How best is 'Promotion & Retention' best at Work? (isiZulu)

The pressure on recruiting talent and retention is twofold, to assist in a work performance of an uncertain landscape and to save on recruitment and training costs. For our ease of understanding, employee retention is the ability of the department to retain its best employees and maintain a lower turnover. This may be achieved by adopting a variety of employee retention programs such as special training programs that suite the type of work done in a unit.

Steps in the recruitment process would involve to start looking, preparing a job description and person profile, finding candidates, managing the application process, selecting candidates, making the appointment and induction. The main objective of recruitment process is when a vacancy comes up; the employer needs to get a most suitable candidate available for the job. The objective, of selection process is to get a best applicant available who meets all the selection criteria. The exercise is costly.

Of critical interest is that structures and career paths in government have changed in recent years. Employers, like Public Works in KwaZulu-Natal, that observe good practice when promoting or retaining employees can ensure that employees perform well when promoted or retained. Equally so, a policy on the promotion of employees can encourage the employer to make consistent decisions and allow employees to appreciate what best they need to do to achieve a promotion.

Anyway, employee retention is encouraged by the way the employer rethinks which individual employee is suitable for a promotion. Man makes policies and so man should implement them but policies cannot confine man. Employee retention relates to an employer’s efforts to manage labour turnover and retain valuable employee. If any department has a problem of retaining its employees, this may have adverse impacts and ripple effects such as financial costs to recruit new or contract employees. In addition, the quality of healthy working relationship between an employee and his or her line manager remains key influence on the employee’s decision to resign.

The other fathomable aspect is promotion. It is regarded as a step that an employee takes while working in an organization as far as his/her work, rank or position is concerned. Promoting employees for their excellence in performance is important to value their efforts and keep their morale up. Opportunities for promotion should be a wider policy to develop all employees so that they remain motivated and have the chance to grow and allow the success of a department.

Organisational or corporate culture has a direct bearing on employee job satisfaction and the decision to either stay or exit a department. The quality of communication between the employer and employee is ever pivotal on the employee’s engagement with the department. High employee turnover is a warning sign of low morale among an organisation's workforce, which is one of the factors that affects the productivity of the organization.

Employees today expect more of their employers than before. The treatment of employees with equality and respect is a prerequisite that leaves the employer with nothing but providing a fulfilling work. The measure of meaningful work goes beyond salary for many of today’s employees. Limited growth, such as Professionals, who normally have a strong desire to grow. A lack of growth opportunities may also be contributory as top reasons why employees quit.

Anyway, if it is agreeable that there are good policies in place, are these policies well applied? Decisions taken in the boardrooms, are they of value to the goals of the department and of benefit to the province? Ponder on this matter and be the judge.