Training, Development and Retention

 It's Monday morning, and our well intended applicant, dedicated to self-improvement and great interview results, is back from a conference where she attended a training session. This session was touted as a must attend event where one could learn all they needed to become a successful interviewee.  People who had attended sessions delivered by this trainer raved about how great it. 

If the rolling talent deficit series has struck a chord with you, and you’ve started measuring and looking at the effects of the deficit, then you’re probably ready to take action.

As you think about how to tackle the problem, my first bit of advice is to understand all the factors that got us to this point. There are many issues to consider, from the Great Recession and multiple generations in the workforce, to the rise of social media and employee engagement.

Sometimes you just do, don’t you?

   “Say that one more time and I’ll send you to the moon.”

   “Miss another meeting and you’re dead meat!”

   “You may think that’s cute. I think it’s childish. Grow up.”

We’ve identified the rolling talent deficit and talked about how to measure it, but what is the real impact to your organization? In short, it hurts your employment brand and your ability to recruit in the future.

In my last post, I started by defining the time frame. This is crucial because all organizations need an efficient recruiting methodology that can continually source and make talent available for the organization. As the saying goes, you are only as good as your last hire.

In my last post about the rolling talent deficit, I talked about the problem of having unfilled positions month after month. After a while, this cycle takes its toll on an organization and can lead to an almost insurmountable backlog of unfilled jobs. How do you know if you’re running in a talent deficit? Below is an easy method for determining your level of deficit today and the rolling effect it will have in the future. 

In my last two articles, I’ve set the stage for a people-focused review of the employee experience. In short, the experiences people have as they move through the “employee lifecycle” depend a great deal on how they are treated by others. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Why then, do we focus so much more on processes, policies, and programs than we do on what it feels like to be an employee?