HR practitioners urged to exhibit good leadership, culture for employees’ retention

Notwithstanding the current changes in the dynamics of attracting and engaging talents globally, Human Resource (HR) practitioners have been urged to ensure quality leadership and culture are put in place for employees’ retention in their various organisations.

It was argued that quality leadership at the helm of affairs retains quality employees that ensure delivery of high quality services to clients.

Doyens of the profession argued that as HR practitioners, how the entire value chain is managed from the point of retention to the point of exit would determine to a large extent how employees would be retained in that organisation.

At the 2019 Learning Leaders’ Forum, organised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), the Guest Speaker, Head, Human Resources, FBNQuest Merchant Bank, Yemi Faseun, spoke on the theme, “Attracting and Engaging Talents”.

He said that attracting talents and engaging and retaining them is not so much as things HR practitioners do externally to make themselves drive to winning talents but what they do internally inside the organisation without the employees.

Specifically, he mentioned three qualities of true leadership, which he centred on competence, character and charisma to drive an effective cultural change in an organisation.

According to him, “True leaders build credibility which is built over time. The consistency in which you are credible in an organisation will lead to being called an authentic leader. On character, you must be fair to everyone in the organization, while having charisma, you must be able to command respect as a leader.”

Group Head, HR, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc., Taiwo Dayo-Abatan, also hinged on flexibility as one of the good qualities of a leader, stating that HR practitioners should be at the fore-front of driving change in an organisation.

Earlier, in a welcome remark, the President and Chairman of Council, CIPM, Udom Inoyo, who was represented by the Vice President, Olawale Adediran, said the institute became concerned with the very many challenges organisations face when they lose their competent hands and the dangers this portends for employers of labour, and the risks employees face moving from one job to the other at will.

He noted that theme of event would identify reasons for premature staff movement, proffer solutions and also educate all stakeholders on the best approach to addressing the issue as it relates to organisations.

He added: “It is a competitive business environment and employers would go after a staff that brings results at any cost with alluring offers. So, why not protect yours to avoid talent poaching?”