I am sure at some point of our lives as HR professionals, we have hoped that we would have a magic potion concocted by Getafix (of the days of Asterix and Obelix) or Harry Potter (of recent fame), which would solve our retention issues, especially in this age of “War for Talent. While one does admit that the magic potion will remain Utopian, one can follow certain steps to proactively look at talent engagement and hence retention.

Step 1
Identify your talent – Often it is found to be 80% of your organisation with 5- 10% being your top talent, and the rest being the support talent, who are not the stars, but the quiet ones who will deliver quality work under supervision. You need them to be engaged as much as your top talent.

Step 2
Segregate your talent into bands as per experience, as needs would be different for people in different stages of their lives, professional and personal.

Step 3
Understand need of talent engagement at various experience and skill levels. Differentiate between hygiene factors and motivators across these different bands of talents. You fill find a clear distinction in needs which lead to employee engagement at various levels

Step 4
Have clearly communicated and articulated, transparent and fair processes/ initiatives to address talent engagement needs.