16th International Conference on Human Resource Development Research
and Practice across Europe
3-5 of June, 2015, Cork, Ireland
To be or not to be a Trainee, does it matter for Talent Retention?
Authors:
Francisco Santos Cesário1, Assistant Professor Universidade Europeia, Lisbon
Maria José Chambel, Associate Professor, Lisbon University, Faculty of Psychology
1
Corresponding author: francisco.cesario@europeia.pt
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between perceptions of Human
Resources Practices, Affective Commitment and Turnover Intention within two groups
of graduates employees recruited with different methodologies – Trainees and Not
Trainees. With the support of a Portuguese leader organization that runs annually a
Trainee Program to attract best graduate from top universities, data were collected from
186 graduates representing the two groups. Company express at the beginning of the
study that would expect that former Trainees graduates would present higher levels of
commitment and lower intentions to voluntary leave the organization. However results
show no significant differences between the groups.
Keywords
Trainees programs, human resources practices, affective commitment , turnover intention
One of the most strategic factors facing top-performing companies is their capability to
attract and retain high talent resources, high skilled workforce with high levels of
organizational commitment. Talent management is a critical requirement not only for
business needs but also for individuals who aim for career success and employability
climate.
Despite the current European economic and labor market recession, companies are still
fighting for the recruitment of young talented people introducing innovative programs to
attract high potential ones mainly at the step doors of Universities. Companies using
specific talent management practices for this group – the Trainees - would expect that
selecting, developing and rewarding them in a differentiated approach from the “other
employees” could be more competitive on talent retention and organizational commitment
(Allen, Shore & Griffeth, 2003; Nishii, Lepak & Schneider, 2008).
In this perspective this study aims to understand if investments made by organizations
have a return in employees’ attitudes. With the collaboration of a market leader
Portuguese Telecom company that for 10 years is running an annual Trainee Program to
attract best graduates from top Portuguese universities. Every year about 80 participants
are included in this program with a total duration of 24 months. The program includes
formal training, especially on soft skills, participation on outdoor activities, individual
coaching and job rotation experience among internal departments. At the end individual
evaluation is conducted by HR Department and those who succeed are invited to be
employed with a formal working contract. Company would expect that the former trainee
graduates when compared with other graduates recruited by standard procedures would
develop a stronger affective organizational commitment. For purpose of this study
conducted during 2012, HR Department identified both groups of graduates recruited
between 2005 and 2008. An email was sent to 225 graduates and we obtained data from
168 participants (84 Trainees and 84 Not-Trainees). The questionnaire included was
composed of three scales, in order to analyzed the relationship between perceived Human
Resources Management practices (HRM) - recruitment and hosting; training; and
performance appraisal – and employees’ Affective Commitment (AC) and Turnover
Intentions (TI). Perceptions about HR practices were analyzed with a questionnaire
based upon the theory described in strategic human resources management (Boselie,
Dietz & Boon, 2005), Afective Commitment with a Portuguese adaptation (Nascimento,
Lopes & Salgueiro, 2008) of the Allen and Meyer (1997) three-component model. To
measure Turnover Intention, Bozeman & Perrewé (2001) questionnaire was used. First,
we started to analyze possible relations between all variables for the total sample.
Results (Table 1) shows a significant positive association between perceived HRM
practices and AC (recruitment & hosting, r =.281**; training,based on r =.461**;
performance appraisal, r =.284**) and negative relation with TI ( recruitment & hosting,
r = - .352*; training, r = -474**, and performance appraisal, r =-.233**) which suggest
that a high perception about the value of HR practices leads to a reinforcement of
employment relation and a decrease on desire to voluntary leave.
Table 1. Descriptive statistics and correlations for all variables (total sample)
Variables
1.Academic
Qualifications
2.Tenure
3.Recruitment &
Hosting
4.Training
5.Performance
Appraisal
6.Affective
Commitment
7.Turnover
Intentions
Mean
2.96
SD
0.95
1
2
3
4
4.17
2.63
1.28
0.47
-0.02
-0.07
-0.12
2.74
2.84
0.69
0.69
-0.18*
0.06
5.30
1.14
2.91
1.44
5
0.35**
-0.9
0.35**
0.40**
-0.23**
0.04
0.28**
0.46**
0.28**
0.33**
0.08
-0.35**
-0.47**
-0.23**
6
-0.49**
Descriptive statistics with the comparison between the two groups (Table 2) shows
however a slight lower rate for affective commitment of Trainees (M=4.08; SD=.87)
compared with Not-Trainees (M=4.14; SD=.90) and the opposite for intentions to leave
(Trainees, M= 2.54 SD.08; Not-Trainees, M=2,24 SD 1.28).
Table 2. Descriptive statistics between Groups
Variables
Recruitment
Hosting
Training
Performance
Appraisal
Affective
Commitment
Turnover
Intentions
&
Did you participate
in the Trainee
Program?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Mean
SD
T test
P value
2.63
2.63
2.81
2.67
2.94
2.74
4.08
4.14
2.54
2.24
0.41
0.52
0.69
0.68
0.63
0.72
0.87
0.90
0.63
1.28
.02
.98
1.34
.18
1.82
.07
-.43
.67
1.63
.11
However T-Tests indicate the inexistence of significant differences between Trainees and
Not-Trainees for affective commitment (t= -0.43, p= 0.67) and turnover intentions
(t=1.63, p= 0.11).
In order to further investigate which of the considered HRM practices makes contribution
to the prediction of affective commitment and turnover intentions a hierarchical multiple
regression analysis was conducted. Results (Table 3) show a direct significant effect of
Training on Affective Commitment and Turnover Intentions and of Recruitment and
Hosting only on Turnover Intentions. The importance of Training is well highlighted and
this is quite relevant for organizations policies design. Both groups of employees
attributed greater importance to the fact that when organizational investment in training
is perceived it has positive impact on the desire to stay in the organization, since training
was positively related to affective commitment and negatively to turnover intentions.
Their desire to maintain organizational attachment maybe a response to a perceived value
of organizational practices and encourages job satisfaction, lower absenteeism,
organizational citizenship behaviors and job performance (Chambel & Sobral, 2011;
Mathieu & Zajac, 1990; Meyer & Allen, 1997;; Mudor & Pooksoon, 2011; Riketta, 2002,
2008).
Table 3. Predicting effects of HRM Practices
Variables
Recruitment & Hosting
Training
Performance Appraisal
Notes: **p<0.01; ***p<0.001
Affective Commitment
β
Turnover Intentions
β
0.11
0.38***
0.09
-0.21**
-0.39***
0.01
Additionally, a mediation effect of the affective commitment was tested, in the
relationship between perceived HRM practices and Turnover Intentions. In order to verify
this effect, hierarchical regression analysis, following Baron and Kenny (1986)
recommendations and Sobel test (Peacher & Hayes,2004) were conducted but this effect
was only found in relation with Training (Z= -3,95; R²= 0, 315). Training has been
considered a crucial human resource management practice for promoting organizational
commitment and has been included in various conceptualizations of high performance
work systems (Huselid, 1995; Lepak & Snell, 2002). Affective commitment showed an
important mechanism to explain the relationship between training practices and turnover
intentions.
Our main concern in this study was to understand if Trainees, high potential labeled
group, would present what the organization would expected, higher levels of liaison and
retention in comparison with other employees. Our findings didn´t went on that direction.
Being the trainees a younger group and with higher academic qualifications it is likely
that they are more ambitious about their future, fast career and rewards progression, and
eager to develop career in diverse work contexts. All the investment made on the highpotential group (specific training and individual coaching for about two years) didn’t
resulted on higher levels of commitment and reduced intention to leave when compared
with “ the other employees” involved in “ more traditional “ recruitment and induction
processes.
An important implication of this research is that organizations should not assume that
their investments on high potential young employees has a safe return on loyalty or desire
to stay and there is a need to promote the development of adequate HR practices that
attained to their needs and interests. This paper provides empirical findings to understand
implications of retention policies and the role of human resources practices promoted by
organizations and in particular the high value of training for the increase of organizational
commitment and for the desire to stay.
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