The world is changing fast, and your people strategy
must keep up by being ready for the unexpected and being future-proof.
According to the Boston Consulting Group:
In these challenging times, organizations must elevate the most important asset they have:
their people. By focusing on the fundamentals of people strategy — leadership, culture, talent,
reskilling, and HR — companies can emerge stronger, more agile, more innovative,
and better able to respond to an ever-changing environment.
This is why you need a plan to empower your people.
Let’s look at some ways to accomplish this.
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Hi, my name is Neelie and this is Learning Bites,
before we dive in the What, the How and the Why of People Strategy,
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Let’s start from the beginning, What is a people strategy?
A people strategy
formulates the competencies required to reach business goals.
It also outlines how to attain, manage, and
invest in the employees who will garner the desired outcomes.
Your people strategy should unite your business and HR strategies. It should
determine your organization’s values about the treatment of
employees to ensure they feel engaged and motivated to further your goals.
HR’s role is to uphold the people strategy
by creating a culture that enables employees to function at their full potential.
How does a people strategy differ from an HR strategy?
While an HR strategy is more of a plan for managing employee logistics,
a people strategy refers to an organization’s philosophy about its relationship with employees.
HR strategies include processes for how to recruit, onboard, evaluate, compensate, etc.
People strategies outline ways to improve how employees
carry out their roles by assessing and nurturing employees’ capabilities,
as well as managing the relationship between the employees and the organization.
This puts skilled people in the right position
to deliver what it takes to deliver the business goals.
So what are the benefits of a people strategy?
Everything a business wants to accomplish
requires a plan outlining where you’re heading and how you plan to achieve it. With a people strategy,
you have a clear definition and formula for who you want to be as an employer. Without one,
your organization’s culture may be fragmented and may head in an ineffective direction.
Here are some areas where people strategy execution will benefit your company:
Employee empowerment – People are at the center of achieving the organization’s vision.
Commitment to employees – Documenting your people strategy codifies a pledge to your
employees and demonstrates how they benefit. Support for long-term business strategy – It
will equip you to more easily navigate growth and change within your business.
Now that we know more about the benefits of a solid people strategy, what can we do
to make it future proof and withstand bot unforeseen and anticipated changes?
There are 9 core elements that make your people strategy future-proof
1. Create a strong leadership presence that can effectively manage
and motivate your organization’s talent. For this, having a manager enablement program
in place provides practical support to leaders. It should offer a broad spectrum of knowledge,
such as effective listening and communication and how to build trust and empathy.
2. Focus on employee engagement: Workers who see themselves as not just a job title but a
valued and allied part of an organization will take more pride in the success of the business.
To keep your employees connected to business outcomes, focus on transparency in decision
making, recognition of employee performance and accountability.
3. Prioritize learning & development: When employees are equipped with the skills
and education it takes to perform their job well,
they feel empowered, and productivity levels are boosted
L&D options should go beyond mandatory training and include a variety of opportunities
offered in-house, online, or offsite to coach employees in technical or interpersonal skills.
4. Supply advancement opportunities:
A good people strategy supports a strong leadership pipeline that identifies people
with the potential to develop their skills and creates a development plan together with them.
Therefore, a visible career path is crucial to retaining employees long-term.
5. Provide an inclusive environment at work: Everyone should be respected and valued in
their workplace, and performance can suffer when employees don’t feel acknowledged or accepted.
To be certain that everyone feels safe and at ease, your organization
must commit to rooting out unconscious bias and promoting an inclusive atmosphere.
6. Implement employee feedback methods: It’s important to understand the employee
experience from their perspectives to obtain fresh ideas that will support your mission.
Implement methods for gathering feedback at different employee lifecycle points beyond
their annual performance reviews or employee engagement surveys.
7. Support the virtual/remote workplace: The post-COVID world
will likely see more hybrid and fully remote workforces.
That’s why you must factor these alternatives into your future-proof people strategy.
Be sure to contemplate how to translate an inclusive workplace to remote employees.
8. Demonstrate health & wellbeing awareness: Both physical and mental health contribute
to employee performance, so there should be awareness and support for them in the workplace.
Along with providing a wellness program, you can offer ongoing education resources
online and means for people to seek expert help during challenging times.
9. Make it undeniable: Your future-proof people
strategy should be woven into each employee’s daily experience at work.
Your workplace should exude an atmosphere that reflects your
people strategy better than any words on a page would.
OUTRO
If you want to ramp up employee performance to give your company a competitive edge,
you must go beyond your HR strategy. A strong people strategy will build the kind
of relationship with your employees that helps them become their best, most productive selves.
The sure-fire way to future-proof your people strategy is to make sure every part is put into
action. Investing in employees to build trust and morale will never become outdated. No
matter what the coming circumstances may be, your employees will be equipped and inspired to adapt.
Thank you very much for watching, and I hope to see you again soon for another Learning Bites
Bye