Creating A Seamless Approach To Talent Development

Among the many factors that define an organization are its employees and culture, especially while “The Great Resignation” is upon us. Employees’ expectations of their companies are increasing and the companies that invest in development resources to advance key skillsets will win in securing the very best talent for the long-term.Equally important is ensuring your talent knows there are vast career opportunities available internally.

New technology is paving the way to achieve these objectives, making it easier for companies of all sizes to provide a truly comprehensive talent platform, inclusive of job postings, learning opportunities, goal setting, and performance reviews. More sophisticated capabilities that create a differentiated employee experience include mapping out career paths and providing employees with training recommendations that can help them reach their full potential and advance their careers. These advanced platforms can also include a place where employees advertise their skill sets, which serves a dual purpose: employees can market themselves internally as well as provide the system with key information needed to show the employee the degree to which requisite skills for open roles match unique employee ambitions. Artificial intelligence capabilities recommend developmental opportunities to employees to close skill-gaps. Simultaneously, the employer benefits by having robust talent profiles, which enable companies to find specific credentials among their existing talent pool that matches internal job postings.

While many companies are taking advantage of new career development platforms, personal interaction remains crucial for mentoring and providing individualized feedback to those looking to further their careers. Integrated technology solutions complement personal interaction by giving managers and mentors a single location to which they can point employees to training or other relevant resources.

Similar to how professionals showcase their experiences and skills to the external job market on LinkedIn, which can signal to recruiters that they are open to a new job, employees should be encouraged to market themselves internally and seek new opportunities within their current company. With the right technology in place, employees have the ability to let in-house recruiters know they are open to new opportunities.

Artificial intelligence and other similar technologies also can help companies reduce the loss of existing talent by identifying skill sets to help fill open positions and present opportunities to employees who may otherwise not be happy in their current roles while facilitating their professional growth within the same company.

There are many technology offerings, and it can be difficult to find the best one suited for each company’s unique environment; however, regardless of those differentiators, organizations should consider the following when searching for a platform:

• Take an honest look at how much change management and additional communications will be required given resources.

• Consider how employee adoption will be promoted.

• Assess the return on investment, including benefits to be achieved— either in terms of functionality or employee experience.

• Involve all stakeholders in the evaluation, especially learning and development, talent acquisition, and IT support.

• Ensure the new platform has the end user in mind; don’t take a “lift and shift” approach.

Prudent employers take concrete steps to ensure that employees have the tools and opportunity to excel. Therefore, it is crucial the HR function continues assessing the internal and external environment to deliver the greatest employee experience to support career growth and acceleration. Ensuring the right systems are in place can make all the difference in providing employees with a potential career accelerator, as well as making sure growth focused people managers are enabled to develop their talent. Delivering these commitments ensures an organization truly earns the title of “employer of choice” and continues to be recognized for outstanding talent and meaningful results.

Jessica Tamaccio is responsible for transforming how candidates, employees and managers experience work at Chubb. By taking a design thinking approach to various employee journeys, Jessica and her team are modernizing the HR operating environment to deliver a world-class and human centered experience for Chubb’s employees, managers and HR team.