3 keys to retaining high-performing talent.
Human resources (HR) is an integral part of any organization but is often one of the most misunderstood. It goes beyond people management and performance reviews; a good HR department will help you retain the valuable talent you’ve worked so hard to recruit.
HR is not always looked at as the resource center it should be. Upon joining ivision, it became clear that this wasn’t a problem you could fix in a silo. ivision’s executive team has come together to make a great company culture integral to the fabric of our company. It’s more than just what we do; it’s who we are. Here are some key lessons we’ve learned at ivision that helps us retain top talent and provide the best environment for our employees:
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Destigmatize HR.
Your HR department shouldn’t be the place people go only when they’re in trouble; they should be a resource upon which your employees rely. Be a partner, not the police. Get to know your employees, talk to them and see how they are doing. Set up regular meetings with them at 30/60/90 days, etc. Truly understand your employees and what motivates them. Then, execute on those things. Show them you listened and that you took action.
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Embody your Goals.
One job of an HR team is to make sure everyone is on the same page. This means that, as an HR professional, you need to understand the company mission completely. Meet with your executives and C-Suite team to get a good feel for your company’s goals and make sure HR reflects them. Is your company bottom-line driven or more community-oriented? Do you want to create an environment that values learning and inspires growth or do you want employees to clock-in and out and leave it at that? Define your goals and share them with the company.
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Recognize Excellence.
Piggybacking on understanding your company goals, when someone does something that goes above and beyond what you expect of them in order to help your company reach its goals, it’s important to recognize them. This recognition can take on many different forms: bonuses, incentives, kudos at the company updates, etc. Just make sure that whatever you do, you empower your people to recognize each other. Your employees are the lifeblood of your organization. You want them to know that their contributions are valued. Shed light on those hidden nuggets that people are doing to help elevate your company.
Improving your company’s culture is crucial to retaining talent. Employees want to feel valued and know that their opinions are heard. But shifting the perception of your HR department is often easier said than done. Make sure you take a top-down approach and work with your executive teams to build a plan for success.
