Tutorial 10 – Solutions
Group Activity
1.
Many rightfully offer IBM as an example of an employer that works
hard to improve employee retention and engagement. Browse
through the employment pages of IBM.com’s Website (such as
http://www-03.ibm.com/employment/build_your_career.html). In this
chapter, we discussed actions employers can take to improve
employee retention and engagement. From the information on IBM’s
Web pages, what is IBM doing to support retention and engagement?
Look for students to integrate the principles in this chapter in their analysis
and suggestions. (LO 10.1-2; AACSB: Use of Information Technology;
Learning Outcome: Discuss the roles that employees and employers play
in managing careers)
2. Working in groups, choose two occupations (such as management
consultant, HR manager, or salesperson) and use some of the
sources such as O*NET to make an assessment of the future demand
for this occupation in the next 10 years or so. Does this seem like a
good occupation to pursue? Why or why not?
Students should be
able to support their conclusions with data and information from these
sources.
(LO 10.3; AACSB: Use of Information Technology; Learning Outcome:
Discuss the roles that employees and employers play in managing
careers)
Discussion Questions
1. Why it is advisable for an employee retention effort to be
comprehensive? To what extent does IBM’s on-demand program fit
that description and why? Retaining quality employees is important to
firm success because 1) great employees do great work, and 2) turnover
is expensive. Student answers will vary, but IBM’s system is a
comprehensive plan to increase retention. (LO 10.1; AACSB: Analytic
Skills; Learning Outcome: Discuss the roles that employees and
employers play in managing careers)
2. Explain why employee engagement is important, and how to foster
such engagement. What exactly would you as a supervisor do to
increase your employee’s engagement? Employee engagement is
important because the more engaged employees are the lower turnover is
and the greater performance becomes. Student answers will vary, but look
for them to include some of the concepts in Figure 10-2. (LO
10.2; AACSB: Reflective Skills; Learning Outcome: Discuss the roles that
employees and employers play in managing careers)
3. What is the employee’s role in the career development process? The
manager’s role? The employer’s role? Employees must understand
that it is their role to take charge of their own career development. The
manager should support the employee’s career development needs and
schedule regular performance appraisals. The employer’s role depends
on how long the employee has been with the organization, but it should
include providing a process and a structure to develop employee careers.
(LO 10.3; Learning Outcome: Discuss the roles that employees and
employers play in managing careers)
4. List and discuss the four steps in effectively coaching an employee.
How could (and would) a professional football coach apply these
steps? The four steps in coaching are preparation, planning, active
coaching, and follow-up. Preparation means understanding the problem,
the employee, and the employee’s skills. Planning requires reaching
agreement on the problem and on what to change. Active coaching
involves acting as a teacher and offering advice and ideas on ways
employees can improve. Sometimes follow-up is necessary to make sure
employees are on track. Answers on the second part will vary but should
include these four concepts. (LO 10.4; AACSB: Analytic Skills; Learning
Outcome: Discuss the roles that employees and employers play in
managing careers)
5. What are the main decisions employers should address in reaching
promotion decisions? The decisions to make are: 1) Is seniority or
competence the rule? 2) How should we measure competence? 3) Is the
process formal or informal? 4) Is the process vertical, horizontal, or other?
(LO 10.5; Learning Outcome: Discuss the roles that employees and
employers play in managing careers)