Employers should adopt the mindset that they work for their employees, not the other way around. The relationship between employer-employee does not always have to “take” or be transactional. There is certainly some give with that relationship, which can be transformational. It is the responsibility of the employer (HR, Management, C-Suite) to put employees in a position to succeed. Offering leadership guidance and training to employees shows a certain company culture, which promotes growth and empowerment. When employees are shown value and given the proper leadership tools, they will be more loyal, perform better, and overall happier in their personal and professional lives.
If employers feel their employees are underperforming, there are steps they can take to nurture that relationship and provide them with the skills to grow. Often, the reason employees underperform is because communication is poor, and they have not been given appropriate guidance from management. The fact is, most employees simply need further support and training. This involves frequent performance reviews and communication between the supervising manager and subordinate. Talented employees are right under the employer’s nose, they just don’t realize it. Managers have either not paid attention, listened, or never set the employee up with tools to be successful.
If employees are talented and organizations wish to retain them, provide them with frequent coaching, training, and skills to be successful. Leadership training is an on-going process. Once the employee shows signs of consistent high levels of performance, offer an additional role within the organization. This does not have to be a huge title. With titles comes the want for higher salaries. Employees should not always be motivated by money. Do not ambush them or assign more responsibilities without having a conversation with the employee first. Nothing is worse than delegating more responsibilities to an employee if they are not interested or if a particular task is not their strength.
Offering multiple responsibilities can be a win-win for both the employer and employee. It is more financially practical for the organization to assign multiple roles to a talented employee than bring on the expenses of a new hire and train them up. Also, employees will appreciate being shown value by putting trust in them, empowering them to take on more responsibilities, and make decisions on behalf of the organization.