Few points pertaining to motivation and culture are being forwarded, which may prove useful while dealing with the subject at length.
Motivation: It should not be dependent on the desire of the workers/employees, but it should be the primary function of an organization to inculcate a spirit of sharing and caring where people give cheerfully and most willingly of their time, knowledge and experience. Coupled with the same, leaders by their commitment and involvement unleash the constructive and creative abilities/capabilities and energies of each of the employee for the welfare of the organization so as to stay longer with the organization.
Culture: There is no such thing as the culture. There are many cultures, and each of them is subject to gradual change. Cultures are learned. They vary, and they influence behaviour. A culture is ‘the whole collection of distinctive traits, spiritual and material, intellectual and affective, which characterize a society or social group’. We ‘define cultures as “dynamic and organic wholes” which are concerned with how people visualize and interpret the world, organize themselves, conduct their affairs, elevate and embellish life, and position themselves in the world’.
Values: How a society, or group of people visualize and interpret the world is shaped by their values and beliefs, their experiences, the history of experiences in their society, and the way that these are communicated. People in different parts of the world, in different cultures, and in different social groups visualize and see the world differently. Consequently, we should expect that they will act differently in any given circumstance.
Values and virtues: The values held by individuals and social groups may be the most important aspect of the culture concept. Virtues are closely related to values. The 1980s was the decade when greed was celebrated as a civic virtue that made everyone better off—that is, a feature of western culture was and is, society’s preference for material wealth over the lack of material things.
Retention of Employees: It has become a primary concern in many organizations for several reasons. As a practical matter, with lower turnover, every individual who is retained means one less person to have to recruit, select, and train. Also, organizational and individual performance is enhanced by the continuity of employees who know their jobs, co-workers, organizational services and products, and the firm’s customers. One survey of supervisors and workers found that losing high performers made it more difficult for organizations to reach their business goals. Additionally, continuity of employees provides better “employee image” for attracting and retaining other individuals.
Retention as Management Concern: In one of the survey it was found that 90% of those firms surveyed said it was more difficult to retain talented individuals than it was several years before. Therefore, it is imperative that organizations and managers recognize that retention must be a continuing HR emphasis and a significant responsibility for all supervisors and managers.
Retention Officer: Some employers have placed such a high priority on employee retention that they have designated an individual as the retention officer for the firm. Often an individual in the HR area is assigned a specific focus of retention to ensure that it receives high priority and the multifaceted efforts needed to increase employee retention.
Why People Stay or Leave: Individuals stay or leave their jobs and organizations for many different reasons. Obviously, individuals who are terminated leave at the request of the organizations. But the bigger issue in many organizations is why employees voluntarily leave. One survey done by McKinsey & Company, a large international consulting firm, emphasized the importance of retention by concluding that employers face “a war for talent.” The McKinsey studies done several years apart found that that most critical factors affecting the attraction and retention of managers and executives can be classified into three areas. The areas, key items, and percentage responses are listed below:
Great Company
- Value and Culture (58%)
- Well managed (50%)
- Company has exciting challenges (38%)
Great Job
- Freedom and autonomy (56%)
- Job has exciting challenges (51%)
- Career advancement and growth (39%)
Compensation and Lifestyle
- Differentiated pay package (29%)
- High total compensation (23%)
- Geographic location (19%)
- Respect for lifestyle (12%)
Retention Determinants: It has been recognized by both employers and employees that some common areas affect employee retention. If certain organizational components are being provided, then other factors may affect retention. Surveys of employees consistently show that career opportunities and rewards are the two most important determinants of retention. Finally, job design/work factors and fair and supportive employee relationships with others inside the organization contribute to retention.
Organizational Commitment: It is the degree to which employees believe in and accept organizational goals and desire to remain with the organization. Various research studies have revealed that people who are relatively satisfied with their jobs will be somewhat more committed to the organization. A logical extension of organizational commitment focuses specifically on continuance commitment factors, which suggests that decisions to remain with or leave an organization ultimately are reflected in employee absenteeism and turnover statistics. Individuals who are not as satisfied with their jobs or who are not as committed to the organization are more likely to withdraw from the organization, either occasionally through absenteeism or permanently through turnover.
Conclusion:
Bases on the forgoing, there is not a “Quick Fix” or “Silver Bullet” solution nor injecting few odd impulses at random from time to time. A strategy at will designed for long term, whereby the core value of integrity is guaranteed; the value that spins the wheel. Integrity begets an environment of honesty, in which people feel confident and trust one another. This environment promotes Risk-Taking, Problem Solving and Creativity, which results in employees who work hard and stay with the company for long time. People—Make sure they are learning. Make sure they are happy. Make sure they are proud. And for all this—is the core processes of HRD i.e. Training, Development, Learning, Education and Human Resource Development.