5 steps to developing a talent management strategy

What is talent management strategy?Copied

Talent management ensures you have the people you need doing the best work they can do, when and where you need it.

The infrastructure, processes, and strategies bring your workforce planning strategy to life.

To understand talent management, look at the employee life cycle, which has six phases: attracting, hiring, onboarding, engaging, developing, and exiting.

The goal of talent management is to ensure that an organization has the right mix of people with the right skills in the right place at the right time to meet its strategic goals. To do this, organizations need to have a clear understanding of what their goals are and what skills and competencies are needed to achieve them.

Moreover, they also need systems and processes to identify, attract, develop, and retain employees with these desired skills and competencies.

Talent management is a broad term that encompasses many different human resource functions. As such, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for managing talent.

An organization’s strategies and practices will be based on its specific needs and goals. However, some common elements are often included in talent management initiatives.

These include workforce planning, recruiting and selection, performance management, training and development, career planning, and succession planning.

Why is talent management strategy critical?Copied

While finding, hiring, and training the right talent takes a lot of effort, having a solid talent management strategy helps ensure that your efforts and investment aren’t wasted.

According to a global survey by Protiviti and NC State University, this year, attracting and retaining employees rose from eighth to second place on the list of business risks for 2022 and the next decade.

Good talent management ensures that human potential isn’t left undeveloped or underused in the organization.

It helps you set your new hires (and seasoned employees) up for success by providing them with the resources and support they need to be successful in their roles.

A well-executed talent management strategy can have several benefits for your organization, including:

• Enhancing company morale and employee engagement.
• Improving retention and employee satisfaction.
• Developing future leaders and career plans.
• Managing performance and closing skill gaps.
• Positioning current employees for career advancement in new roles.

With so many benefits, it’s clear why talent management is critical for any organization looking to grow.

Create a positive employee experience!

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced employers to rethink the way they do business. In a post-COVID-19 world, employee experience (EX) is more important than ever.

A recent survey by Willis Towers Watson found that 92% of employers believe enhancing EX will be essential over the next three years.

This is a significant increase from the 52% who said EX was critical before the pandemic. Therefore, EX is a crucial factor in talent management.

After all, what good is it to have a highly skilled workforce if they’re all quitting after six months? But what exactly is EX, and how can you create a positive one that retains your best talent?

At its most basic level, EX simply refers to how employees feel about their job.

Do they enjoy coming to work each day? Are they feeling like their skills are being used effectively? Do they feel supported by their colleagues and superiors?

When the answer to these questions is “no,” it’s usually not long before those employees start looking for new opportunities.

So, what can you do to create a positive EX that will keep your best talent happy and engaged? Here are a few ideas:

• First, focus on creating a culture of inclusion where everyone feels valued and respected.
• Second, provide plenty of opportunities for growth and development.
• Third, ensure employees have the resources and support they need to succeed in their roles.

By creating an environment where employees can thrive, you’ll be well on attracting and retaining your top talents.

The key components of talent managementCopied

Managing talent is essential to the success of any organization. After all, it’s the talented individuals within an organization that help it to achieve its goals and objectives.

But what are the critical components of an effective talent management strategy? Let’s take a closer look.

• Recruiting: A big part of talent management is recruiting. This includes posting job advertisements, conducting interviews, and hiring employees. The goal of recruiting is to identify individuals with the skills and experience needed for a particular position. It is important to note that recruiting is not just about filling vacant positions. Instead, it is about finding talented individuals who will be able to contribute to the organization positively.
• Retention: Once you have recruited talented individuals, the next step is to retain them. This can be challenging, as some factors can cause talented employees to leave an organization, such as poor working conditions, limited career growth opportunities, or low wages. As a talent manager, it is your job to keep talented employees engaged and motivated. This can be done by offering competitive benefits, mentorship opportunities, and offering opportunities for professional development.
• Offboarding: Offboarding is ending an employee’s employment with an organization. This can be done for many reasons, such as voluntary resignation, performance issues, or company restructuring. When offboarding an employee, it is important to do so respectfully and professionally. This includes providing a severance package, ensuring that all company property is returned, and offering outplacement services.

Talent management is an important part of any organization. By understanding the key components of talent management, you will be able to attract, retain, and develop talented employees.

5 steps to developing a talent management strategyCopied

There are countless ways to go about developing a talent management strategy, but there are 5 key steps that should always be included:

1. Define what talent means for your organization

The first step in developing a talent management strategy is to define what “talent” means for your organization.

This will vary from company to company and will be based on factors like your company’s culture, values, and business goals.

Once you clearly understand what kind of talent you need, you can begin to build out your recruitment and development processes.

2. Create a system for attracting top talent

The next step is to create a system for attracting the best and brightest to your organization.

This will involve crafting compelling job descriptions, developing an employer brand, and using social media and other channels to reach potential candidates.

Therefore, remember that attracting top talent is competitive, so you’ll need to ensure your offer stands out from the rest.

3. Build a pipeline of future leaders

It’s not enough to simply attract top talent—you also need to develop a pipeline of future leaders who can take your organization to the next level.

This involves identifying and assessing high-potential employees and planning for their professional development through mentorship programs, training opportunities, and rotational assignments.

By investing in the development of your future leaders today, you’ll ensure long-term success tomorrow.

4. Engage and retain your top performers

Once you’ve attracted and developed top talent, engaging and retaining them within your organization is the next step.

This can be done through competitive compensation packages, recognition and reward programs, career growth opportunities, and an engaging work environment.

In addition, it’s also essential to keep communication lines open so employees feel valued and heard—this will help prevent them from taking their talents elsewhere.

5. Evaluate and adjust

The final step in developing a talent management strategy is to evaluate your process and make necessary adjustments continuously.

This includes setting up systems for tracking data points like turnover rates, engagement levels, development opportunities provided, etc., as well as regularly soliciting feedback from employees (both positive and negative).

By constantly evaluating and adjusting your process, you’ll ensure that your talent management strategy is aligned with your business goals and capable of evolving as your needs change over time.

What makes talent management software effective?Copied

To be effective, talent management software must have the following qualities:

1. The ability to provide insight into the key areas of your talent management strategy; this includes well-being, performance, engagement, and belonging.
2. The ability to connect those experiences to the business strategy.
3. A modern interface that is easy to use and navigate.
4. A robust set of features that can be customized to meet your organization’s specific needs.
5. A proactive customer support team that is always available to help you troubleshoot any issues you may encounter.
6. A price tag that fits within your budget.
7. Flexibility to grow with your organization over time.
8. The ability to integrate with other business applications you are already using.
9. A mobile-friendly interface that allows you access from anywhere at any time.
10. Peace of mind from knowing your data is secure and compliant with all relevant regulations.
11. The confidence that comes from knowing you are using a best-in-class solution to manage your talent management needs.
12. The satisfaction of using a system that meets or exceeds your expectations.

ConclusionCopied

An intelligent business strategy must have talent management software as a critical component.

Understanding what talent your company needs and attracting, developing, and retaining these talents will help to set your business up for success.

AG5 software is the perfect solution to help you implement a talent management strategy within your organization.

Our software makes it easy to identify high-potential employees and create custom development plans for each individual.

With AG5, you’ll have everything you need to build a pipeline of future leaders and keep your top performers engaged and motivated.

Contact us today to learn more about our talent management solutions. Schedule your free demo today!

Author Copied

Kimberley Vrij

Kimberley Vrij is a copywriter at AG5. She supports our mission by writing about skills management and sharing well-researched content that is easy to understand.