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Talent management — 6 steps for employee engagement

  • employee engagement
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The prospect of developing a talent management program can be daunting, but the key lies in identifying the core elements that will bring you success. Once you identify those basic steps, you can design an intuitive system that nurtures a sense of community within the workplace. Additionally, you’ll have created a process that will work well into the future.

1. Talent Acquisition: Target top talent

A key step in building a great team is attracting top talent. Engage top performers from the start by making their first connection with your team a positive experience. For example, show them that they matter by sending a quick email that clarifies interview times, check-in procedures, or even the names of interviewers. You could also make a simple phone call or send a message to thank them for their interest in the position. Also, look for HR software programs that simplify the recruitment process. Just being able to see how far along they are in the recruitment process can ease potential employees’ anxiety. If your talent acquisition system makes it easy for them to do that, they’ll think more highly of your organization. Finally, you can attract exceptional talent by sparking their desire to be part of your team’s vision or mission. You could share your actual mission strategy, or you might opt to showcase how loyal consumers are to your company brand. Prospective employees want to be a part of a shared success story, and they’ll be drawn to teams that are motivated to excel and have a high level of camaraderie.

Yet the real toll of unplanned exits often shows up in less obvious ways. Teams lose valuable institutional knowledge, collaboration falters, and leaders may scramble to fill gaps at the expense of longer-term goals. By focusing only on the direct costs, organizations risk overlooking the deeper consequences—and miss opportunities to address turnover before it reaches a tipping point.

2. Onboarding: Welcome them to the team

Onboarding has become more than just a passive orientation process. It’s now a prime opportunity for HR to help new employees better assimilate into an organization’s work culture. Ensure that the process is consistent and productive. Providing mentor programs, adequate training, and skilled guidance ensures that new employees quickly become productive contributors to their work team.

3. Performance Management: Use clear and regular evaluations

Acknowledgment of a job well done is important to building employee connections. Expand the ways employees are evaluated and recognized for their individual efforts, team performance, and growth opportunities. Incentives such as health benefits or monetary recognition are important, but having employees understand how they contribute to your organization’s goals and mission is often a much stronger motivator. Instead of a yearly review, opt for a system that uses frequent assessments and clear career milestones to build employee engagement. Employee management applications should use clear measurements that support the review process and balance employee satisfaction with overall team progress. Having access to a cloud-based performance review allows managers and team members to create detailed documentation immediately upon completion of a project or even during the project. Such immediate accessibility allows for a more accurate picture of employee performance.

4. Employee Retention: Help them feel their worth

HR managers need to ensure that the organization makes optimal use of each employee’s skillset and overall experience. High-quality software applications can help HR assess team members and place them in roles that make the best use of their strengths. You should also make sure that employees are appreciated for what they bring to the table. When they feel that your company values their contributions, employees are much more likely to stay. Boosting employee retention and engagement can mean doing things a little bit differently. So, ask for different perspectives; diverse development planning will yield a vast array of possibilities. You can gather those perspectives via discussion forums. Also consider multi-generational mentor programs, culture diversity development days, or even having a task force of people from different departments examine an employee’s concern.

5. Development Planning: Work together on growth

Supporting workforce development is a fundamental responsibility of all managers. It’s also an ongoing process. So, the HR team should look for talent management software that provides the flexibility to generate quality data analytics quickly and accurately. Implementing a transparent process for measuring people analytics enables employees to better understand your development plans and work with you toward common goals. When managers and employees collaborate, they can develop goals and milestones that contribute to the growth of individuals, teams, and the overall organization. Having software that enables the HR team to evaluate goals and objectives gives you more flexibility to manage metrics and create a strong foundation to support the organizational development plan.

6. Communication: Stay connected

Maintaining a positive dialogue is key to upholding your commitment to employee engagement and enhances your chances of success in all aspects of talent management. So, find a platform that allows you to connect with employees. As part of your communication efforts, articulate the organization’s collective vision. Team members who feel valued will be inspired by that vision, and their commitment to it will strengthen your employee engagement initiatives. Interested in building a talent management process that embraces employee engagement? Contact us today for a personalized demonstration.