Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot. In this post, you’ll find pointers to pieces about the summer of worker discontent, learning on the job, performance measurement, luring top talent, and a very basic question about your company that you need to answer.
“With the economy coming back, employers are increasingly worried about retaining stressed-out employees who survived cutbacks, pay and benefit reductions, and increased workloads, experts say. Some employers are taking the opportunity to review their workplace cultures and how they recognize employees, re-examining everything from telecommuting to the structure of rewards programs and charity participation.”
Wally’s Comment: This story has many examples of actions that businesses have taken to hang on to valuable employees. There are bits of silliness that you can safely ignore. It’s not likely, for example, that more than a quarter of workers are going to change careers within the next two years, no matter what they said on a survey.
From the Next Level Blog: What Am I Supposed To Be Learning From This?
“A long time ago in a land far away, I worked for a year as a first year associate in a now defunct Wall Street investment bank. It was a stressful, but educational experience. What did I learn? Lots of things. Things like the recruiting process are not necessarily the best indicator of what it will be like to actually work someplace.”
Wally’s Comment: Scott Eblin shares a powerful comparison between one employer who treated people like abusable interchangeable parts and an executive who acts like she understands what it means to have people working at her company. Scott throws in a couple of career observations, too.
From Aubrey Daniels: Should Performance be Measured Daily?
“I have said many times that the best job you will ever have is one where you know at the end of the day how well you performed. Most employees don’t have such a job now but with increased ability to measure performance through modern technology, managers can, and should, provide them. Organizations need to drastically change the method and frequency by which they measure employee performance.”
Wally’s Comment: Aubrey Daniels is simply one of the true experts on performance and what really gets people working. People want to know how they’re doing. When they do, they’re more likely to pitch in and more likely to stay with you.
From CEB at Bloomberg Business Week: Lure Top Talent While Keeping Your Own
“Ask yourself this question: is there another company that you would rather work for?”
Wally’s Comment: The message of this article is that you need a potent Employee Value Proposition. CEB research indicates that if you have one there are lots of great benefits, including an improved application rate for desirable candidates, lower turnover, and improved profit.
“While circumstances will press you to make decisions like this quickly and on their own (supposed) individual merits, to do so misses the chance to pull them together in a manner that supports the kind of work experience designed to make your employees – and ultimately your company – more successful. It starts with asking one important question: What should a career in your company look like?”
Wally’s Comment: Ann Bares suggests that you ask a simple question about your company: “What should a career here be like?” The answer will give you incredible insight into which programs and initiatives and compensation will help you create the career options that top talent crave.
