Andrea Watkins

Unfortunately, HR seems to be one of the overhead functions that is frequently downsized when times get tough, either through a reduction in its budgets or by reducing its staff; after all, aren't line managers supposed to look after all the people issues now?

There is currently a lot of talk about recognition. A Google search on Employee Recognition churns out more than 900,000 hits. Recognition is one of those principles of people management that we are routinely reminded about, and frankly, should be reminded about, because it can always be done better and more often.

One of the key issues organizations face is the ability to attract, motivate and retain their employees. Those that focus on attracting and managing talent are able to maintain and enhance the intellectual capital of their organization. They achieve this through the motivation and development of current employees and the attraction of prospective candidates. Any talent management framework or strategy needs to have a clearly defined selection strategy that aligns with the broader organizational talent demands and encourages best practice processes and procedures that ensure consistency and fair treatment of all those involved.