Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find the very best talent development posts. This week, you’ll find pointers to pieces about learning as a reward, reports on pay-for-performance, engagement, and the future of talent management, and a powerful critique of the supply chain model of talent management.
From Ann Bares: Learning & Advancement: Employee Reward or Employer Obligation?
“As we continue to broaden the scope of what falls under the “total rewards” umbrella, one of the areas of the employment relationship that comes under consideration is learning and development.”
Wally’s Comment: This is not a simple issue. One way to think about it is: “Is learning fungible?” And, of course, training also has a role in talent development where training is often more than just training.
Perhaps it’s the year end, but an awful lot of surveys and studies seem to be popping up this week. Here are three recent ones on talent management related topics from Sibson, BlessingWhite, and Deloitte. The Deloitte study is especially meaty and deserves some concentrated attention.
From Sibson: Real Pay-for-Performance
“‘Even with limited compensation budgets, best-P4P organizations often carve out funds for extra rewards to high performers and tend to see fewer employees whose performance is rated as high”
From BlessingWhite: 31% is Not a Passing Grade, Says New Employee Engagement Study
“In the 2011 Employee Engagement Report, we share a brief overview of engagement levels worldwide, the engagement-retention connection, key drivers, and the ways that behaviors of managers and senior leaders influence engagement.”
From Deloitte: Talent Edge 2020 Blueprints for the new normal
“The first report of Deloitte’s new survey series Talent Edge 2020 features results from a survey that polled more than 300 global business executives across industries. The report highlights that as companies worldwide struggle to move beyond the great recession, many executives recognize the need to develop talent strategies to meet the demands of the ‘new normal’. With trends such as globalization and the aging workforce gaining traction during recession, global talent leaders are now focused on finding the right balance between economic realities and investment requirements as they position their companies for success in the next decade.”
From Josh Letourneau at Fistful of Talent: When “Losing Bob” Is More than Just “Losing Bob”
“It’s a cold Monday morning as Suzy sips her first cup of coffee for the day and reflects on her surprise when Bob turned in his notice last Friday. Being that Bob had been around for 5 years, Suzy asked herself what led him to start thinking about outside opportunities. Further, who would really be so interested in Bob in the first place? His performance ratings were barely middle of the road, he didn’t graduate from a Top-25 Business School, and was consistently passed over for the Leadership Development Program. He definitely wasn’t tearing up the racetrack, by any means. “No big deal”, Suzy tells herself. And sure, she understands she could have kept Bob around through Christmas, but why bother? It’s not like she wanted word getting around, so when she asked him to pack up his things and leave the building before lunch, she was just looking out for the best of the firm. To Suzy, her thinking is perfectly logical.”
Wally’s Comment: This is a powerful post and a wonderful counterpoint to the “supply chain” school of talent management. Make no mistake, people are not parts and, increasingly, you treat them that way at your peril.
Bonus: The latest Carnival of HR is up at PseudoHR and filled with good posts.
