Every employee matters in the workplace

The mantra that “people are our greatest asset” seems to have been somewhat discredited recently as commentators argue that there are other, more important factors that help to sustain competitive advantage.

These include technological innovation and financial and physical assets. Yet talent management seems to have caught the attention of business leaders across the region.

The Pareto Principle (or 80/20 rule) says that a few employees are making a disproportionate contribution and it is this most talented group that gives the company a real competitive advantage.

However, here at Human Capital Department we believe this binary judgement, of talent or not, is unhelpful. Performance can change over time. Employees are unlikely to be doing the same jobs when they start with the company in ten years’ time, and there are many examples of people who started badly but went on to become great successes including Henry Ford, Colonel Sanders and Walt Disney.

At our recent HR Forum meeting at KLIC Peter Mason, HR director at Bespak (Consort Medical) shared practices within his company aimed at developing and retaining talent, which include an apprenticeship and graduate development programme; coaching and mentoring programmes; regular review meetings between managers and employees; specialist training programmes; and the opportunity to gain experience of working at other sites in the UK and Europe on secondment.

All of which helps to contribute to one key element in the company’s vision statement, which is to make Bespak a great place to work.

Human Capital Department has a tool to measure the extent to which staff believe this and where improvements can be made which will improve people’s level of commitment and willingness to go the extra mile.

A “growth” perspective says that everyone can get smarter. Continuous learning is embraced and setbacks are seen as positive. Individuals know how to persist when things get tough.

Grit is seen as the differentiator – defined as someone who has a passion to achieve meaningful goals and works very hard to make them a reality. As Henry Ford said: “Whether you think you can or can’t, you are right.”