Employee Assessments

I presented this morning on Employee Engagement to a great group of HR professionals.  The coffee was fresh, the coffee cake was tasty, and the issues were predictable.

"What metrics really work in today's business environment?"

We worked through what metrics they were using, and got into what metrics they SHOULD be using, and ended on how to measure and project the impact of good employee engagement.  We talked about Lean HR, about applicant tracking, and HR services that are aligned with the organization's vision.  All good.

As I drove away, I reflected on the wish of everyone in the room for a "silver bullet" that would fix tough employee relations issues and solve the talent management problems of the future. 

There is a great first step.  Train all of your managers in the skill of active listening.  If the managers start to listen better to their staff (or at least appear to) and if they can know more about their staff through the use of valid assessment tools, then the staff will feel well-managed and deliver the goods.  Whatever the goods are.

So, there you have it.  As an extrovert who does not like to listen, this is tough advice.  Just listen to it...the answer is out there.