The type of personnel hired for specific tasks determines the success of any firm. As a result, it is critical for a corporation to effectively identify a specific profession or position by completely outlining the skills, credentials, and criteria. This information is contained in a document known as a job description, which explains the exact tasks, functions, duties, and responsibilities of the employment. The team trains newly hired personnel so that they can advance in their positions. Furthermore, they are trained to become acquainted with the new tasks allocated to them by the company's existing workforce. Line managers specifically have a role to play in the recruitment and selection of new employees to avoid hiring of poorly incompetent employees. For instance, managers should be able to plan for the orientation of the employees, communicate to them and provide the necessary resources for personal development in the new job.
Job description of Accounting Profession
Accountants are individuals employed to provide financial advice, audit various accounts and administer multiple accounts in organizations or hired by private clients to perform such tasks. Besides, accountants specialize in the various area such as taxation, forensic accountancy, management consultancy, audit work and corporate finance.
Qualifications and requirements of accountants
The qualifications and requirements of accountants include;
Must have a bachelor degree in accounting from a recognized university
Must be certified public accountant K
Must have four years of experience in the relevant area of specialization
Duties of Accountants
Financial forecasting and risk analysis
Auditing financial information
Providing tax planning
Controlling income and expenditure and administering payrolls
Analysing accounts and business plans
Dealing with insolvency cases
Compilation and presentation of budgets, reports, financial statements and business plans
Preparation of accounts and tax returns
Meeting and interviewing clients
Skills for accountants
The essential skills require for the position are as follows;
Ability to manage and meet deadlines
Integrity
Self-motivation
Ability to work with a team
Good communication and interpersonal skills
Analytical ability
Problem-solving skills
A high level of numeracy
Ability to analyze and present data properly
Proficiency in IT
Ability to reflect on ones work and consequences of the various financial decisions made by him.
Orientation
Orientation involves an act of providing information and guidelines to the recruits in an organization to familiarise them with the activities of the organization and specific function and responsibilities. The following are the importance of orientation to the new employees of the organization;
Helps in reducing the accountants' anxiety with the new job.
It aids in giving the recruits an insight of what is expected of them in the organization.
Orientation assists in gaining of the employees' commitment to their new job in the company.
Orientation Plan
In the orientation plan, the employees will be oriented on problem-solving skills to help the employees analyze, identify and evaluate the level of the problem to provide possible solutions for a particular problem that may be encountered during the orientation. An effective communication skill is also essential as part of the orientation plan since accountants are required to provide an accounting data to help the management in making decisions in the organization (Korschun, Bhattacharya and Swain, 2014). Such information must be very clear and precise to aid in making the right choices. The accounting data is also used by potential investors who would like to know how the business could be doing financially to decide on whether to put their money in such an organization. Further, in the orientation plan, the managers have panned to orient the new employees on the basics and the importance of working together as a team in the organization. Teamwork allows people to work together and thus be able to understand the strengths and the weaknesses of each member of a team.
An analytical ability skill has also been included in the orientation plan to help the newly hired accountants to gather relevant information, visualize and solve complex problems that may be encountered during the orientation and even in the course of their work. Such a skill is necessary to enable an organization to solve a particular problem thus increase the productivity of the organization (Korschun et al.2014). The analytical skills to be imparted during the orientation are critical thinking, creativity, research and data analysis. During the orientation, the recruit is required to show a high level of integrity, and that should be included in the orientation plan. Integrity is a key factor in the success of any organization. Integrity is the ability to tell the whole truth even if it is ugly hence during the orientation the accountants should be oriented on the importance of being honest during their work. Another skill that is included in the plan is the ability to manage time properly to meet deadlines. Accounting involves gathering data, analyzing and presentation of a report which may take a lot of time. It is therefore prudent for the accountants to carry out their work in the shortest time possible to meet deadlines.
Organisational culture of Training
Training is an activity which involves giving instructions and imparting information to the recruits to attain a required level of skill in an organization (Song, Lee and Bernhard, 2013).For carrying particular jobs skillfully and efficiently. The following elements are contained in training session conducted by relevant facilitators;
A kick-ass kick-off
Under this aspect, the recruits are introduced formally in training. The goals and purpose of the training are provided (Song, Lee and Bernhard, 2013). Also, the role of each person is highlighted in the element.
Asking questions
Some questions are asked during the session to actively engage the recruits. Also, questions are part of the training to give an understanding by the trainer of a level of knowledge of the accountants to impart the most important knowledge.
Measurable outcomes
According to Song, Lee, and Bernhard, (2013), the training facilitator asks questions to find out whether the objectives of the training programme has been achieved at the end of the training. Such issues are based on the extent to which the training has met the expectations of the recruits, the quality of the content and presenter.
Employee training introduction
As an introduction to the organization and specific responsibilities of the accountants, the organization carries out training to the recruits.
Objectives of training
To provide skills needed for interpretation of tax issues such as tax returns and tax laws.
To teach the accountants on the information to look for during an internal audit and how to assist the organization to identify its weaknesses in the internal control system.
To educate the new accountants on ethical issues of accounting and the ways to deal with various ethical conflicts when they arise in the firm.
To impart knowledge and skills on how to prepare financial statements such as balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements for the organization.
Importance of training
The training is carried out to make the employees aware of the various procedures and rules that would guide their behavior in the organization to avoid making a small mistake. Song, Lee, and Bernhard, 2013).It is also necessary to conduct the training to improve the accountants' skills and add up to the knowledge already gained by the employees to adequately equip them for the current job. Due to the fast-changing technologies and change in the environment, the training will be carried out to update the new accountants on such changes to prepare them to perform their duties per the new technologies available.
Staff development Guidelines
Staff development policy
The policy for staff development are as follows;
Relevance
A relevant training is provided for the new employees to help them to develop in the path of their profession (Sleeter, 2012). The training is aimed at equipping the employees with necessary skills and knowledge to analyse audit work in the organization.
Timing
Training sessions are to be kept as brief as possible to help the recruits concentrate on getting basic information that would help the in their profession (Sleeter, 2012). Only important skill are discussed which can be implemented immediately by the new employees.
Goals
The training is aimed at attaining the overall objectives of the company such as maintaining a good image of the organization to attract new and potential investors in the organization (Sleeter, 2012).
Flexibility
According to Sleeter (2012), the training aims to allow the recruits to incorporate the knowledge and skills in the course of their auditing work in the organization. Flexibility allows the employees to build a stronger workforce.
Supply
The staff is provided with necessary tools such as computers to help them understand common ideas such as Microsoft excel which is an essential element in the preparation of financial statements. Such tools are considered to an integral part of the success of the employees.
Consistency
The organization has developed a culture of training its employees many times to keep up the trends and changes in the sector (Sleeter, 2012). Also, training is done consistently to employee satisfaction purposes to ensure an optimal production in the organization.
Encouragement
Sleeter (2012). Argues that, the organization encourages its employees to make suggestions during the training to bring out ideas that would improve the production capacity. Also, the employees are encouraged during the staff development projects to form teams who would work together towards the achievement of organizational goals.
Support
The employees seen to exhibit a desire for self-improvement are to be supported in pursuant of their desires. Such support would include a further training on skills of auditing.
Intervention
Under cases of any problem with any staff, the organization would come in by coming up with necessary changes to finally bring to an end to such particular problem (Sleeter, 2012). According to this policy, employees are not allowed to interfere with any smooth running of any work in the organization.
Identifiers
The various characteristics and skills of employees are usually identified after which they are classified in groups and trained separately to tap into their natural abilities (Webb, 2012).
Benefits of staff development
Increase job satisfaction
Webb (2012) argues out that, constant training of the employees motivate them in their respective jobs hence increases a high sense of job satisfaction. This, therefore, increases production and employee turnover which increases profits in an organization.
Attract new talent
In Webb (2012), training provides certain necessary skills and knowledge attract better talents to the organization hence giving a right image. Also, the training helps in the retention of employees which improves production of the firm.
Advance employee skills
Staff development helps employees to improve their skills and advance in their career. Such skills bring benefits to the organization such as more profits gained and also have a competitive advantage over their competitors (Webb, 2012).
Maintenance of knowledge and skills
Through staff development, specific skills and expertise are retained (Webb, 2012). The skills that are maintained are useful for the success of the organization such that more profits are ploughed back into the business.
Keep up with industry changes
The industries are always changing. Hence it is vital for an organization to conduct training to keep up to date with the changes in the industry (Webb, 2012).It is also crucial for an organization to comply with industry regulations which usually change. Employees are updated through training.
Staying ahead of competitors
A continuous training of the employees equips them with knowledge about the competitors of the organization by providing details on the products, prices and even marketing strategies. This helps an organization to have a competitive advantage over its competitors.
Identification of skill gaps and weaknesses
An organization can easily identify both skill and market gaps through regular training of the employees. The skill gaps identified enables a company to create time for preparation of employees to perform their roles effectively (Webb, 2012).
Be in touch with the latest technology
According to Webb (2012), regular training ensures that the employees of an organization use the latest technology. This can be achieved through implementation of staff IT training program and use IT support for training.
References
Korschun, D., Bhattacharya, C. B., & Swain, S. D. (2014). Corporate social responsibility, customer orientation, and the job performance of frontline employees. Journal of Marketing, 78(3), 20-37.
Lee, C. K., Song, H. J., Lee, H. M., Lee, S., & Bernhard, B. J. (2013). The impact of CSR on casino employees' organizational trust, job satisfaction, and customer orientation: An empirical examination of responsible gambling strategies. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 33, 406-415.
Sleeter, C. E. (2012). Keepers of the American dream: A study of staff development and multicultural education (Vol. 121). Routledge
Spector, A., Orrell, M., & Goyder, J. (2013). A systematic review of staff training interventions to reduce the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. Ageing research reviews, 12(1), 354-364.
Webb, G. (2012). Understanding staff development. Routledge.
