Employees now rule the roost

THE world of work is shifting its focus from the organisation to the individual.

Those organisations that keep their talent are those that pay as much attention to their employees as they do to their customer value propositions. They recognise empowering, guiding and nurturing their employees enables them to improve productivity and performance.

In the past, engagement with the employee was usually on the enterprise’s terms. Today, that dynamic has changed, and it is the talented employee who is increasingly gaining control of their career and who they may want to work for,” says Lindiwe Sebesho, president of the South African Reward Association (Sara).

If organisations want to acquire, engage and retain employees with the skills they need to succeed, they have to create more flexible and empowering people practices that encourage employees to take charge of their own productivity and career growth.”

Marie-Claire Mclachlan, Sara executive committee member, says: Lifelong employment following a company s predetermined career path is long gone. Now, employees are making the choices and have the power to choose the firm they want to work for [or with] based on the best growth opportunities on offer.

The employee thus determines the course of their career and can walk away from a business that doesn’t recognise or support their unique needs.

Organisations can benefit from this change by relinquishing controlfocused practices and availing the tools employees need to make informed decisions about their performance, development and growth.

The biggest challenge in today s labour market is not a lack of job opportunities, but a lack of skills and experience.

The organisation that wants to fill critical positions and hold on to its top performing talent has to appreciate each employee as an individual and provide effective solutions for their engagement and growth,” Sebesho says.

Rewarding professionals can play an important role in an organisation’s efforts to empower its talent.

Developing and implementing flexible reward offerings that include current and future focused development, recognition for great achievements and flexible work arrangements that fit the unique profile and personality of different employees is important,” says Sebesho.

Reward practices and career paths should empower employees through choice and variety.”