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Traditionally, the task of talent management within organisations has been seen as something that should only be handled by the human resources department. However, in the wake of the widespread changes caused by COVID-19, this is no longer the case.
Large numbers of resignations and challenges around finding and retaining new staff have made talent management a key business issue and priority. It’s something that needs to be addressed much more widely across an organisation if workforces are to be kept engaged and motivated.
Senior management needs to realise that growing and retaining an engaged workforce will take a lot of time and planning – more so than ever before – but what are the immediate vital components businesses need to consider? Here are three emerging themes that can be used to define a successful talent management strategy moving into 2023.
Human-centricity
When much of the world switched to remote work, most companies quickly realised how heavily they relied on in-person activities to help employees – and new hires, in particular – to understand and integrate with their culture. As a result, there was a race to ensure every employee had a deep connection to company core values, which are central to culture.
A key extension of that is preserving an emphasis on enhancing professional development, wherever employees are located. Employees need to know they have opportunities to learn within a company and are being invested in, especially now that so many staff are actively re-evaluating their relationships with their careers and reprioritising which benefits, rewards, recognition and wellbeing initiatives they want from their employer.
This is why businesses should pay extra attention to crafting an employee-centric talent management framework that can be translated to a virtual setting. Holding productive and ongoing career discussions will help employees grow with their employer – both professionally and personally – while also outlining what skills and contributions are expected of them to deliver organisational goals.
Effective collaboration
Disruption in the job market reinforces the need for businesses to revise digital transformation plans to both manage employee expectations and help people feel fulfilled at work. New hybrid working patterns warrant investment in long-term collaboration solutions that don’t just replicate in-person interactions but also improve upon them, all while enhancing alignment for remote workers and teams.
Equipping managers with the most supportive visual and digital collaboration tools will help them to better partner in the talent management process, enabling them to understand and allocate talent resources across their teams and departments. With the power of visuals, businesses and teams can stay on track and react effectively when changes to the talent management strategy, processes or initiatives occur. For example, both short- and long-term talent needs can be reflected as businesses map out their company, its hiring processes, stages of onboarding and career development strategies. Visualising the employee lifecycle will help businesses to maintain the necessary lines of communication with team members and identify problems that could become difficult to manage and impact employee retention if left unresolved.
Consistency is key
The cornerstone of a successful talent-management strategy in the coming year will be consistency. The turbulent and ever-evolving definition of a workplace largely created by the pandemic has forced the process of engaging and recruiting talent to change. Now, as companies find their new rhythm in the hybrid environment, they must demonstrate agility in meeting employee needs to create a more consistent and enjoyable experience.
Equally important is internal consistency and how organisations’ talent management practices align. If a company increases investment in training individuals with high potential, it should also empower employees with the ownership opportunities to actively contribute to the organisation.
Keeping the future workforce engaged
Recent market trends have awakened HR leaders to the growing need to remain adaptable when developing talent management strategies.
If employees are disengaged or uncertain about their role in the company, it’s going to impact the firm across all levels – employees, revenue, and market competitiveness.
Taking a more strategic approach to the way in which organisations communicate development opportunities with their employees is becoming an increasingly important factor when it comes to maintaining motivation and productivity.
This approach should also make use of effective visual collaboration tools that can help streamline the process and ensure all staff are partners in talent management. The result will be a more engaged workplace and happier, more involved employees.
Kat Judd is the senior vice president for people and culture and associate general counsel at Lucid.
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Talent management is the process of anticipating the human resources that a company will need and making plans to fill such gaps.
Shandel McAuliffe
Shandel has recently returned to Australia after working in the UK for eight years. Shandel's experience in the UK included over three years at the CIPD in their marketing, marcomms and events teams, followed by two plus years with The Adecco Group UK&I in marketing, PR, internal comms and project management. Cementing Shandel's experience in the HR industry, she was the head of content for Cezanne HR, a full-lifecycle HR software solution, for the two years prior to her return to Australia.
Shandel has previous experience as a copy writer, proofreader and copy editor, and a keen interest in HR, leadership and psychology. She's excited to be at the helm of HR Leader as its editor, bringing new and innovative ideas to the publication's audience, drawing on her time overseas and learning from experts closer to home in Australia.
