Nearly all employers understand that their human resources are critical to the success of their organizations. It is therefore surprising that despite this understanding, many employers have failed to take steps to safeguard the wellbeing of their employees. Across the US and other countries, millions of employees are forced to work long hours and for low pay in unconducive environments. These employees cannot be expected to perform optimally or to find satisfaction in their jobs. If they truly desire to create a highly motivated, productive and engaged workforce, employers need to adopt the employee management strategies that have been shown to be effective.
Talent Acquisition
Talent acquisition is concerned with the recruitment programs that firms initiate as part of their efforts to attract the best talent. Various strategies are understood to enhance the talent acquisition process. In its guide on how firms can develop effective talent acquisition approaches, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recommends various strategies. They include identifying sources of talented individuals such as elite educational institutions, leveraging various media to share information about vacant positions, evaluating candidates thoroughly, and outline the requirements that the candidates should satisfy (“The SHRM Body”, n.d). Furthermore, effective talent acquisition involves offering competitive pay and creating a workplace culture that enables employees to flourish. The issues that the SHRM addresses in its guide are echoed in an article authored by MacKenzie Kassab. Kassab gives special focus to millennials who are redefining talent acquisition. She notes that to successfully recruit millennials, firms need to offer more than just competitive pay; they should provide these individuals with opportunities for growth and personal fulfilment (Kassab, n.d). Kassab also notes that the implementation of the various talent acquisition strategies enable organizations to meet their goals. For example, by recruiting competent and highly qualified employees, organizations gain an advantage over their competitors. Moreover, a workforce composed of qualified and dedicated employees drives the organizational processes which yield growth and competitiveness.
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Employee Engagement and Retention
The recruitment of employees does not mark the end of the human resource management process. It is critical for organizations to invest in engagement and retention. Among the strategies that facilitate engagement and retention include leadership development, establishing an environment that enable employees to develop a sense of fulfilment, and investing in the personal welfare of employees (“The SHRM Body”, n.d). When they initiate these strategies, organizations essentially make it clear to employees that while they strive for profitability, they also acknowledge the essential role that the employees play. Furthermore, these strategies help organizations to align their mission and operations with the personal needs and aspirations of their employees. When there is congruence between organizational mission and employee dreams, high levels of engagement and retention are witnessed. Other effective engagement and retention approaches include seeking employee feedback regarding their jobs and the improvements that can be made, and establishing positive relationships among the employees (“The SHRM Body”, n.d). These strategies promote engagement and retention by helping employees to feel valued and providing them with platforms for personal expression and professional growth.
Learning and Development
Learning and development are other essential elements of human resource management. The focus of these elements is enhancing the competency and knowledge base of employees. Training is one of the most effective and widely adopted strategies for employee learning and development (Noe et al., 2016). When they adopt training programs that are aligned with organizational needs and employee goals, firms manage to expose their employees to greater knowledge while sharpening their skills. Challenging employees to take on leadership positions is another strategy that facilitates learning and development. As they assume leadership positions, employees learn how to confront various challenges while exposing them to the dynamics of organizational leadership. It is also critical for firms to support the personal dreams and objectives that their employees are pursuing. Overall, when properly adopted, the various learning and development strategies serve a crucial function in boosting competence, thereby driving performance.
Total Rewards
Total rewards refer to the various tools and approaches that firms employ in compensating their employees. Generally, generous compensation packages are known to motivate employees (“The SHRM Body”, n.d). For instance, suppose that an organization issues bonuses to employees who achieve set sales targets. It can be expected that the employees in this firm will strive to meet the targets so as to receive the bonuses. However, firms cannot rely on monetary incentives alone to sustain employee engagement and performance. They should combine these incentives with other total rewards initiatives. Such benefits as health insurance and paid leave are other components of total rewards which yield improved employee performance and satisfaction (“The SHRM Body”, n.d). Flexible work schedules are another vital element of total rewards. These schedules help employees to experience a sense of freedom. The different total rewards approaches combine to fuel organizational pursuit of goals. For instance, most organizations wish to maximize profits. To achieve this goal, the organizations need their employees to perform at optimal levels. Optimal performance can be achieved through such total rewards initiatives as bonuses and flexible work schedules. Overall, the total rewards programs are essential for organizations which wish to gain an edge in their industries.
In conclusion, employee management is a complex process that involves a number of important processes and functions. Talent acquisition, retention and engagement, total rewards, leadership and development are among these functions. The execution of these functions requires firms to adopt various strategies. These strategies range from generous employee compensation and training to the use of different media to recruit employees. To survive in the increasingly competitive business environment of today, firms need to implement these strategies. They should give particular focus to the strategies which inspire employees to work harder and display increased levels of loyalty and engagement.
References
Kassab, M. (n.d). Forget work perks. Millennial employees value engagement.
Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2016). Human resource management. 10 th Edition. New York City: McGraw Hill Education.
The SHRM body of competency and knowledge. (n.d). Society for Human Resource Management.
