Functional/technical dimension Can enter a functional speciality and continue that speciality throughout his career, developing technical expertise within the area Can move across functional specialities Radial dimension Individuals that become more trusted and valued by the organisation get given greater access to its inner core Inter-organisational mobility Focuses on globalisation and its influence on employees careers, as well as the boundaryless career Global careers refer to the crossing of national and regional boundaries in the course of work or life Globalisation refers to the compression of the world and the intensification of people’s consciousness of the world as a whole An individual’s career typically includes more than one company Self-initiated cross-border career moves are part of the changes associated with the boundaryless career JOB SATISFACTION AND ORGANISATIONAL COMMITMENT Job satisfaction and organisational commitment are closely related, but distinct Satisfied employees tend to be more committed to an organisation Employees who are satisfied and committed are more likely to attend work, stay with the organisation, arrive at work on time, perform well and engage in behaviours helpful to the organisation Job satisfaction Job satisfaction is how an employee feels about their job and what they think about their job Job satisfaction is a result of employees’ perception of how well their jobs provide those qualities they perceive as important Employees with a high job satisfaction experience positive feelings and employees with low job satisfaction experience negative feelings about their duties Facets of job satisfaction Pay satisfaction Employees’ feelings about their pay – what they deserve, secure and adequate Based on comparison of the pay that employees want and the pay they receive Promotion satisfaction
RETENTION FACTORS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT The factors that influence employee retention in South Africa are as follows: Remuneration Money is still the primary incentive to lure managers and professionals High salaries not essential, but ‘fair’ salaries show strong correlation with intention to stay Employees want to understand how the pay system works and how they can earn pay increases Once the pay level is reached, intangibles such as career, supervisor support, work and family balance become important Compensation has a strong relationship to organisational commitment, affective commitment and normative commitment Pay satisfaction on retaining technology professionals confirms that these employees want competitive salaries Elaborate benefit packages are becoming increasingly common in high technology firms, i.e. indirect financial rewards received in terms of time off for example In the end, some want money, some want security, recognition and career pathways and some want improved self-worth and importance Job characteristics Most employees want to do interesting work that challenges their skills and talents Unchallenging and narrow tasks hamper growth and employees become less engaged Organisational citizenship behaviours diminish when employees are given repetitive tasks to complete Job characteristics such as variety and autonomy are determinants of organisational commitment Professionally-qualified employees will leave the organisation if their skills are underutilised Skill variety relates to feelings of belonging and a sense of attachment to the organisation Training and development opportunities Sustaining employability has given importance to further training and development for the survival of any worker Organisations need to keep their employees well trained in latest technologies Employees stay at companies that promote career opportunities through learning and the ability to apply their learnt skills