With human resources technology changing the way we work, HR’s role is moving from lengthy paperwork and processes to people and culture. As a result, human resources professionals need to know how they can identify top talent and help them grow within the company. What’s their role in talent development?
As technology advances, the possibilities for flexible work-from-home options and remote hiring also expand, making it even more important to maintain the human experience of the workplace.
Here’s how HR can act to create a culture focused on growth, even when the team stretches beyond the traditional office, and how to help with talent development:
1. Find the Best of the Best
Finding better quality hires means less turnover and a more passionate, engaged team of workers. In the larger picture, that means faster growth because you aren’t wasting resources on constantly restaffing, and your productivity soars with a team of qualified employees who want to grow. Developed employees result in a developed company.
Start with the job posting. A 2016 CareerBuilder survey found that 39 percent of employers say their biggest frustration is when unqualified candidates apply for positions. This falls on the shoulders of HR professionals who continue to write impersonal job postings.
Job seekers want to know more about you. The CareerBuilder survey found that 76 percent of job seekers are curious about details that address what their day-to-day operations would be. Also, 82 percent said learning about the team structure and where the job fits into the organization is important.
These expectations are even more important to clarify prior to employees working from their home office. Address these curiosities by writing an accurate job description that clearly defines how the candidate can succeed, and that includes information about the tasks and projects involved in the daily operations.
For example, write a section about what the ideal candidate will do, such as creating captivating sales presentations, liaising between the operations and marketing department in a clear manner, or leading a team of skilled account managers to deliver the best customer service. You could also lay out what a typical day looks like, which might include contacting leads, tracking performance metrics for your sales team, or drafting three marketing campaign pitches for each of your clients.
Discover a better way to recruit remote talent
Founded in 2007, FlexJobs is the most experienced remote & hybrid hiring platform.
- Unlimited job posts
- Low, flat membership fee
- Access top-level remote advice
- Unlimited resume searches
- Reach the right candidates
- And so much more!
Give applicants a better look at what it’s like to work at your company and what types of people are on the team. Share who works at your company, what you value, and how the role fits into the large-scale vision.
How do remote employees stay connected with the rest of the team and how does the organization streamline communications across departments inside and outside the office?
Follow up with applicants who are underqualified or aren’t offered a job with some constructive feedback, detailing what you needed that they didn’t offer and how they should stay in contact. Keep a talent library to note their strengths in case a role opens up in the future that they would fit.
2. Create a Professional Development Program
Since HR is mainly responsible for employee management, it needs to take charge of the company’s culture and encourage employees to push themselves out of their comfort zone in order to build their skill set and advance. To an HR professional, employees are assets. HR needs to make the most out of these assets; however, the human element of growth shouldn’t be dismissed.
Establish a clear strategy for offering professional development. Begin by staffing a committee that focuses on strategizing a multifaceted program to help talent develop new skills. Start the program with an in-person meeting with top talent to help them set goals and assess their strengths and weaknesses.
If an employee is working remotely, be sure to sit down for a video conference call and discuss their goals face-to-face. HR’s role in employee development is more effective when employees are engaged. When HR shows a more personal interest in employee development, employees are more likely to be invested.
Next, the committee should form an action plan for each employee and present it to them. The plan could consist of training seminars, certification programs, or online training courses that would help them develop skills and abilities necessary to achieve their goals.
3. Assign Mentors and Keep Communication Open
The professional development team should also help with assigning mentors. The 2016 Deloitte Millennial Survey found that nearly all (94 percent) of 7,700 respondents say their mentor’s advice is good, and 91 percent say their mentor shows a good level of interest in their development. Mentors are also very valuable in keeping remote employees connected with the organization, rather than feeling isolated from the opportunities available to the rest of the team.
HR can ensure that mentors are effective by clearly defining what results they want to see from the employees, asking mentors for progress reports, and conducting check-ins with the team on how the program is working and where it needs to be improved. Teach mentors communication and leadership skills to keep them sharp.
The professional development program is much easier and more effective with a robust internal portal that automatically tracks the progress of your talent, maps their skills and goals to specific roles that fit into their career plan, and makes it easy for them to stay informed about internal opportunities.
4. Make Your Feedback Constructive and Regular
Annual performance reviews are outdated. Instead, focus on more leadership engagement with your staff. The more time you spend with employees one-on-one, the more they feel valued as a person and encouraged by a strong, human rapport.
Provide consistent, constructive feedback that emphasizes the employee’s value. Start with something positive like a known strength, then address a weakness that needs improvement, and end on another positive note to reiterate how the talent contributes to the company in a unique way.
Make sure you focus on the situation and not the person. Insert the context before addressing a weakness. For example, don’t say, “You speak in a boring tone and can’t close a sale.”
Instead, say, “During our sales pitch last week, I noticed how well you organized your presentation. However, the audience lost interest early on. Consider speaking more emphatically and using hand gestures to engage them. This would be the perfect complement to your well-organized presentation.”
Notice that you also need to be specific while addressing things that can be acted upon. In the example above, you hone in on the voice and tone the employee used. That’s a skill that can be developed with a course on public speaking or more practice.
5. Build Your Growth-Oriented Culture
HR can help create a culture that centers on individual growth, helping employees be their best selves. When employees grow professionally, it shows that HR knows how to maximize the value of the company’s best assets.
Write a clear set of values, a vision, and a mission that incorporates talent development into it. Then build an employer brand that raises awareness in the workplace. Employees need to know their opportunities. Create a user-friendly internal career portal with social elements such as a comments section, posting options, and sharing features. Talent should engage with each other to build morale and keep everyone in the loop.
Encourage them to sign up for job alerts and notifications. Also, internal career events like job fairs can further spread the word and build a team of excited, passionate members who want to find a career path within your company.
Interested in recruiting and nurturing top talent? Browse resumes and professional candidates in 55 categories.
Readers, how is your HR department impacting employee mobility and talent development? Tell us in the comments section below!
Kes Thygesen is the co-founder and head of product at RolePoint, a complete social recruiting suite that provides unrivaled access and reach to quality job candidates. Connect with him and RolePoint on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Photo Credit: bigstockphoto.com
Don't forget to share this article with colleagues!
