Vanessa Brown  •   February 10, 2019

People Working with Purpose

Creating and communicating a higher sense of purpose into the employee experience is necessary to recruit and retain the top talent you need. According to a recent Mercer Survey(link)…thriving employees are 3x more likely to work for a company with a strong sense of purpose. Employees want to know how their work contributes to the success of their team and the company. Do your employees understand how their role fits into the bigger picture within your organization?  Do they understand how their company impacts the world around them?

Re-imaging Performance Management

Providing performance feedback on a more regular basis is critical for continued development and improvement. This also helps leaders gauge the fit between the role and the employee. And, ongoing performance conversations contribute to helping an employee who may not be performing as well determine what other role may be a better fit and/or where to focus their development. With guidance and individualized feedback, employees will know what is needed to excel in their role and the development and education they want to gain to move into a higher-level position. It’s time to consider removing or supplementing the annual performance review with quarterly or monthly performance conversations.

Employee Well-being

Well-being is a step up from wellness and includes a focus on the whole person. Employee well-being encompasses all aspects of one’s health:  Mental, Physical, Social, Financial, Spiritual, Career and Purpose. According to a recent report by Bersin by Deloitte, “the focus of these programs has shifted from reducing insurance costs to actually helping employees perform better, engage with their colleagues and contribute to a positive company culture”. Strategically focusing on people well-being is instrumental in helping employees invest in themselves and create a healthier lifestyle. How are you providing opportunities for employees to focus on and improve, their overall well-being? This commitment to your employees shows you care and creates a loyal employee. 

The Compassionate and Kind Leader

We continue to see a drive for leaders to become more compassionate and kinder in the workplace. This does not mean they have to be nice all the time but being realistic and kind to their employees. Showing empathy and compassion for people’s work lives and how they create that harmony between work and personal life has proven to create a better partnership between the employee, leadership and the company overall. 

Compassion and kindness are not soft leadership skills, they are quite powerful skills for leaders to have. Leading people with compassion and kindness inspires them to be their best and share those same skills with others.

Each of these trends will significantly impact how we find, lead and keep great talent in 2019 and beyond. Having a clear understanding of each of the trends will enable you to be the best leader you can be and make a positive and powerful impact on your organization.

The ML Talent Strategies team and our partners will dig deeper into each of these trends in the coming months through blogs, podcasts and educational sessions. Please join us in staying on-top of the shift in Talent Leadership. Stay tuned!