We partnered with Leang Chung, Founder & CEO of Pelora Stack to create an interactive dialogue about how people leaders are developing and retaining their teams during times of uncertainty. We found that many of us have similar challenges and goals and it was great to discuss how everyone is working to get there.
Here were some of the key takeaways:
- Demonstrated investment in employee’s L&D: Help your employees develop important skills that can open up multiple career opportunities – 94% of employees said they would stay at a company longer if the company invested in their learning and development.
- To know the most relevant way to develop your employees, think about asking your employees individually two important questions
- What is one skill you wish to gain or improve right now that you believe will help you professionally?
- What is one skill you wish to gain or improve right now that you believe will help you personally?
- Focus on mental health: “Companies now need to take care of employees the same way it expects employees to take care of the company.” – This is a quote from Trevor Noah during the 2020 Resources for Humans Conference that Leang shared in the session. This is a simple yet impactful statement that has always been important, but now more than ever people need extra grace as we all go through the unknown together with a focus on taking care of our mental health. For some, it is better because there is no longer a long commute that can add stress to one’s schedule. For others, it’s worse given their working environment or personal/professional life blending together.
- As a team leader, think about areas of development that you believe will help your team grow. During the session, we broke out into small groups to share with our peers some of the areas of development we each had in mind. Some areas that came up were around technology enabling a better picture of performance metrics, negotiation skills, having more concrete interview criteria, and more. We then took it a step further to understand the complexity to deliver these ideas and the value they would bring.
The Point: For companies who haven’t always been remote first, it’s a big adjustment for leaders to manage a team remotely. Employees want to feel like their career and overall development are being invested in – beyond what managers think their employees want or need in order to develop. Ask your employees what they want and need to succeed personally and professionally, and you will be more likely to retain your talent.
