Strategies adopted for Retention and Motivation by WIPRO

Introduction:

Employee Retention involves taking measures to encourage employees to remain in the organization for the maximum period of time, Corporate is facing a lot of problems in employee retention these days. Hiring knowledgeable people for the job is essential for an employer. But retention is even more important than hiring. There is no dearth of opportunities for a talented person. There are many organizations which are looking for such employees. If a person is not satisfied by the job he’s doing, he may switch over to some other more suitable job. In today’s environment it becomes very important for all organizations to retain their employees the top organizations are on the top because they value their employees and they know how to keep them glued to the organization. Motivation plays an important role in employee satisfaction and eventually employee retention

In this case study we can know about various strategies followed by Wipro to retain their Employee in their organisation

Objective of the Project:

In this Project, we can further analyze the below two topics widely used in Wipro

A) Motivating the EmployeeB) Employee Retention

Motivating the Employee

Motivation acts as a catalyst to an individual’s success. The team leaders and the managers must constantly motivate the employees to extract the best out of them. If an employee has performed exceptionally well, do appreciate him. Simple words like “Well done”, “Bravo”, “Good”, “Keep it up” actually go a long way in motivating the employees. The top performers must be in the limelight. The employees must feel indispensable for the organization. It is essential for the employees to be loyal towards their organization to deliver their level best

Employee Retention

Employee Retention refers to the various policies and practices which let the employees stick to an organization for a longer period of time. Every organization invests time and money to groom a new joinee, make him a corporate ready material and bring him at par with the existing employees. The organization is completely at loss when the employees leave their job once they are fully trained. Employee retention takes into account the various measures taken so that an individual stays in an organization for the maximum period of time

Company Profile

Wipro Coming off its strongest year since 2000, Wipro grew at 43% in 2004. The company has branched out from offerings such as software development, R&D, and applications maintenance to providing remote infrastructure management, financial services, and applications and product testing. All that while maintaining its position as the world’s largest third-party R&D provider. Wipro, which gets the majority of its revenue from the U.S., is pushing further in Europe and expects to make some acquisitions there this year. At home, the company’s back-office operation, Wipro BPO, got a jolt when Chief Executive Raman Roy quit in early June to start another business. The $150 million operation, mostly call-center work, will move into higher-end back-office jobs such as insurance processes in order to achieve greater profitability and to stem the high employee attrition to new foreign players

Wipro Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides IT services worldwide. It offers software solutions, IT consulting, business process outsourcing services, and research and development services in the areas of hardware and software design. The company operates in three segments: Global IT Services and Products, India and AsiaPac IT Services and Products, and Consumer Care and Lighting. The Global IT Services and Products segment provides IT services to customers in the Americas, Europe, and Japan. The India and AsiaPac IT Services and Products segment operates in the Indian IT market and offers IT products and services to the companies in India, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East region. Consumer Care and Lighting segment engages in the manufacture and sale of consumer care and lighting products. The consumer care products include soaps and toiletries, baby products, talcum powders, and hydrogenerated cooking oils. The lighting products include light bulbs, flourescent tubes, and luminaries. Wipro Limited was founded in 1945.The company is headquartered in Bangalore, India.

Employee Retention & Motivation

We can further analyze the various procedures followed by Wipro in the area of Employee Retention and motivation

Does anyone spoil his personal belongings? No. The reason being we are concerned about our own stuff. In the same way a sense of belonging at workplace is important for better output. Ownership of work only comes through motivation. Ask the team members to buck up so that they perform well every time and meet the expectations of the management.

The superiors should send motivational emails to their team once in a week. Display inspirational posters, photographs on the notice board for the employees to read and stay motivated -It is natural for an individual to feel low sometimes, but the superiors must ensure to boost their morale and bring them back on track. No individual should be neglected or criticized. This demotivates them. If they fail to perform once, motivate them and give them another opportunity.

Organize various activities and events at the workplace - Ask each one to take charge of something or the other. Engage the employees in productive tasks necessary for their overall development. The management must show its care and concern for all the staff members the employees must feel secure at the workplace for them to stay motivated whenever any company policy is to be formulated, the

opinion of each and every employee should be taken into consideration. Invite all of them on a common platform and ask for their suggestions as well. Freedom of expression is must. Every employee must have a say in the organization’s guidelines as they are made only to benefit them

Incentives, perks, cash prizes are a good way to motivate the employees - The employees who have performed well consistently should be felicitated in front of all the staff members as well as the management. Give them trophies or badges to flaunt. Ask the audience to give a loud applause to the employees who have performed well. This is a good way to motivate the employees for them to remain happy and work with dedication for a longer duration. Others who have not performed up to the mark also gear up for future. The names of the top performers must be put on the company’s main notice board or bulletin board for everyone to see

Appraisals are also an important way to motivate the employees - The salaries of the performers must be appraised at regular intervals- an effective way to retain the employees. Career growth is an important way to retain the talented employees. Give them power to take some decisions on their own but the management must have a close watch on them so that they do not misuse their power. Without motivation, it is not fair to expect the best out of the employees. No individual likes to leave an organization where he is being treated well.

What is an Organization?

A set up where individuals come together and work in unison to achieve a common goal is called as organization. Individuals working together in an organization to earn their bread and butter as well as make profits are called employees. Employees are the lifeline of an organization and contribute effectively to its successful running and profit making. An organization can’t survive if the employees are not serious about it and are more concerned about their personal interests

Why do Employees Leave?

Research says that most of the employees leave an organization out of frustration and constant friction with their superiors or other team members. In some cases low salary, lack of growth prospects and motivation compel an employee to look for a change. The management must try its level best to retain those employees who are really important for the system and are known to be effective contributors. It is the responsibility of the line managers as well as the management to ensure that the employees are satisfied with their roles and responsibilities and the job is offering them a new challenge and learning every day

Let us understand the concept of employee retention with the help of an example:

Misha was a talented employee who delivered her best and completed all her work within the desired time frame. Her work lacked errors and was always found to be innovative and thought provoking. She never interfered in anybody else’s work and stayed away from unnecessary gossips and rumors. She avoided loitering around at the workplace, was serious about her work and no doubts her performance was always appreciable. Greg, her immediate boss never really liked Misha and considered her as his

biggest threat at the workplace. He left no stone unturned to insult and demotivate Misha. Soon, Misha got fed up with Greg and decided to move on.

Situation 1 - The HR did not make any efforts to retain Misha and accepted her resignation

Situation 2 - The HR immediately intervened and discussed the several issues which prompted Misha to think for a change. They tried their level best to convince Misha and even appointed a new boss to make the things better for her

Situation 1 would most likely leave the organization in the lurch. It is not easy to find an employee who gels well with the system and understands the work. Hiring an employee, training him and making him fit to work in an organization incur huge costs and thus sincere efforts must be made to retain the employee. Every problem has a solution and the management must probe into the exact reasons of an employee’s displeasure. Employees sticking to an organization for a longer time tend to know the organization better and develop a feeling of attachment towards it. The employees who stay for a longer duration are familiar with the company policies, guidelines as well as rules and regulations and thus can contribute more effectively than individuals who come and go

Employee retention techniques go a long way in motivating the employees for them to enjoy their work and avoid changing jobs frequently.

Need & Importance of Employee Retention

Employee Retention refers to the techniques employed by the management to help the employees stay with the organization for a longer period of time. Employee retention strategies go a long way in motivating the employees so that they stick to the organization for the maximum time and contribute effectively. Sincere efforts must be taken to ensure growth and learning for the employees in their current assignments and for them to enjoy their work

Employee retention has become a major concern for corporate in the current scenario. Individuals once being trained have a tendency to move to other organizations for better prospects. Lucrative salary, comfortable timings, better ambience, growth prospects are some of the factors which prompt an employee to look for a change. Whenever a talented employee expresses his willingness to move on, it is the responsibility of the management and the human resource team to intervene immediately and find out the exact reasons leading to the decision

Let us understand why retaining a valuable employee is essential for Wipro

Hiring is not an easy process: The HR Professional shortlists few individuals from a large pool of talent, conducts preliminary interviews and eventually forwards it to the respective line managers who further grill them to judge whether they are fit for the organization or not. Recruiting the right candidate is a time consuming process.

An organization invests time and money in grooming an individual and make him ready to work and understand the corporate culture: A new joinee is completely raw and the management really has to

work hard to train him for his overall development. It is a complete wastage of time and money when an individual leaves an organization all of a sudden. The HR has to start the recruitment process all over again for the same vacancy; a mere duplication of work. Finding a right employee for an organization is a tedious job and all efforts simply go waste when the employee leaves.

When an individual resigns from his present organization, it is more likely that he would join the competitors: In such cases, employees tend to take all the strategies, policies from the current organization to the new one. Individuals take all the important data, information and statistics to their new organization and in some cases even leak the secrets of the previous organization. To avoid such cases, it is essential that the new joinee is made to sign a document which stops him from passing on any information even if he leaves the organization. Strict policy should be made which prevents the employees to join the competitors. This is an effective way to retain the employees.

The employees working for a longer period of time are more familiar with the company’s policies, guidelines and thus they adjust better: They perform better than individuals who change jobs frequently. Employees who spend a considerable time in an organization know the organization in and out and thus are in a position to contribute effectively.

Every individual needs time to adjust with others: One needs time to know his team members well, be friendly with them and eventually trust them. Organizations are always benefited when the employees are compatible with each other and discuss things among themselves to come out with something beneficial for all. When a new individual replaces an existing employee, adjustment problems crop up. Individuals find it really difficult to establish a comfort level with the other person. After striking a rapport with an existing employee, it is a challenge for the employees to adjust with someone new and most importantly trust him. It is a human tendency to compare a new joinee with the previous employees and always find faults in him

It has been observed that individuals sticking to an organization for a longer span are more loyal towards the management and the organization: They enjoy all kinds of benefits from the organization and as a result are more attached to it. They hardly badmouth their organization and always think in favors of the management. For them the organization comes first and all other things later

It is essential for the organization to retain the valuable employees showing potential: Every organization needs hardworking and talented employees who can really come out with something creative and different. No organization can survive if all the top performers quit. It is essential for the organization to retain those employees who really work hard and are indispensable for the system

The management must understand the difference between a valuable employee and an employee who doesn’t contribute much to the organization. Sincere efforts must be made to encourage the employees so that they stay happy in the current organization and do not look for a change.

Employee Retention Strategies followed by Wipro:

For an organization to do well and earn profits it is essential that the high potential employees stick to it for a longer duration and contribute effectively. The employees who spend a considerable amount of time tend to be loyal and committed towards the management and always decide in favors of the organization. When you meet someone, there is hardly any attachment in the beginning, but as the friendship matures, a sense of loyalty and trust develops. In the same way, when an individual spends a good amount of time in an organization, he gets emotionally bonded to it and strives hard for furthering the brand image of the organization the management can’t completely put a full stop to the process of employees quitting their jobs but can control it to a large extent

Let us go through some strategies to retain an individual

An employee looks for a change when his job becomes monotonous and does not offer anything new. It is essential for everyone to enjoy whatever he does. The responsibilities must be delegated according to the individual’s specialization and interests. It is the responsibility of the team leader to assign challenging work to his team members for them to enjoy work and do not treat it as a burden. Performance reviews are important to find out whether the employees are really happy with their work or not.

Constant disputes among employees encourage them to go for a change. Conflicts must be avoided to maintain the decorum of the place and avoid spreading negativity around. Promote activities which bring the employees closer. Organize outdoor picnics, informal get together for the employees to know each other better and strengthen the bond among themselves. Let them make friends at the workplace whom they can really trust. Friendship among employees is one strong factor which helps to retain employees. Individuals who have reliable friends at the workplace are reluctant to move on for the sake of friendship. No one likes to leave an organization where he gets mental peace. It is essential to have a cordial environment at the workplace.

The human resource department must ensure that it is hiring the right candidate. Frustration crops up whenever there is a mismatch. A finance professional if is hired for a marketing profile would definitely end up being frustrated and look for a change. The right candidate must be hired for the right profile. While recruiting a new candidate, one should also check his track record. An individual who has changed his previous jobs frequently would also not stick to the present one and thus should not be hired.

Employee recognition is one of the most important factors which go a long way in retaining employees. Nothing works better than appreciating the employees. Their hard work must be acknowledged. Monetary benefits such as incentives, perks, cash prize also motivate the employees to a large extent and they prefer sticking to the organization. The performers must have an upper edge and should get a special treatment from the management.

Performance appraisals are also important for an employee to stay motivated and avoid looking for a change. The salary hike should be directly proportional to the hard work put by the employees. Partiality must be avoided as it demotivates the talented ones and prompt them to look for a better opportunity.

The salary of the employees must be discussed at the time of the interview. The components of the salary must be transparent and thoroughly discussed with the individuals at the time of joining to avoid confusions later. The individuals should be made to join only when the salary as well as other terms and conditions are acceptable to them

The company’s rules and regulations should be made to benefit the employees. They should be employee friendly. Allow them to take a leave on their birthdays or come a little late once or twice in a month. It is important for the management to understand the employees to gain their trust and confidence. The consistent performers must also have a say in the company’s decisions for them to feel important.

Role of HR in Employee Retention

An organization can’t survive if the top performers quit. It needs employees who are loyal and work hard with full dedication to achieve the organization’s objective. It is essential for the management to retain its valuable employees who think in favors of the organization and contribute their level best. An employee who spends a longer duration at any particular organization is familiar with the rules, guidelines and policies of the organization and thus can adjust better

The Human Resource team plays an important role in employee retention. Let us find out their role in the same:

Whenever an employee resigns from his current assignments, it is the responsibility of the HR to intervene immediately to find out the reasons which prompted the employee to resign. No one leaves an organization without a reason. There has to be one and the human resource team must probe into it. There can be innumerable reasons for an employee to leave his current job. The major ones being conflict with the superiors, lesser salary, lack of growth, negative ambience and so on

It is the duty of the HR to sit with the employee and discuss the various issues face to face. Understand his problems and listen to his side of the story as well. Remember the HR should not focus on conducting exit interviews, rather more emphasis should be laid on retaining the employees.

Try to provide a solution to his problem. Hiring is a tedious process and it is really very difficult to recruit the right candidate and train him once again. Do check the track record of the employee who wishes to move on. It is really essential for the management to retain those employees who have the potential and are really indispensable for the organization. If they leave and join the competitors; the organization would be at loss. If one feels that the employee is not very happy with his team leader, try to shift him to a new team. If the employee feels his salary is not justified, try to give him a hike but make sure he is worth it and you don’t end up upsetting others

The HR person must ensure that he is recruiting the right employee who actually fits into the role. A right person doing the wrong job would never find his job interesting and certainly look for a change. Make sure every individual has been assigned responsibilities according to his specialization and interest. The employees must be clear with their KRAs from the very beginning. Every individual works

for money and the HR must quote a justified salary acceptable to the other person. Don’t compel anyone to join at a lesser salary. He might join at that moment but would most likely quit after sometime. The hike should be on the present salary and must match the market trends and the expectations of the individual

The human resource department must conduct motivational activities at the workplace. Organize various internal as well as external trainings which help the employees to learn something extra apart from their routine work. Make them participate in extracurricular activities important for their overall development. Encourage them to interact with each other so that the comfort level increases.

The HR must launch various incentive schemes for the top performers to motivate them. This way the employees feel important for the organization and strive hard to perform even better the next time. The employees who show promise should be awarded with cash prizes, lucrative perks and certificates to make the individual stand apart from the crowd. Send a mail wishing the employees on their birthdays or congratulating them when they perform exceptionally well or come out with something innovative. Arrange a small bouquet for them as a gift from the organization’s side. This way the employees feel attached to the organization and are reluctant to look for a change. A friendly atmosphere is essential for the employees to feel safe and secure. Make them participate in various management decision making.

Performance reviews are a must. The HR along with the respective team leaders must monitor their team member’s performance to ensure whether they are enjoying the work or not. The employees look for a change only when their job becomes monotonous and does not offer any growth or learning. Job rotation can be one of the effective ways to retain employees

The HR professional must try his level best to motivate the employees, make them feel special in the organization so that they do not look for a change.

Role of Team Leaders and Supervisors in Employee Retention

Employee retention includes various steps taken to satisfy the employees so that they stay with the organization for a longer duration. Strong measures must be taken to retain the high potential employees who have spent a good amount of time in the organization and know it in and out. It is essential to retain the talented employees who are loyal towards the organization and can contribute effectively.

The team leaders and the supervisors play an important role in employee retention:

An employee quits his job whenever he faces problems at the workplace and is not satisfied with his work. The job must be challenging enough and the employees should learn something new every day for them to stick to it for a long time. It is the responsibility of the team leader to ensure that the team members are contented with their work and share a good rapport amongst themselves

The team members must be assigned responsibilities as per their specialization, qualification, interests as well as experience. The team members must find their job interesting for them to enjoy and

work hard to achieve the organization goals. The KRAs must be formulated in the presence of the employees. Let them decide what best they can perform. Problems crop up whenever there is a mismatch or the employees have to do something out of compulsion. Don’t compel anyone to do something. Let them accept the responsibilities willingly. An individual with an analytical bent of mind would not do very well in a marketing or branding profile. A wrong profile is one of the several reasons as to why an employee looks for a change

An over burdened worker never finds his job interesting and would always be eager for a change. It is the duty of the team leader to distribute the work equally among all the employees. The manager should not be partial to anyone and treat all his members as one. He should not let negativity creep in the team. The superiors must have a control on their subordinates and make sure they do not fight with each other. Nothing productive comes out of disputes, rather it demotivates the individuals and prompt them to look for some another opportunity

Rules and regulations should be same for everyone. Avoid granting special favours to anyone

One should never fear his boss. Hitler approach does not work in the current scenario. A team leader should be a role model for his team. The team managers should not be arrogant and avoid misuse of their position. He should let all the team members participate in the decision making process. Every employee should have the freedom of expression and no one should be left out or neglected. The team leader should trust and respect his team members to expect the same from them

The team leader should be accessible to his team members. Employees feel demotivated when their queries remain unsolved and there is no body to listen to them. When the team leader doesn’t have time for his team, the employees crib among themselves and wish to move on. The team leader must make sure to be with his team whenever required. He should support his team members always. Listen to their problems and try to provide a solution. Make them feel that you are there for them. A little care is essential to make them feel safe and secure. If you find any of the team members worried, intervene immediately. Minor problems left unattended can lead to severe stress later, forcing employees to look for a change

The superiors must maintain transparency in communication. Every team member should get the same information from their boss for them to remain satisfied and loyal towards the organization

The team leader must appreciate those who perform well. Give them a pat on their back. The hard work of the team members should never go unnoticed. The top performers must be given a special treatment to motivate them further and expect the same from them every time. The employees who have not performed well should also be asked to buck up for the next time

It is the responsibility of the team leader to bind his team together. Take your team out for lunch once in a while for them to come closer to each other. Every individual expects peace at the workplace and looks for a change only when there is unnecessary stress at work. The team leader must promote healthy competition at the workplace

A team leader should mentor his team well. Employees are reluctant to go for a change when they have a good boss

Employee Engagement and Employee Retention

Individuals coming together on a common platform to achieve the goals of the organization as well as to earn a living for themselves are called as employees. The smooth functioning of an organization depends on its employees and their seriousness towards work

What is employee engagement?

Employee engagement refers to a situation where all the employees are engaged in their own work and take keen interest in the organization’s activities. An engaged employee is one who is focused, enjoys his work and learns something new each day an engaged employee is satisfied with his work and would never think of quitting his job. He is the one who willingly accepts responsibilities and looks forward towards a long term association with the organization

Lack of challenging work is one of the major reasons as to why an employee decides to move on. An individual should be delegated responsibilities as per his specialization and background for him to perform up to the mark. An employee delivers his hundred percent when he does something which interests him. Problems crop up when individuals have nothing creative and challenging to do. An employee must foresee a bright future and better growth prospects in the organization for him to stick to it for a longer duration. An engaged employee always stays motivated in his current assignments and does not look for opportunities outside. Why does an individual always look for challenges outside, why can’t he improve the conditions in his own organization? Monotonous work demotivates an individual and prompts him to look for a change

As they say “an empty mind is a devil’s workshop”. In the same way, idle employees are the ones who loiter around and spread negativity all over the place. They are the ones who provoke others to fight amongst themselves. Individuals who have nothing to do at workplace kill their time by gossiping around and badmouthing their organization. They always talk negative about the management and encourage others to move on

The team leaders and the management must take the initiative to assign challenging work to the subordinates so that they do not treat their work as a burden. An employee must be asked to do something innovative everytime.An individual engaged in his work strives hard to deliver his level best and live up to the expectations of the management everytime.He looks forward towards achieving his organization’s targets and thus making it one of the best places to work

An employee who is busy with his work stays away from nasty politics, backstabbing and thus maintain the decorum of the office. He prioritizes his work and does not really get time for controversies. Individuals are reluctant to leave when they enjoy a cordial relation with their colleagues. Everyone expects a stress free environment at workplace and tends to leave only when there are

constant disputes. No one likes to carry tensions back home. An engaged employee does not get time to participate in unproductive tasks instead finishes his assignments on time and benefits the organization.

The team leaders must monitor the performance of the team members to ensure whether they are satisfied with their profile or not? Performance reviews are a must to make sure every one finds his job interesting. Discussions are essential at the workplace and everyone should have the liberty to express his opinions on an open forum. Don’t impose things on anyone. Let people decide themselves what best they can do. This way employees are satisfied with their work and never look for a change.

One should always remember that offices are meant to work and not for fun. For an individual, his work should come first and everything else later. The employees who do not take ownership of their work blame others and the organization for the poor show. Cowards leave the organization at its bad times, the one who really has the potential to make it big stick to it and make things happen there only

Challenges in Employee Retention

In the current scenario, a major challenge for an organization is to retain its valuable and talented employees. The management can control the problem of employees quitting the organization within no time to a great extent but can’t put a complete full stop to it. There are several challenges to it.

Let us understand the challenges to employee retention

Monetary dissatisfaction is one of the major reasons for an employee to look for a change. Every organization has a salary budget for every employee which can be raised to some extent but not beyond a certain limit. Retention becomes a problem when an employee quotes an exceptionally high figure beyond the budget of the organization and is just not willing to compromise. The organization needs to take care of the interests of the other employees as well and can’t afford to make them angry. The salaries of the individuals working at the same level should be more or less similar to avoid major disputes amongst employees. A high potential employee is always the center of attention at every workplace but one should not take any undue advantage. One should understand the limitation of the management and quote something which matches the budget of the organization. An individual should not be adamant on a particular figure, otherwise it becomes difficult for the organization to retain him. Remember there is a room for negotiation everywhere.

In the current scenario, where there is no dearth of opportunities, stopping people to look for a change is a big challenge. Every organization tries its level best to hire employees from the competitors and thus provide lucrative opportunities to attract them. Employees become greedy for money and position and thus look forward to changing the present job and join the competitors. No amount of counseling helps in such cases and retaining employees becomes a nightmare.

Individuals speak all kind of lies during interviews to get a job. They might not be proficient in branding but would simply say a yes to impress the recruiter and grab the job. It is only later do people realize that there has been a mismatch and thus look for a change. Problems arise whenever a right person is into a wrong profile. An individual loses interest in work whenever he does something out of

compulsion. The human resource department should be very careful while recruiting new employees. It is really important to get the reference check done for better reliability and avoid confusions later

Some individuals have a tendency to get bored in a short span of time. They might find a job really interesting in the beginning but soon find it monotonous and look for a change. The management finds it difficult to convince the employees in such cases. Individuals must also understand that every organization has some or the other problem and adjustment is required everywhere, so why not in the present organization? It becomes really difficult for the HR Department to find out what exactly is going on in the minds of the individual. An individual should voice his opinions clearly to make things easier for the management

Unrealistic expectations from the job also lead to employees looking for a change. There is actually no solution to unrealistic expectations. An individual must be mature enough to understand that one can’t get all the comforts at the workplace just like his home. Individuals from different backgrounds come together in an organization and minor misunderstandings might arise but one should not make an issue out of it. An individual must not look for a change due to small issues. One needs time to make his presence feel at the organization and must try his level best to stick to it for a good amount of time and ignore petty issues

How to Retain the Best Employee

The management must understand the difference between a dedicated employee and an employee who comes to office just for the sake of fun. The employees who really are concerned about the organization must be retained for better output and a healthy environment at the workplace.

Let us go through few steps to avoid talent drain

Work should never become monotonous and must offer a new learning each day. An employee should be able to upgrade his skills and enhance his knowledge at the workplace. Employees leave the organization whenever there are no chances of further growth. An individual must be made to do something which really excites him and most importantly matches his background. The employees must be asked to accomplish the tasks in the most innovative way for them to enjoy their work. No one should be asked to do anything out of compulsion. The team leader must not force anyone to work. Let them accept assignments willingly. The moment work becomes a burden for the employees, they look for a change.

Every individual should enjoy privacy at the workplace. The superiors must ensure that no employee interferes in each other’s work. Team members sitting at adjacent desks should not overhear their colleague’s conversation or check any confidential documents. These things lead to severe demotivation and prompt an individual to look for a change. Discussion is important but one should not irritate anyone. The team manager should also not make his team member’s life hell. Just give them deadlines and ask them to complete the assignments within the desired time frame. Motivate them to deliver their best but don’t be after their life. Remember everyone is mature enough to understand that work comes first, and everything later.

Every employee should be treated as one irrespective of his designation. Sexual harassment is against the law and is a strict no at the workplace. The male workers should respect their female counterparts and make them feel comfortable. Don’t ask any female employee to stay back late. Leg pulling, back stabbing, lewd remarks must be avoided at the organization to retain the employees.

The management must formulate employee friendly policies. The employees must be allowed to take one or two leaves in a month so that they get time to rejuvenate. Don’t call the employees on weekends. Let them enjoy. The human resource department must take the initiative to celebrate birthdays of employees at the workplace. This way people come closer, make friends, develop trust and are thus reluctant to go for a change. Major festivals should also be celebrated at the organization for employees to get attached to the organization

Incentives, cash prizes, trophies, perks should be given to deserving employees to motivate them to perform up to the mark every time. The salaries of the high potential employees must be appraised from time to time as monetary dissatisfaction is one of the major reasons for employees quitting their jobs. The hard work of the workers must be appreciated. The slow learners must not be criticized but should be inspired to gear up for the next time

The performers must be made to participate in the decision making process. They should have a say in the major strategies of the organization for them to feel important and trust the management

Discipline is a must at the workplace. If the office timing is 9.30 am, every employee regardless of designation must punch his card at 9.30 am sharp or before that. No relaxation should be given to anyone. Partiality is something which does not work in the corporate world. It is important to maintain the decorum of the office to make the organization a better place to work.

Findings in Employee Retention Program

Wipro followed the below five success mantras for Employee Retention and they are mentioned below

A) Transparent Work CultureIn today’s fast paced business environments where employees are constantly striving to achieve business goals under time restrictions; open minded and transparent work culture plays a vital role in employee retention. Companies invest very many hours and monies in training and educating employees. These companies are severely affected when employees check out, especially in the middle of some big company project or venture. Although employees most often prefer to stay with the same company and use their time and experience for personal growth and development, they leave mainly because of work related stress and dissatisfactions.

More and more companies have now realized the importance of a healthy work culture and have a gamut of people management good practices for employees to have that ideal fresh work-life. Closed doors work culture can serve as a deterrent to communication and trust

within employees which are potential causes for work-related apathy and frenzy.

A transparent work environment can serve as one of the primary triggers to facilitate Accountability, trust, communication, responsibility, pride and so on. It is believed that in a transparent work culture employees rigorously communicate with their peers and exchange ideas and thoughts before they are finally matured in to full-blown concepts. It induces responsibility among employees and accountability towards other peers, which gradually builds up trust and pride. More importantly, transparency in work environment discourages work-politics which often hinders company goals as employees start to advance their personal objectives at the expense of development of the company as a single entity.

Employees comprise the most vital assets of the company. In a work place where employees are not able to use their full potential and not heard and valued, they are likely to leave because of stress and frustration. In a transparent environment while employees get a sense of achievement and belongingness from a healthy work environment, the company is benefited with a stronger, reliable work-force harboring bright new ideas for its growth

B) Quality of WorkThe success of any organization depends on how it attracts recruits, motivates, and retains its workforce. Organizations need to be more flexible so that they develop their talented workforce and gain their commitment. Thus, organizations are required to retain employees by addressing their work life issues. The elements that are relevant to an individual’s quality of work life include the task, the physical work environment, social environment within the organization, administrative system and relationship between life on and off the job. The basic objectives of a QWL program are improved working conditions for the employee and increase organizational effectiveness.

Providing quality work life involves taking care of the following aspects:

Occupational health care: The safe work environment provides the basis for the person to enjoy working. The work should not pose a health hazard for the person. The employer and employee, aware of their risks and rights, could achieve a lot in their mutually beneficial dialogue.

Suitable working time: Organizations are offering flexible work options to their employees wherein employees enjoy flexi-timings for dedicating their efforts at work.

Appropriate salary: The appropriate as well as attractive salary has always been an important factor in retaining employees. Providing employees salary at par with the other counterparts of above that what competitors are paying motivates them to stick with the company for long.

QWL consists of opportunities for active involvement in group working arrangements or problem solving that are of mutual benefit to employees or employers, based on labor management cooperation. People also conceive of QWL as a set of methods, such as autonomous work groups, job enrichment, and high-involvement aimed at boosting the satisfaction and productivity of workers. It requires employee commitment to the organization and an environment in which this commitment can flourish.

Providing quality at work not only reduces attrition but also helps in reduced absenteeism and improved job satisfaction. Not only does QWL contribute to a company's ability to recruit quality people, but also it enhances a company's competitiveness. Common beliefs support the contention that QWL will positively nurture amore flexible, loyal, and motivated workforce, which are essential in determining the company's competitiveness

C) Supporting EmployersOrganizations these days want to protect their biggest and most valuable asset and they want to do this in a way that best suits their organizational culture. Retaining employees is a difficult task. Providing support to the employees acts as a mantra for retraining them. Employers can also support their employees by creating an environment of trust and inculcating the organizational values into employees.The management can support employees directly or indirectly. Directly, they provide support in terms of personal crises, managing stress and personal development. Management can support employees, indirectly, in a number of ways as follows:

Manage employee turnover: Employee turnover affects the whole organization in terms of productivity. Managing the turnover, hence, becomes an important task. A proactive approach can be adopted to reduce attrition. Strategies should be framed in advance and implemented when the times arrives. Turnover costs should also be taken into consideration while framing these strategies.

Become employer of choice: What makes a company an employer of choice? Is the benefit it offers or the compensation packages it gives away to its employees? Or is it measured in terms of how they value their employees or in terms of customer satisfaction? Becoming an employer of choice involves following a road map which tells where to go as a brand.

Engage the new recruits: The newly hired employees are said to be least engaged in the organization. Keeping them engaged is an important task. The fresh talent should be utilized to maximum before they start feeling bored in the organization.

Optimize employee engagement: An organization’s productivity is measured not in terms of employee satisfaction but by employee engagement. Employees are said to be engaged when they show a positive attitude toward the organization and express a commitment to remain with the organization. Employee satisfaction also comes with high engagement levels. So, organizations should aim to maximize the engagement among employees.

Coaching and mentoring: Employees whose work performance suffers due to poor interpersonal relationships or because of lack of interpersonal skills should be provided proper coaching by their superiors. Planed coaching sessions help an individual to work through issues, maximize his potential and return to peak performance.

D) FeedbackFeedback acts as a channel of communication between the employee and his manager. The amount of information employees receive about how well or how poorly they have performed is what we call feedback. It is a dialog between a manager and an employee which acts as a way of sharing information about the performance. It suggests where the employee performance is effective and where performance has to improve.

Managers can provide either positive feedback or negative feedback to employees. This feedback helps the employee assess his performance and identify the improvement areas.

Positive feedback communicates managerial satisfaction. Positive recognition for good performance boosts up morale of employees and results in performance improvement to a higher productivity level. It is believed that positive feedback is the only type of feedback that generates performance above the minimum acceptable level.

Negative feedback obviously communicates manager’s dissatisfaction. However, negative feedback sometimes make employee to put more efforts to improve his performance. But such times are very rare. Moreover this improvement is short term.

Some managers do not provide any kind of feedback to their employees. Due to no feedback, employees may assume that they are performing productively or they may feel that the manager is satisfied with their performance. Studies reveal the performance tends be same or even decreases if no feedback is provided.

Thus, feedback is necessary because:1) It builds trust and enhances communication between manager and employee.2) It gives managers and employees a way to identify and discuss skills and strengths.3) Positive feedback leads to employee retention and motivation.4) It helps in identifying performance areas that need improvement and specific ways to

improve them.5) It acts as an opportunity to enhance performance by identifying resources for skill

development.6) It is an opportunity for managers and employees to assess and identify career and

advancement opportunities.7) It helps employees to understand the effectiveness of their performance and

contributes to their overall knowledge about the work

Managers have tendency to ignore good performances of their employees. Providing no feedback may demotivate employees and may lead to employee absenteeism. Input from manager’s side is necessary as it help employees to improve their performance and increase productivity

E) Communication Between Employee and Employer

Communication is a process in which a message is conveyed to the receiver by the sender. The message may be or may not be in a common format or language that both the sender and receiver understand. So there is a need to encode and decode the message in the process. Encoding and decoding also helps in the security of the message. The process of communication is incomplete without the feedback.

Communication is the solution to almost everything in this world. Same applies to employee retention also. Straight-from-the-shoulder communication is what the employees need from their employers. Employees look for organizations where communication and process are transparent. Nothing is hidden and shared with the employees

There are 3 categories of employees:

A: Who will leave their current employer in 3 years of their employment?B: Who have a probability of leaving their current employer in next 3 yearsC: Who will stay with their current employer in the next 3 years

Category A: These are the employees who lack communication with their employersCategory C: These are the employees who have proper, well structured communication with their employers.

Communication is also the way to win the employees trust in the organization. Employees trust the employers who are friendly and open to them. This trust leads to employee loyalty and finally retention. Employers also feel that the immediate supervisors are the most authenticated and trusted source of information for them. So the organizations should hire managers who are active communicators.

Communication mediums

A) Open door policy: Organizations should support open door policies so that the employees feel comfortable and are able to express their doubts and feeling to their employers.B)Frequent meetings and Social gatherings

C)Emails, Newsletters, Intranet and many more

So there should be effective communication across the organization and this communication should be two-way. Communication alone can lead to unimaginable heights of employee retention.

Managing Employee Retention

The task of managing employees can be understood as a three stage process:

1. Identify the cost of employee turnover2. Understand why employee leave3. Implement retention strategies

Identify the cost of employee turnover:

The organizations should start with identifying the employee turnover rates within a particular time period and benchmark it with the competitor organizations. This will help in assessing the whether the employee retention rates are healthy in the company. Secondly, the cost of employee turnover can be calculated. According to a survey, on an average, attrition costs companies 18 months’ salary

for each manager or professional who leaves, and 6 months’ pay for each hourly employee who leaves. This amounts to major organizational and financial stress, considering that one out of every three employees plans to leave his or her job in the next two years.

Understand why employees leave:

Why employees leave often puzzles top management. Exit interviews are an ideal way of recording and analyzing the factors that have led employees to leave the organization. They allow an organization to understand the reasons for leaving and underlying issues. However employees never provide appropriate response to the asked questions. So an impartial person should be appointed with whom the employees feel comfortable in expressing their opinions.

Implement Retention strategy:

Once the causes of attrition are found, a strategy is to be implemented so as to reduce employee turnover. The most effective strategy is to adopt a holistic approach to dealing with attrition. An effective retention strategy will seek to ensure:

Attraction and recruitment strategies enable selection of the ‘right’ candidate for each role/organization

New employees’ initial experiences of the organization are positive

Appropriate development opportunities are available to employees, and that they are kept aware of their likely career path with the organization

The organization’s reward strategy reflects the employee drivers

The leaving process is managed effectively

How To Increase Employee Retention

Companies have now realized the importance of retaining their quality workforce. Retaining quality performers contributes to productivity of the organization and increases morale among employees.

Four basic factors that play an important role in increasing employee retention include salary and remuneration, providing recognition, benefits and opportunities for individual growth. But are they really positively contributing to the retention rates of a company? Basic salary, these days, hardly reduces turnover. Today, employees look beyond the money factor

Open Communication: A culture of open communication enforces loyalty among employees. Open communication tends to keep employees informed on key issues. Most importantly, they need to know that their opinions matter and that management is 100% interested in their input.

Employee Reward Program: A positive recognition for work boosts the motivational levels of employees. Recognition can be made explicit by providing awards like best employee of the month or punctuality award. Project based recognition also has great significance. The award can be in terms of gifts or money.

Career Development Program: Every individual is worried about his/her career. He is always keen to know his career path in the company. Organizations can offer various technical certification courses which will help employee in enhancing his knowledge.

Performance Based Bonus: A provision of performance linked bonus can be made wherein an employee is able to relate his performance with the company profits and hence will work hard. This bonus should strictly be productivity based.

Recreation facilities: Recreational facilities help in keeping employees away from stress factors. Various recreational programs should be arranged. They may include taking employees to trips

annually or bi-annually, celebrating anniversaries, and sports activities.

Gifts at Some Occasions: Giving out some gifts at the time of one or two festivals to the employees making them feel good and understand that the management is concerned about them.

Other Employers And Their Key Drivers To Attract And Retain Talent

The Following table describes the Key Drivers to Attract And Retain Talent

Employers Key Drives To Attract And Retain Talent

Procter and Gamble India

o Early responsibilities in career o Flexible and transparent organizational culture o Global opportunities through a variety of exposure and diverse

experiences o Performance Recognition

American Express (India)

o Strong global brand o Value-based environment o Pioneer in many people practices

NTPC

o Learning and growth opportunities o Competitive rewards o Opportunity to grow, learn and implement o Strong social security and employee welfare performance- oriented

culture

Conclusion:

We learned about various motivation and Employee retention strategies followed by Wipro. It will build the confidence level and job satisfaction for the employee. These Techniques can be used by other organizations to improve their employee retention. Talent can only be retained by engaging employees at professional, material and emotional levels. They should be given professional opportunities through training, face time with senior management, fast track promotions for the HIPOS (high potential employees) and increase in scale and scope of work. Also engage them materially by giving differentiated compensations and benefits higher reward and recognition at all forums and engaging them emotionally means having a greater connect with the immediate manager, reviewers through face time, skip and other initiation and engagement interactions. Thus, it becomes imperative for the organization to ensure its personnel are motivated and contended