Essay on "HR Role in Training and Education"

Essay 5 pages (1388 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

HR Training

In most firms, people are considered to be one of the most important assets. Key people provide leadership, innovation and the raw talent to move the company forward and guide it towards its objectives. Large firms, especially those with many different operating divisions, need dozens, hundreds or even thousands of such individuals. One of the roles of the human resources department is to facilitate the attraction, retention and development of top talent. One of the tools at their disposal is that development is training and education.

In large corporations, training and education programs serve many different functions. One is that they allow employees to develop skills and competencies that can be applied to their jobs. In this way, the function adds value to an existing resource (the employee). However, there are other benefits as well, with respect to motivation and fulfillment. On the scale of human needs, salaries and benefits fulfill the employee's needs for survival and comfort (food, shelter, etc.) However, the employees' higher order needs are not met. Training and education programs can allow employees to attain higher fulfillment and self-actualization. Thus, not only do training and education programs enhance organizational competitiveness, they also contribute to improved employee morale and retention.

Organizational Competitiveness

In a manufacturing organization, raw materials are purchased and then put through a process to convert them into a finished product. The role of the company, therefore, is to add value to the raw materials. The same is true of human resources. Too often, employees are seen in terms of the skill sets they bring to the company. Instead, they should be viewed in terms of the skill sets they could potentially bring to the company. As with raw materials, a company can add value to its human resources, enhancing the firm's output.

This is especially true in today's society, when most firms are heavily oriented towards producing services rather than producing products. In a service-oriented economy, value is added not through a production process, but by the contributions of the different employees to the process. The companies that add the most value are ultimately the companies that are most competitive.

The contributions of employees are what adds value in most firms. To be competitive, therefore, a firm must have the best employees who can add the most value. The employee arrives at the company with a set of skills and knowledge that has bee acquired, in part at least, from previous training and education. By adding to this more training and education, the firm increases the value of that employee's contribution. Thus, organizational competitiveness is enhanced through the training and education that the firm provides to its employees.

Retention

It is worth noting that organizational competitiveness is only enhanced to the extent that the employee remains with the company. This holds true both for employees that receive additional training and those that do not. In an era when many firms report difficulty attracting and retaining top employees, training and education has become an important tool in retaining the best people. One study found that 37% of workers would switch companies for better training opportunities (Narisi, 2009).

According to Maslow's hierarchy of human needs, workers need to fulfill a wide variety of needs, up to and including self-actualization and esteem needs (NetMBA, 2007). These needs cannot be met with basic pay and benefits programs. Training, however, provides employees with a sense of achievement, a sense that they are making progress in their lives and their careers. In an information-based society, the most valuable workers will also tend to be the ones motivated by higher order needs. Training and education programs satisfy these needs, giving the firm a better chance to retain these key workers (Heathfield, 2009).

Morale

Meeting higher order needs is also critical for employee morale. There are many means to improve employee morale, one of which is continuing education and enhanced training (Hopkins, 1995). Training enhances employee morale in several ways. The first is that employees gain a greater sense of achievement, because they are progressing in their careers and lives. Another is that employees feel as though the company sees them as a valuable… READ MORE

How to Reference "HR Role in Training and Education" Essay in a Bibliography

Related Essays:

Role and Importance of Effective Feedback Term Paper

Role and Importance of Effective Feedback in Training

The objective of this study will be to identify the importance of feedback in training and to identify its role, that is,… read more

Term Paper 20 pages (6404 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

HR Portfolio Project Research Proposal

HR Portfolio Project

Human Resource Portfolio Project -- Selection Process at Atea Software

The modern day business environment is extremely challenging and the mounting forces of globalization have further increased… read more

Research Proposal 13 pages (3313 words) Sources: 0 Style: APA Topic: Computers / IT / Internet

---

Promoting Diversity in Education Essay

Promoting Diversity in Education

Diversity in Education HR

Promoting Diversity in Education: A Human Resources Perspective

Today's learning community is changing rapidly, and one of the most significant shifts is… read more

Essay 7 pages (2100 words) Sources: 7 Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

Training Background on the Organization Assessment

4.

The training needs analysis is all about gathering information. There are many ways to do this. Needs assessment questionnaires can gain internal feedback and what people think they need… read more

Assessment 3 pages (955 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Management / Organizations

---

HR Department to the Staff Term Paper

Strategic HRM is very essential to the overall success of the business strategy of an organization (Smith et al., 2004).

The organizational concerns of Strategic HRM are broad; and they… read more

Term Paper 12 pages (3842 words) Sources: 10 Style: APA Topic: Management / Organizations

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>