Attracting and Retaining Talent

Posted by Carol Coletta on August 10, 2008 |

Our good colleague Stacey Randall, a leader in our Charlotte delegation, has shared valuable insights on how to attract and retain talent, based on her workplace research at IMR Group. The firm has developed an Employee Motivator Matrix as part of its Work/Life scorecard. Findings are based on sophisticated research with employees about the places they work, but many of the insights are valuable for urban leaders looking to attract and retain talent in their communities.

Consider this: The attributes of worklife that are the strongest drivers of loyalty are:

* trust between management and employees
* influence on goals/strategy for job
* professional development encouraged
* empowered to use own judgment
* new ideas encouraged and tried out
* passionate and motivated employees

Now, put these "added value" motivators in the mix, which seem even more relevant to cities:

* leadership with vision
* vision/goals/mission clearly communicated
* creativity and independent thinking valued
* continuous innovation viewed as vital
* organization reflects own values, aspirations and beliefs

While these findings are from the workplace, they certainly seem to apply to cities, as well.

To learn more about this work or to conduct the Work/Life scorecard in companies in…

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