So you have improved your skills at developing a job description that attracts great employees and have gotten a sense of the importance of employee happiness at work.
A smart way for anyone interested or involved in HR to end this year is to reflect on hits and misses on talent management over the past twelve months. You should ask questions like: How did talent help business growth? Are employees (more) productive? Does the workplace generate an atmosphere of welcome? Are employees happy or interested to be at work?
Many organizations have completed their goals and objectives for 2017. And employees in most of corporate America have been asked to develop their own goals and objectives that show how they can align with and contribute to the organization's success in 2017.
This is easy if employees are motivated and find great satisfaction from their work. It can be a tall ask if employees are not 'feeling' the work. Work Engagement remains a major area of interest for Francesca Gino, Behavioral Scientist, Harvard Business School Professor, and Author. She lends her expertise to countless small and large businesses in the US and around the world — small restaurants, medium-size food processing companies, international conglomerates. Her advice on employee engagement applies across industries and is lauded by senior executives from major organizations like Ariel Investments.
More about Francesca's progressive work on Employee Engagement can be found here. In a nutshell, Francesca advocates that HR leaders should leverage the following approaches to drive employee engagement:
- Give Employees Opportunities to Be Themselves
- Encourage Employees to Bring out Their Signature Strengths
- Question the Status Quo, and Encourage Employees to Do the Same
- Create Challenging Experiences
- Foster Broader Perspectives
- Voice and Encourage Dissenting Views
Most of these are revolutionary ideas to manage the employee engagement and talent management conundrum. One bite-size approach to employee engagement can be found in spending a coffee/tea break or lunch time with employees. This lets employees see that managers are accessible and makes employees feel that they are important enough for managers to take time off for a conversation.
Here's wishing you a prosperous 2017 through engaged employees and a productive workplace!
