Employee onboarding and satisfaction in US manufacturing companies

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify primary issues related to employee onboarding and satisfaction in US-based manufacturing companies. Design/methodology/approach In total, 19 focus groups using semi-structured interviews with senior management, middle management, tenured employees and new employees were conducted with personnel from five manufacturing companies located in the Midwest USA. Onboarding procedures, training manuals, employee satisfaction surveys and performance evaluations were subsequently reviewed. Findings Insufficient onboarding, poor communication and a perceived lack of support were reported as satisfaction concerns by manufacturing employees. In addition, management had vastly differing perspectives regarding the work environment when responses were contrasted with those from new or tenured employees. Originality/value This paper reveals contributing factors that influence satisfaction early and throughout an employee’s tenure with small- to medium-sized US manufacturing companies.

Impact of training design on trainees' motivation: an empirical study

Purpose This study aims to advance understanding of the critical role of training variables (trainer performance, transfer design and an identical element) and motivation to improve work through learning (MTIWL) the least researched construct of motivation in human resource development (HRD). Design/methodology/approach A self-report online survey was conducted to collect responses from 280 managers working in different industries. Participants attended open skills training program organized by an in-house training institute in India. Findings The trainer performance and transfer design had a positive and significant impact on MTIWL. However, an identical element found no significant direct impact on MTIWL. Practical implications The trainer performance positively cultivates trainees’ MTIWL and training approaches according to trainees’ preferences improve MTIWL. The training content is needed to resemble with work assignment for enhancement of trainees MTIWL. Originality/value This study improved understanding of the impact of training variables on a comprehensive and practical aspect of trainees' motivation in HRD, MTIWL.

Industry 4.0 competencies: a model for the Vietnamese workforce

Purpose This study aims to develop a competency model for the Vietnamese workforce in the era of Industry 4.0. Design/methodology/approach A combination of an online survey and a Delphi study was conducted to identify a set of skills, abilities, knowledge and personalities that are critical for effective performance in the future workplace. Findings A set of 26 competencies was identified. Similar to previous findings in the context of developed countries, the set centres around a group of competencies commonly called “21st century competencies”. It also includes characteristics unique to a developing nation. Research limitations/implications The proposed framework of competencies may not cover all human capabilities necessitated by the workplace and may include items with overlapping definitions. The study only represents the view of the business community, and its survey sample was limited in size and location. The impact of COVID-19 on the competency model was not explicitly covered during the study. Practical implications The competency model could serve as a basis for the educator to reform curricula, the policy maker to devise policies and the employer to develop training programmes. It can be used as a reference for other nations at similarly-developmental level. Originality/value The present study is among a few empirical studies regarding a model for Industry 4.0 competencies in the context of low middle-income countries and probably provides one of the first Industry 4.0 competency models for Vietnam. It also provides a novel framework for identifying and analyzing competencies.

The mediating role of employee commitment between quality of work-life and job performance of the faculty

Purpose This study aims to examine the mediating role of employee commitment between the quality of work-life (QWL) and job performance among the faculty of technical institutions established in the province of Punjab (India). Design/methodology/approach The data collected from 434 faculty members with a response rate of 72% is analyzed and the mediation effect of employee commitment between the QWL and job performance of the faculty is modeled through partial least square-structural equation modeling. Findings The results indicate that employee commitment partially mediates between QWL and job performance. To strengthen the result, mediation of employee commitment is also tested for each dimension of the QWL with job performance. All the factors of QWL also supported a partial mediation effect. Practical implications The findings of the study may help the policymakers to understand, frame and implement appropriate policies for improving the work-life quality and commitment among the faculty. This may further assist in augmenting the overall performance of the faculty amidst a crisis in the sector. Originality/value The study highlights the role of employee commitment as a mediator between the QWL and job performance of the faculty in the technical education sector which is one of its kind and possibly not yet explored. Besides, the study proposes some measures in improving the work-life quality and job performance of the faculty.

Relationship between employee well-being and organizational health: symbiotic or independent?

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the bi-directional causal relationship (regular and reverse causation) between employee well-being and organizational health, which is grounded in the micro-foundations of institutional theory. Design/methodology/approach In this study, employee well-being has two facets: work engagement and burnout. The positive aspect of employee well-being has been conceptualized by work engagement, whereas the negative aspect has been conceptualized with the help of burnout. As concurrent triangulation method was adopted, the qualitative data, as well as quantitative data, was collected from various laboratories of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – an Indian research and development organization. Findings The findings did not show the existence of a symbiotic relationship between employee well-being and organizational health. The findings indicated the existence of a significant positive relationship between organizational health and employee well-being, but the reverse effect was found to be non-significant. This shows that when organizational health is good, employees’ health will also be good but not vice versa. Originality/value This study shows that health is not a static state, and so, at any given point in time, employee well-being cannot have a positive relationship with organizational health. Employee engagement helps enhance organizational health, whereas burnout can hinder organizational health if not properly mitigated.

An operational conceptualization of human resource analytics: implications for in human resource development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of the concept of human resource analytics (HRA) and propose an operational framework demonstrating the sources generating data for HRA, as well as the impact of HRA on multiple levels in the organization. Design/methodology/approach A review of literature was conducted to present the existing body of knowledge and build upon for the development of an operational framework for successful implementation of HRA as a human resources (HR) process. Findings Building upon the existing literature, this paper presents an operational HRA framework, positioning HRA as an analytical process through integrating advanced statistical methodology. HRA presents a tool to obtain evidence-based analytical results for improving people-related performance, operational effectiveness, and ultimately the impact of the business strategy. By using HR big data, HRA impacts multiple organizational levels, from individual employees to HR functions and the organizational strategy. Practical implications While research on data analytics has recently flourished across various management fields, this has not been the case for the broader field of HR. This is especially a growing concern as the lack of understanding of the basics and fundamentals of people analytics in the field of HR may delay the effective implementation and operationalization of HRA and present additional barriers impacting on-going HR activities, as well as HR’s role as a strategic business partner. HR practice may greatly benefit from gaining an understanding of HRA and the multi-levels of impact it may have on the organization. Originality/value This paper explores various concepts related to HRA by examining terms such as “HR metrics” vs “HR” and “HR big data” vs “big data.” Furthermore, the comprehensive HRA operational framework presented in this paper provides HR professionals and researchers with a better understanding of HRA in the age of data analytics and artificial intelligence.

Twenty-five years of career growth literature: a review and research agenda

Purpose The dynamic career scenario and the significant change from traditionally placing careers in employers’ hands to self-managing one’s careers have sparked profound scholarly interest in career growth. This paper aims to analyze quadricentennial literature on career growth published during the years 1995 through 2020. In this paper, through bibliometric and integrative reviews, the authors address the two critical questions, “what do we know?” and “where should we go?” While the bibliometric review examines the evolution and trends, the integrative review examines the dynamics of conceptual frameworks, primary research foci, research context and quality in research designs and methods. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines to identify the papers for this review. The data set comprised 102 papers and 60 papers for bibliometric and integrative review, respectively. “CiteSpace” is used for the bibliometric analysis and the template designed by the authors is used for the integrative review. Findings The results present conceptual clarification for career growth and its related constructs. The bibliometric analysis findings highlight the extensive research on career growth followed by organizational career growth and career growth opportunities. The findings also show that seven of the top 10 productive authors are from China. This study also identifies theoretical, conceptual and methodological opportunities and provides recommendations intended to further research engagements across the different aspects of career growth. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to introduce bibliometric analysis into career growth literature. This research adopts an integrative review approach and offers insights into career growth literature.

The Greek life-long learning centers in the post-debt crisis era: evaluation of the effectiveness of mentoring in adult trainers training

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the views of Greek Life-Long Learning Centers (LLLCs) trainers, who worked as educational managers and took on informal mentoring roles in the context of counseling guidance and their trainees (who are adults’ trainers), on the effectiveness of mentoring in the post-Greek Debt Crisis era. Design/methodology/approach The authors performed a quantitative analysis using the SPSS software package’s simple random sampling. The bibliographic review, the identification and specialization of the research objectives, as well as the study of the participants’ unique characteristics, were used in the construction of a research tool. Findings The majority of participants confirmed the importance of mentoring as a human resource strategy. Regarding its effectiveness in the field of the Greek LLLCs, there were several discrepancies in the perceptions of trainers and trainees, as well as specific malfunctions in its implementation. Research limitations/implications The research omitted certain qualitative features and was conducted in a relatively limited geographical context. Originality/value Given the lack of similar studies in the field of the Greek LLLCs, this study illustrates the reality of the mentoring function in the training field of adult trainers, after the onset of the Greek economic crisis, while also highlighting realistic ways to improve the effectiveness of these organizations and conduct future, larger-scale research.

The influence of altruistic leadership behavior and learning culture on work–family relationship in Chinese SMEs

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship between supervisor’s altruistic leadership behavior (ALB) and family-to-work development (FWD) in the context of Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); and test the mediation effect of learning organization culture (LOC) between ALB and FWD. Design/methodology/approach A non-experimental, quantitative, cross-sectional survey research approach was applied. A structural equation modeling technique was used to test all hypotheses. Findings Results indicated that ALB is positively and significantly correlated with FWD. Additionally, the relationship between ALB and FWD is mediated by LOC. Practical implications This study suggests that building and maintaining an effective LOC requires leaders to champion, human resource (HR) professionals to strengthen and employees to support learning as a system. Thus, HR professionals should implement altruistic leadership mentoring and coaching programs. In the case of Chinese SMEs, altruistic leaders are especially instrumental in generating followers’ positive outcomes in both work and family domains. Originality/value This study looks into the influence of organizational factors on the direction of FWD. In particular, this study seeks to examine organizational factors that relate to spillover from family to work.

The Kirkpatrick model for training evaluation: bibliometric analysis after 60 years (1959–2020)

Purpose A number of studies on Kirkpatrick’s four-level training evaluation model have been published, since its inception in 1959, either investigating it or applying it to evaluate the training process. The purpose of this bibliometric analysis is to reconsider the model, its utility and its effectiveness in meeting the need to evaluate training activities and to explain why the model is still worth using even though other later models are available. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a “5Ws+1H” model (why, when, who, where, what and how); however, “when” and “how” are merged in the methodology. A total of 416 articles related to Kirkpatrick’s model published between 1959 and July 2020 were retrieved using Scopus. Findings The Kirkpatrick model continues to be useful, appropriate and applicable in a variety of contexts. It is adaptable to many training environments and achieves high performance in evaluating training. The overview of publications on the Kirkpatrick model shows that research using the model is an active and growing area. The model is used primarily in the evaluation of medical training, followed by computer science, business and social sciences. Originality/value This paper presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to reconsider the model, its utility, its effectiveness in meeting the need to evaluate training activities, its importance in the field measured by the growth in studies on the model and its applications in various settings and contexts.