Acquiring and managing talent for effective engagement and productivity can be a daunting exercise in modern-day organisations. The drive for innovation, creativity, nimbleness, and agility has made many organisations pursue the route of employing young and vibrant people. However, this choice is being made by organisations with little or no serious efforts at aligning with people policies and practices that enable the success and retention of this category of people.
Many of these young folks, once they join an organisation, leave sooner than expected because they get disengaged. They start looking for a more exciting and unrestricted environment to exhibit their talents and other interests. In most cases, existing policies and practices tend to constrain this category of people to become the ‘organisation man’! This is a position that is opposed to the interests and aspirations of the young people. They love a fun-filled, flexible, “playful”, not too serious working culture.
As a result, they leave the second they start with an organisation with features such as tightness, rigidity, excessive rules, and bossiness. They begin to lose interest and may even want to opt out into ‘freedom’.
Dealing with instabilities and discontinuities resulting from lack of effective retention of this young category of workers, organisations may need to think about the following:
- What is the right staffing strategy for the organisation?
- How to maintain the right balance in age and experience required in the organisation with a view for effective retention
- How to effect real-time review, operationalise and communicate people policies and practices that positively impact staff retention and productivity
- How to create a culturally fit environment for the performance of all categories of staff in the organisation
- How to make work fun, exciting and accessible without creating anarchy
- What enablers will be required for effective talent acquisition and management
- How to keep the talent acquisition and management fresh, relevant, and effective for a sustained business or organisation
People indeed remain the most critical aspect in the four elements that make production and productivity possible. The other three being money, materials, and markets.
The rigour employed in the process of acquisition, management and development of people will seriously impact the way the other elements in organisation performance is realised.
It is time to rethink talent acquisition and management strategies in organisations.
Written by:
Olawanle Moronkeji
Associate Partner, People Transformation
