A previous trainee experience: does it matter for retention of young graduates?. Issue 2 (8th May 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cesário, Francisco; Chambel, Maria José
• Is Part Of: International journal of organizational analysis. Volume 25:Issue 2(2017)
• Page Start: 270
• Page End: 281
• Publication Date: 2017-05-08
• Subjects: Affective commitment -- Turnover intention -- Human resources practices -- Trainee programme; Management -- Periodicals; Organization -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 658
• DOI: 10.1108/IJOA-02-2016-0977
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1934-8835

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: This paper aims to explore the extent to which participation in a previous graduate recruitment programme affects graduates' organisational affective commitment and their desire to remain. Design/methodology/approach: With the support of a Portuguese organisation that annually operates a trainee programme to attract the best graduates from top universities, a questionnaire with human resource management (HRM) practices, affective commitment and turnover intention scales was used, with data collected from 168 recent recruited graduates representing two groups: graduates with previous participation in the trainee programme and graduates non-trainees. Findings: Despite the company's expectation that graduate trainees would present higher levels of affective commitment and lower intentions to voluntarily leave than employees recruited by traditional procedures, the t -test results show no significant differences between groups. However, correlations for both groups show a significant positive association between perceived HRM practices and affective commitment and a negative relation with turnover intention. These results suggest that placing a high value on HR practices leads to reinforcement of employment relations and a decrease in the desire to voluntarily leave. Practical implications: The findings suggest the need for organisations to rethink their recruitment strategies and raise an interesting question with regard to organisational strategy: is it useful or fair to create two groups of graduates within the same organisation, because we may be promoting the development of two micro-cultures? Originality/value: The study with this specific group is needed because of an increased implementation of trainee programmes all over Europe as a means of attracting graduates. The literature is scarce, focusing only on trainees' attitudes compared to those recruited through traditional procedures.