1/ Make relevant recruitments
Recruiting well is a way to avoid future problems. Indeed, talent retention begins at the recruitment stage. While it is understood that the candidate's profile must correspond to the position to be filled, particularly in terms of business skills, it is necessary not to underestimate the candidate's ability to adapt to the company culture, which represents a real challenge for HR departments. Just like in the company, the insertion/integration of new employees generate several problems. It is necessary to succeed in exploiting the skills (sometimes new internally) of newcomers in the service of the community (the company) while ensuring a good cohesion of the group, in order not to distort the corporate culture, the cement of the latter. Thus, it is essential to evaluate the soft skills of candidates beforehand. It is not uninteresting to use collaborative recruitment methods involving the employees who will work with the candidate if they are selected.
Talent retention is paradoxically supplanting information retention as the main issue for many companies in the digital age. In a fast-paced world of work, generations, expectations, and challenges are changing. With generations Y and Z not inclined to submit to the traditional management canons, retaining talent can be problematic. Indeed, 80% of permanent contracts are terminated in the first year, which forces companies to diversify the tools they use to boost employee commitment. Retaining these talents, building their loyalty, but above all encouraging them to adhere to the company's project, is of significant importance for the company's long-term survival.
The only question is: how to retain them?
1/ Make relevant recruitments
Recruiting well is a way to avoid future problems. Indeed, talent retention begins at the recruitment stage. While it is understood that the candidate's profile must correspond to the position to be filled, particularly in terms of business skills, it is necessary not to underestimate the candidate's ability to adapt to the company culture, which represents a real challenge for HR departments. Just like in the company, the insertion/integration of new employees generate several problems. It is necessary to succeed in exploiting the skills (sometimes new internally) of newcomers in the service of the community (the company) while ensuring a good cohesion of the group, in order not to distort the corporate culture, the cement of the latter. Thus, it is essential to evaluate the soft skills of candidates beforehand. It is not uninteresting to use collaborative recruitment methods involving the employees who will work with the candidate if they are selected.
2/ Evaluate the fundamental skills of candidates
Good recruitment requires a good understanding of the applicant's skills. If diplomas that sanction the mastery of these skills are often helpful, they are not always a guarantee of success. Indeed, it is not uncommon for candidates to embellish their skills. In addition to these business skills, it is necessary to add the "soft skills," the interpersonal skills that contribute significantly to the composition of teams, to the understanding between employees, to their performance, and therefore, in the end, to their commitment.
This evaluation of skills can also be carried out by the employees themselves, who can thus recommend the skills of colleagues appreciated during a previous joint project. This peer recognition is not a new concept, as it has always been one of the pillars of the corporate culture of some multinationals, notably Google.
3/ Listening to employees and internal innovation
To be effective, listening must be based on a set of measures that allow us to stay as close as possible to our employees to feel the pulse of the company and respond as well as possible to their needs/expectations. Listening involves informal exchanges (e.g., coffee breaks) between employees and their N+1, HR, and employee representatives and the use of more formal tools, such as questionnaires, to archive and facilitate the correct reading of employees' feelings. The work environment must also contribute to this by providing friendly spaces and working conditions that contribute to the well-being of everyone. A happy employee is an invested employee.
Armed with the knowledge of expectations, companies must simultaneously resort to internal innovation (processes, tools, etc.) to best meet the professional aspirations of their talents. The opportunity to develop their skills and multiply their experiences represents the critical element of their retention. The company's proactive approach must be at the heart of its project/culture and must be challenged better to match the evolution of the employees' expectations. A company that is in tune with the times, and better yet, able to anticipate tomorrow's codes/standards will succeed in retaining its talents.
