What’s Your Focus for 2011?

Written by Sheri Mazurek | Edited by Rory Hart
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    Over the past several weeks, I have been reading a lot about predictions and strategies for 2011. The predictions and strategies have a great deal of overlap and many focus on new legislation and an increased awareness of how the legal landscape and a new focus on enforcement of laws by the Department of Labor and the EEOC will impact your business. While this is very good advice and I would always encourage that you do a “legal check” from time to time, focusing solely on this in 2011 will continue to drive failures in your talent management. Please don’t misunderstand my message; I haven’t forgotten HR’s role in mitigating legal risk and the need to keep informed and updated on legislative changes. While this is critical in our role, focus on it shouldn’t be a tactic we employ because the government is stepping up its enforcement. Following the law should be everyday business.
    Focusing on your talent management strategy should also be everyday business. For 2011, the one statistic I can’t get out of my head came from an article on CNN.com. The article cited a survey conducted by Manpower that found that 84% of employees will look for a new position in 2011. Take a moment. Let that sink in. Think of your talent. Your top talent is marketable. If 84% of them seek another position, it is likely at least 20% will find a position. So here’s how it might turn out for you. The talented folks find other employment and you are left with a staff of meets expectations. OR you do a great job with you talented folks, so your meets expectations folks leave because they are ignored. Either way, who stays? That’s right, the needs improvement crowd who you’ve ignored or have been too afraid or too busy to coach.

    My advice for 2011, get busy with your talent and your legal issues if you have them. Don’t let anything go one more day without attention. Be the hero and get started.

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    Sheri Mazurek is training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com or visit www.sherimazurek.com. Follow me on twitter @Sherimaz.

    Sheri Mazurek