‘Talent retention is harder today than ever’: Engaging your workforce

Employee engagement is on the tip of every tongue in most boardrooms these days. Why? Well, because industry and business is undergoing an overhaul. Whether it is due to shifting work practices to home living rooms, or reassessing supply chain methodologies, the workplace is revolutionising itself.

Talent retention is harder today than it ever was due to the opportunities technology has provided the individual to compete with business from anywhere, but also because employees are becoming much more choosy about who they work for.

Employee engagement therefore becomes either your strongest or weakest link.

There are a number of things you can do to ensure your employees are engaged, and transform the engagement into productivity, commitment and great employer branding;

Have a strong sense of purpose. This is going to be the reason why your employees get out of bed in the morning every single day. It is going to be the reason why your customers will remain loyal to your brand, and it is the reason you will outlive other businesses that have a weaker purpose than yours.

Put people at the centre of your organisational purpose. No business is about anything other than their people; whether we talk about employees, customers or supplychain, a business is ultimately about one thing: People. so make sure they are your priority.

Position your organisation as a people first organisation. Your position in the market becomes a ‘no brainer’. Customers will seek you out and prospective employees will come knocking on your door to be part of your ‘rallying cry’.

Lead by example. Leaders set the tone, pace and direction of an organisation. If leadership is aloof from what is going on, then aloofness will reign. Adopt the Model. Participate. Create. Act. approach to instil trust and connection.

Coach, train, mentor. Managers and leaders are some of the first people employees go to in times of distress (if there is enough trust). Inculcate a nurturing, coaching culture led by a ‘human-centric leadership’ style to equip your leaders with the people skills to ensure connection and commitment.

Leverage integration, diversity and equality. The changing dynamics of our workplace and communities is such that brings about great opportunities for a workplace to enhance its culture with the richness of its’ population’s diversity. Set-up fora that allow liberal exchanges on policy, processes, structure to leverage a truly ‘collective intelligence’.