observed that 16% of the repeat works were done in the houses which had a new (within the previous 30 days) installation. This called for the need to revise the prevailing customer service system which threw light on the cause of such considerable repeat work. The prevailing system, which was followed by RCI in fixing the technical problems in households, involved outsourcing of service technicians. Since the demand for service technicians is seasonal, RCI opted for outsourcing.... The analysis revealed the critical condition about RCI's service issue. Cause of Poor Customer Service The analysis produced that there was a significant number of repeat service calls after the installation. An in-depth analysis conducted on a sample of 100 customers confirmed that 20% of them had a repeat work. After considering the historical data it was observed that 16% of the repeat works were done in the houses which had a new (within the previous 30 days) installation. This called for the need to revise the prevailing customer service system which threw light on the cause of such considerable repeat work. The prevailing system, which was followed by RCI in fixing the technical problems in households, involved outsourcing of service technicians. Since the demand for service technicians is seasonal, RCI opted for outsourcing. Among all the technicians only 18 % constituted RCI's cable employees. This caused a communication gap between the Cable technical Support area of RCI and the outsourced technicians. Due to this communication gap the technicians were unaware of the urgency of fixing the problem in the customer's house. The company lacked a central system that will connect the outsourced companies for technicians with RCI. While focusing on the outsourced technicians a major fault was noticed in their skill set and tools for problem fixing. The technicians were not educated about the new Roger products and didn't have sufficient technical tools to carry out a successful problem fixing. Solution to the Problem The company after analyzing the problem initiated a program across the organization named FTR (First Time Right). The objective of the program was to spread quality awareness about RCI. Trial The program was experimented over a team

Inflation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Inflation - Essay Example Inflation defined in this way refers to monetary inflation, which is the difference between the growth in money supply and the growth in availability of goods and services in the economy (Siegl, 2009). There are various measures of inflation, but most commonly, inflation is measured by using Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI refers to price of a basket of commodities and services that an average customer buys and changes in this index allows economists to study the rise and fall of the general price level in the economy which helps them to study the rate of inflation in the economy. In the latter half of 2012, Bank of England Chief Economist, Spencer Dale, had warned that the average standard of living for the Britons would fall in 2013. The country (UK) is still on the recovery phase from the shock of the financial crisis, this process is a slow and painful one. With a high unemployment rate of 7.8% and wage growth struggling to keep up with inflation, 2013 is looking to be anothe r year of hardship. Causes of inflationary pressure Inflation refers to the upwards movement of the general price level in economy. Prices are determined in the free market economy through the interaction of the sellers and the buyers in the economy. Most economists consider that the inflationary pressure in the economy is caused from either the demand side (demand pull inflation) or the supply side (cost push inflation) pressure on the equilibrium condition in the market (P. J. Welch and G. F. Welch, 2009). Demand pull inflation In long run, when the total output in economy moves towards the full employment output, the economy operates nearly at the full capacity. At full capacity, the economy produces the maximum amount of output by utilizing the available factors of production and the production level cannot be expanded easily. Figure 1: Demand Pull inflation (Source: Pettinger, 2013) At the other end, consumers in the economy are themselves the workers and they are earning more since output level is high at this stage. Hence, there is high consumer demand for services and commodities. This demand pressure from households coupled with the near full capacity production by the producers in the economy triggers inflationary pressure in the economy (P. J. Welch and G. F. Welch, 2009). Cost push inflation Inflationary pressure also occurs when cost to sellers of goods and services rise. Any source of cost to businesses is also a source of increase in rise in prices. Cost to producers and sellers are transferred to buyers partially or wholly and they through rise in prices. Figure 2: Demand Pull inflation (Source: P. J. Welch and G. F. Welch, 2009) Upwards pressure is created on prices if costs of labour, fuel, raw materials and other factors of production rise. At times firms’ attempt to enhance profit in certain industries increases prices and creates inflationary pressure (P. J. Welch and G. F. Welch, 2009). Inflation in UK Between 1989 till present (20 13), inflation rate in the UK averages at 2.81%. In May 2013, the inflation rate was 2.70% (Trading Economics, 2013). The inflation rates between 2011 and 2013 is shown in the following figure. Figure 3: Inflation rates in UK 2011-2013 (Source: Trading Economics, 2013) Demand side policies to combat inflation The most important tool to control inflationary pressure in the UK has been monetary policy changes. In the UK, the Bank of England adopts a monetary policy that helps

Ethical Judgments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical Judgments - Assignment Example 42). A well-trained conscience stands a better chance in making upright decisions than one inadequately trained. Looking at the natural and social factors determining the shaping of an individuals conscience, one brought up in an apathetic society and under an environment perverted of what is right is most likely to participate in unethical actions. There also are extremists who look for the slightest loop in any decision made, these are likely to see wrong in any actions taken (Ruggerio, 2008). The conscience stands as the best guide an individual has to distinguish between right and wrong (Ruggerio, 2008, pg. 39). Not to be forgotten is importance on the need of time and intelligence is needed when making a decision. Shifting attention to the inquiries and viewing them from the ethical standpoint of the actions is vital in showing ethical and unethical decisions. Looking at the scene of the cosmetologist in a local beauty salon is exceptional in determining right and wrong. 1) A cosmetologist takes pride in his love of making his clients feel great about themselves in their features and looks. He does this while recommending the use of the products he has in store despite the fact that they are not as effective as publicized to be. His emphasize is on clients attractiveness as what all his clients should have. 5) The cosmetologists makes the clients build confidence in the products he has for sale in order to receive high sales and thus high returns despite the fact that the products are not as effective as they are claimed to be. This is treacherous 7) Thus, it is unethical for a cosmetologist to use the clients in order to make high sales while selling them nonperforming products. Retaining a high reputation out of giving false complements to clients is unethical as it denies the clients a chance to seek what is

Cybersecurity Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cybersecurity - Coursework Example Compare this to now, where a semi-automatic machine gun can spray out hundreds of bullets per minute and rarely needs to be reloaded. The example used of a bank robbery is perfect because it is low risk and low reward. The robber is only going to be able to do it once, and he will only make a small return for doing so. If a hacker gains access to a computer system, he can steal multiple times and also take large amounts of cash each time. These two instances of crime are different in nature and different in reward. I also agree that those who commit cyber crimes should be punished more severely than those who commit traditional crimes. The level of skill involved almost removes the defense argument that the accused did not know what they were doing. 2. Although terrorists may seem irrational by their actions, they are actually clever and calculated when it comes to doing damage to those who they oppose. Risk and return is a huge part of any terrorist operation because there is no point in doing something only to be caught for doing so. Terrorists are always trying to do the most damage and gain the most value without being apprehended for what they do. Cyber terrorists, however, do not seem to act rationally when it comes to doing an illegal act. This is quite ironic because â€Å"computer geeks† are always thought to be smart and calculated. I agree that the objective may not always be to gain something, but to simply disrupt services already provided and diminish the public’s confidence in those services. The incentive for cyber terrorists is huge because they have the chance to disturb society from its normal state and become infamous at the same time. Owners of important government infrastructure need to ensur e that defenses against cyber terrorists remain strong, because if even one succeeds, it may spur other like-minded individuals on to doing

Knowledge for Nursing Essay Example for Free

Knowledge for Nursing Essay This essay will explore Peplau’s concept of a nurse-patient relationship and how it narrates to the experience I had whilst on placement practice. My aim is to demonstrate my gained understanding of the nursing process, the domains of nursing, the nature of nursing models and their relationship to practice and Peplau’s model of nursing. The reason why the student has chosen this concept is because nursing is an interpersonal process which involves interaction between two or more people with a mutual goal, (George 2003). The essay will start by defining the word concept then describe the incident that I observed in placement practice. The essay will analyze how theories can be used to justify nursing interventions in practice. The conclusion summarises the main points of the essay and reflect on my learning experience. (Meleis 1991) defined concept as â€Å"a label used to describe a phenomenon or a group of phenomena† (McKenna 1997). (McKenna 1997) concludes that concepts are identified when a name is put to a phenomenon. â€Å"Therefore, a concept is a tool and not a real entity – it merely facilitates observation of a real phenomenon,† (McKenna 1997 p8). Chinn and Kramer (2008); Hage (1972); Reynolds (1971) were cited that concepts can be theoretical or tangible. Theoretical concepts are created mentally independent of a particular or interval location, whereas tangible concepts are experienced directly and relate to a specific interval or location (Alligood and Tomey, 2010). â€Å"Nursing is a significant, therapeutic, interpersonal process. It functions co-operatively with other human processes that make health possible for individuals in communities. In specific situations in which a professional health team offers health services, nurses participate in the organisation of conditions that facilitate natural on going tendencies in human organisations. Nursing is an educative instrument, a maturing force that aims to promote forward movement of personality in the direction of creative, constructive, productive, personal, and community living. † (Peplau 1988, p16) Peplau (1952) defined phases in the nurse-patient relationships that overlap and transpire during the relationship interval. George (2002) cited the three phases defined by Peplau are as follows; orientation, identification, working, and termination. Whilst on Placement I had the prospect to put theory into practice with the supervision of my mentor when Mrs. Ahmed aged 85 was admitted into the ward after having had a fall (false name and age due to confidentiality, Nursing and Midwifery Council 2003). During handover it was reported that Mrs. Ahmed was at times unresponsive and seemed uninterested when addressed to by the nurse on duty upon admission, leaving the nurse to rely on the information obtained from the ambulance crew as she was unaccompanied. Upon arrival Mrs. Ahmed had not been able to get up from the stretcher as she was not weight bearing after the fall and appeared to be confused with the new environment. It was hoped that more information would be obtained in the morning when she awoke. Orientation stage My mentor gave me an opportunity to work with Mrs. Ahmed whilst under her supervision and it was obvious that the information we had was not complete. To get further information we went to her bedside which was in a mixed ward were we were introduced to the new patient. The orientation phase is initiated when a health problem occurs thus resulting in a felt â€Å"felt need, and professional assistance is sought. † Peplau (1952, p. 8) Peplau (1952) further states that the nurse and patient meet as two strangers, by clarifying and defining the problem in the orienting stage the patient can direct the accumulated energy from her anxiety about unmet needs and begin working with the presenting problem. The nurse patient rapport is established and continues to be strengthened while concerns are being identified. The nurse assumes a roles as described by Peplau in the overlapping phases of the nurse client relationship. Lebby and Pepper (1998) sees the nurse in the role of a stranger therefore acceptance of the patient as an emotionally able person is required. It is at this early stage I noticed that Mrs. Ahmed was unresponsive and seemed distant when my mentor asked for her consent to be assisted by a trainee nurse under her supervision (Nursing and Midwifery Council Code 2008). After asking her more than once she eventually responded and accepted the request. xxxxx When my mentor spoke to Mrs. Ahmed was clear and slow, and asked closed questions. Ashworth et al (1981) suggest that the quality and quantity of nurse-patient communication in geriatrics is affected by the nurse as well s the patient although some of the traditional attitudes by nurses toward elderly patients posed barriers to communication. Orem (1991) viewed the relationship between a nurse and patient as being complementary and therefore a nurse has to understand the basis of her own behavior. I noticed that the patient had some hearing aids on her bedside and I then considered that she might be having hearing impairment and was either not keen on using her hearing aids or needed assistance putting them on. I asked her if she was happy putting the hearing aids on her own. She attempted to put them on but seemed unsteady with her hands. I gestured that I could help and she extended them to me. I then helped her to put them on. George (2002) sees the working phase as a time when the patient starts to respond selectively to individuals who can meet their needs. Peplau (1952/1988) identified three types of responses from patients; the patient may participate and be interdependent, or be autonomous and independent from the nurse or be passive and dependent on the nurse (George 2002). Peplau (1952/1988) states the patient utilises the relationship fully by making full use of the nurse (Leddy and Pepper 1998). Peplau (1952) describes six nursing roles within the phases of the nurse patient relationship which are; stranger, resource person, teacher, leader, surrogate and counseling. She further described four psychobiological experiences, in her book which are; needs, frustration, conflict and anxiety. Peplau (1952) saw these experiences as energy providers transforming into action and provides a basis for goal formation and nursing interventions. Mrs. Ahmed showed she was becoming more relaxed and became more trusting and cooperative. Arnold and Underman Boggs (1999) suggested that the dynamic nursing approach Peplau advocated is not that of passive observer but participant observers, nurses actively engaging with their clients. I initiated further verbal dialogue and realised that although she could hear me she was struggling to understand what I was saying to her. Her replies where brief and at times not relevant to the questions posed. It became obvious that since English was not her first language she was struggling to understand me and her conversational English skills were basic. I then slowed my rate of speech and emphasised with gestures where appropriate. That way she seemed to comprehend what I was saying better. Forchuk (1993) mentions two types of communication, verbal and non-verbal communication, verbal communication conveyed by words and non-verbal communication conveyed through empathic links, postures, gestures, and patterns (Forchuck 1993). Peplau (1952/1988) considers the use of verbal communication to be an essential component of the nurse-client relationship (Forchuk 1993). The general principle is that anything clients act out with nurses will most probably not be talked about, and that which is not discussed cannot be understood. † Peplau (1989a p. 197). Forchuk (1993) suggest that discussing issues and concerns presents the patient an option to work them out. Thus nursing knowledge enables nurses to justify actions or stop unsafe or poor practices (Nursing and Midwifery 2003, The Code). Mrs. Ahmed was reluctant to have me assist her with personal hygiene although it was obvious that she needed it and it was also documented in her notes that she was not independent in this respect. She said something about being used to doing things for herself and how it was expected in her culture to clean one’s own body, she then suggested to wash herself and would ask for help when in difficulty. After washing herself, I took the opportunity of getting more information about Mrs. Ahmed, her family and health Data collection is constant throughout Peplau’s phases. George (2002) state that in the nursing process, primary collection of data is the nursing assessment, and further collection of data becomes an integral part of reassessment. The need for Mrs. Ahmed ‘s relations to be present compliments George (2002) statement that the nurse, patient and relatives need to work together in order to simplify and explain the problem at hand. Peplau (1995) discusses the need for the nurse to not only support but health educate the patient’s relations thus decreasing the tension and anxiety connected with the felt need and fear of the unknown thus the avoidance of future problems arising from unresolved significant events(George 2002). Peplau (1952/1988) states the importance of clarity on both parties in the relationship as their past experiences will influence their expectations in this progression. I also made her aware of her condition and situation whilst being conscious not to give advice, but rather asking her questions which we needed answers for, to help resolve her care needs. Peplau (1988) stated that the exploitation phase is where the nurse assists the patient to seek out other health care services and personal strengths in resolving the issues for which the client initially sought treatment. She thanked me for having explained everything she needed to know and for my patience during my interaction with her on that day. Peplau (1952/1988) saw the termination phase as a liberating process wherein the client’s wishes for psychological dependency and maintaining relationships have been worked through to support the ability to mutually end the relationship with the nurse (Leddy and Pepper 1998). Peplau views this phase as problematic for nurses as the progression of letting go is focused upon (Simpson1991).