Retaining top talent is top-of-mind for HR leaders across industries. Call it the Great Resignation, the Big Quit, the Great Reshuffle…but just call it. Talent today is holding all the cards. And organizations hoping to win this battle had better get planning!
In December of 2021, I hosted a discussion – a collaborative action-planning session – with HR and Talent Leaders from organizations across Technology, Finance, Healthcare, Professional Services, Retail, and more.
We discussed current realities, experiences, and key opportunities. And we generated a set of practical recommendations for HR leaders to consider when developing Talent-Retention Plans for 2022. A summary of the outputs of that conversation can be found here.
I’m personally incredibly proud of the insights this collective delivered. If talent retention is on your mind, then I’d strongly suggest you give it a read!
While it’s chock-full of tangible actions and recommendations, we did have a few philosophical insights I’d love to share with you here.
- Talent-Retention is insufficient as a goal. Retaining talent is simply code for inspiring them not to leave. It’s passive; a non-decision. We want to inspire a choice to stay. Not just in employment status, but in spirit, commitment, and engagement. We are Stay-Planning.
- It’s all about the Human Experience (HEx): Hygiene factors matter. Their absence will trigger a leave. But what’s driving the choice to stay is all about the HEx. Belonging, Inclusion, Well-Being, feeling valued, feeling safe to speak up…these are where the wins are hiding.
- The best data is your data. Learn about best practices. But for [bleep]’s sake, ask your people how they’re doing, what they need, and what you should be prioritizing.
- There are many shades of Future: The Future of Work is not a single, definable entity. We must collectively – with, not for, our teams define the ways we choose to work. We must do this in bits and increments – not long-term strategies.
- Water coolers are neither culture nor community: It’s time to question our default assumptions about what drives culture or builds community. Being together and in-person has unmistakable value. But it’s one of many ways to drive connection. Let’s be expansive and ingenious together.
To see the collective actions, ideas, and insights we generated, grab your copy of our session artifact here: Develop Your Talent Stay-Strategy for 2022 and Beyond.