Engagement: A Small Investment and a Big Return
If any word has enjoyed its fair share of the learning and development profession’s spotlight in recent years, “engagement” is it. Employee engagement best practices and trends are all the rage for training and development, talent management, and human capital practitioners. We all want to know how to more effectively engage our people in a “do-more-with-less” workplace—one that is lean, global, and multigenerational.
We preach that people are our greatest asset—but do we really walk that talk? And in our diverse organizations, how do we develop talent engagement and retention strategies that are scalable to many, yet meaningful to the individual?
Much has been written on the topic of employee engagement, but busy practitioners often don’t have time to weed through it all or stay up to date with the most recent books, articles, and other publications. And while the research provides many an “aha” moment, there is a need for simple, evergreen tactics that can be applied tomorrow – or even today.
To this end, ASTD recently published an Infoline to synthesize some of these engagement initiatives in a practical, step-by-step guide. “Talent Engagement Across the Generations” shows readers how to establish an organizational culture that promotes a sense of community, commitment, and cooperation; actively involve leaders and managers in efforts to develop and retain talent; and develop career and work strategies to maintain and grow talent.
Imagine an organization in which employees understand how their work contributes to business goals, and in which cross-generational harmony is a reality. Picture a workplace where leaders are attentive, where managers inspire and motivate talent, provide regular performance feedback and evaluation, and give frequent praise and acknowledgement. Envision a comprehensive career development strategy—one inclusive of career needs assessments, professional development plans, and mentoring and coaching partnerships.
Make these dreams a reality for your employees today. Don’t wait until you have a master plan in place; start somewhere—anywhere—now. Take the first steps toward a more engaged workforce by downloading a free copy of “Talent Engagement Across the Generations,” compliments of ASTD’s Human Capital Community of Practice.
And remember, even the smallest investment in your people can yield abundant returns.
Ann Pace is the Community of Practice Manager, Human Capital at ASTD. Prior to this position, Ann worked at ASTD for five years in an editorial capacity, primarily for T+D magazine, and most recently as Senior Writer/Editor. In this role Ann had the privilege to talk to many training and development practitioners, hear from a variety of prominent industry thought leaders, and develop a rich understanding of the profession's content. Visit the Human Capital Community website here.