Exciting times ahead for staff (From Gazette Series)

Exciting times ahead for staff

8:10am Saturday 17th January 2009

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Recession-stricken employees across the country are set to see more innovative and dynamic initiatives from organisations as they battle to motivate and retain their workforce during the recession, says talent management specialist Judith Germain.

With Tesco leading the way in employee engagement with their new monthly talent competition designed to increase footfall into stores and in turn boost employee morale, Dynamic Transitions MD Judith Germain says that companies have realised that their old methods simply aren’t effective in the current climate and now need to be more innovative in how they motivate and retain their most talented employees.

Germain says: “With morale falling and companies predicted to be unable to pay bonuses or increase pay there is an increased risk of employee flight amongst the top performing employees.

“Tesco may have got the balance right with their latest talent show initiative as this could have the double effect of both increasing customer sales and employee’s sense of partnership with the company.”

However, alongside implementing new employee engagement programmes, Germain, who specialises in dealing with ‘Troublesome Talent’, believes that there is perhaps an even more critical need for companies to ensure that their management teams have the right skills to lead the company during this difficult time and in particular their most talented employees.

“Only 20 per cent of most workforces contain the top talent, yet it is these unconventional thinkers who drive companies forward and can provide real competitor advantage and first mover status.

“Often customers and clients love their flexibility and their unique ability to sense what is needed and what enables them to get close to the customer’s need in a way that their competitors struggle to,” says Germain.

“The problem is that many managers, particularly Generation Xers, have not had enough relevant experience to manage in these changeable times and it is this lack of ability that is having a disastrous effect on morale and productivity.

“In our experience poor management is more prevalent at these times, and is often the main cause of such company disharmony that even with the best employee engagement programmes, companies could find it hard to recover”, she said.

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