Case on Accenture

Retention of key employees: the entering into of the Plan, and subsequent contributions made to the

In the seven years (since 1994), that Lou Gerstner reigned over IBM, the company’s earnings per

Question 4: What did you learn about the relationship between workforce management and business results?

Retaining employees is one way the turnover rate can decrease, Branham (2000), focuses on retaining valuable employees by incorporating four key elements. The first key elements is, “be a company that people want to work for”. There are many companies that have been labeled as, “employers of choice”. These employers all have something in common, which is how they value their employers (Branham, 2000). They treat their employees with respect and like family. With being an “employer of choice,” people are the most valuable asset; not just customers but employees too. Many companies go above and beyond for their customers, but not for their employees, yet they wonder why they are losing valuable talent.

Have you had to adapt either your management or motivation style and if so how? What were the results?

Despite the company's success with various facets relating to career development such as; creating autonomy through a lifestyle balanced with work and recreation, as well as managerial competency and feedback acknowledgment, the company does lag behind in some areas. One in particular to note is that of employee retention. According to Becky Peterson, an enterprise tech reporter with Business

Even though employee retention starts with attracting potential employees, today’s society has placed a new and greater demand for skilled and educated employees as new hires for their companies. These employees, however, are starting to become harder and harder to find. So

Jackson, Schuler, & Werner explain, “Retention includes all of an employer’s activities to encourage qualified and productive employees to continue working for the organization” (Jackson et al., p.188). This comes down to that particular organization’s willingness to motivate and make those employees who are high performing and productive satisfied enough to continue to work there at that same level if not higher level. Improvements in productivity, reduction in labor costs, and a competitive edge are all the things that can be attributed with a successful recruiting and retention program. This in turn makes your organization more alluring to those on the outside looking in.

During the recent past however, when the company became a more dominant global competitor and a publicly traded conglomerate, the numbers of employees leaving the firm have increased, generating adjacent problems of employee recruitment, training and retention. In other words, the major challenges currently faced by the company are related to talent management. At a more specific level, the issues refer to the following:

a good employer. Hence the employee retention rate is very low. The purpose of this report is to propose a

Workforce turnover is a complex and important issue amongst today's organisations. It is perhaps one of the most often cited cause of increased cost and decreased productivity. No wonder people management has become an important frontier to extract and create more value from company assets. On comprehending the articles, it has become evident that organisations have moved beyond the traditional approach of only investing in core business activities, to invest in employee retention strategies. Many organisations, for example St. George Bank

Allen, D. G., Bryant, P. C., & Vardaman, J. M. (2010). Retaining Talent: Replacing Misconceptions with Evidence-Based Strategies. Academy Of Management Perspectives, 24(2), 48-64. doi:10.5465/AMP.2010.51827775

It is imperative to satisfy customers and give them an amazing experience at the company. While it cost less to sell to existing customers and companies can increase profit by selling to the same customers; if customers are satisfied, there is more chance they will come back for more services or products. Satisfied customers are a free marketing for the company. However, it is the opposite if customers are dissatisfied. Dissatisfied customer will tell 8 to 10 people about his or her experience (O’Brien, A & Marakas, G. 2004). If by any reason, representatives see that the customer is not satisfy, they should act fast and fix the problem. Furthermore, there is more chance for sale representatives to sell to an existing customer that to a new customer. A good strategy for customer retention is to reward good customers. Companies can easily do

Things aren't the same as they used to be at the workplace. Today's workforce works much differently and also thinks much differently than they did a while back. Years ago people looked to get a job as soon as they graduated high school or college and hoped to stay there for the rest of their life. All they wanted was a stable job that could provide for them and their family. They didn't care so much about benefits or huge pay raises. They were satisfied with a small annual raise or just a pat on the back ensuring them of their job security. They were so satisfied with this that they didn't even think about looking for another job. (Retaining Your Star Performers)

Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and