Isabella Aguilera on attracting and retaining the best talent

In today's workplace, almost limitless job opportunities and less employee loyalty have created an environment where the business needs its employees just as much as employees need the business.

However, just as it is difficult for employers to recruit skilled workers, they are also equally finding it increasingly challenging to retain good talent, which is the most sought after by almost all organisations resulting into a high turnover.

This leaves companies to spend a lot of their time recruiting, hiring, and training replacements which impacts businesses bottom line.

However, for employee retention and competitiveness, Ms Isabel Aguilera, one of the top 50 most influential executives in the world and a former chief executive officer Google Spain and Portugal, however says business proprietors should improve their ability to attract, train and retain the best talent.

However, on top of attracting talent, she adds, employers should also provide conducive working environments for workers, provide them with the right tools, recognise and reward talent in addition to engaging them to enable them deliver better.

“Money and benefits may attract people to the front door, but something else has to keep them from going out the back. People have a basic human need to feel recognised, appreciated and proud of their work. Recognition and incentive programs help meet that need,” she said at a Thought Leaders’ Forum in Kampala last week.

That, she says, will help businesses minimise turnover rates.
She said it’s a business leader’s responsibility to create a good working atmosphere for employees, balance between stretching demanding targets and challenge talent but with respect and consideration.

The forum organised under the theme the “Uganda Business Paradox and how to win” is an initiative of Monitor Publications Ltd, a Nation Media Group company.
Aguilera believes the winning paradox to business maturity in today’s competitive environment is a combination of deployment of latest technologies, attracting the right talent and having good leadership.

“Businesses have to be more efficient because everything has changed and customers’ preferences are also changing. They demand high quality products which should be delivered fast and more efficiently,” Ms Aguilera said.

Mr Philip Odera, Stanbic Bank managing director acknowledged the role a good internal environment or culture plays in retaining talent and making it thrive.
He however, added that enterprises must also be prepared for the fact that talent can walk away any time.

Mr Richard Byarugaba, NSSF managing director, on the other hand said it’s good for a business to have a bit of staff turnover to give room for fresh talent to be brought on board.

He however, urged businesses to automate their processes as much as possible so that when a staff leaves, the business is not affected and whoever is brought on board fits in easily.

In order to enhance an organisations’ competitiveness through deploying better human resource practices, the Federation of Uganda Employers has been giving annual awards to recognise and reward organisations with good human resource systems and practices geared towards recruiting, managing, developing and retaining talent.

In the 2011 employer of the year award, Century Bottling Company emerged the overall employer of the year for effectively managing its talent, followed by East African Breweries, Standard Chartered Bank and Citi Bank in the second and third places respectively.

About involving and engaging staff, Ms Aguilera said people are more committed and engaged when they can contribute their ideas and suggestions, which gives them a sense of ownership.

She notes that some employees quit jobs not because of a bad working environment but because of the bad relationship with their line supervisor although most supervisors and managers are unaware how their actions and decisions affect employee turnover.

Therefore, training managers should be part of businesses because it’s a critical aspect of an effective retention strategy.

“Properly trained managers play a major role in an effective recruitment and retention strategy. Managers need the skills, tools, and knowledge to help them understand their employees' retention needs and be able to implement a retention plan designed to increase employee engagement in the organisation,” she said.

fkulabako@ug.nationmedia.com
source: nationmedia
By FARIDAH KULABAKO
Posted  Friday, November 16  2012 at  02:00