Growth of Autonomy in the workplace: Talent management plays a role

What makes employees happy at their workplace? Is it a big paycheck?

Surprisingly, it is much deeper than that. The things that make most of the people satisfied in the workplace tends to be things money can’t buy- such as feeling passionate about their work or feeling valued by the management.

When thinking about an organization’s future, it is essential to consider not only about goals, initiatives, and objectives but also how to achieve them. A major contributor is your employees. Compared to the last few years till date, there has been a drastic change in the culture at workplace and that is majorly attributed to the growth of employee autonomy. In most of the organizations, Autonomy in the workplace refers to how much freedom employees can have while working.

HR function plays a vital role in shaping an autonomous work environment, and if organizations fail to make one, it is doubtful that they will be successful in retaining and recruiting the best talent.

In most scenarios, autonomy is directly proportional to productivity. Though these are not that easy to achieve for employees or their employers, robust Talent Management can be facilitated by an efficient talent management software.

What is involved in Talent Management

Talent management when handled strategically, flows right from the company’s mission, values, to its vision, and goals. This enables every employee to see where and how he or she fits in the organization. This, in turn, enables the employees to participate in the overall betterment of the company. From a strategic prospect, a useful talent management software helps employees see the greater impact of their work on overall organizational growth and development.

Talent management is a discipline where a bunch of initiatives is aimed at the development of people and the organization. Let us look at some of the critical aspects of the talent management.

Opportunities for professional development and growth

Most of the time people feel that their workplaces are monotonous and stationary. While employees don’t want to feel bogged down wit work, they also do not want to sit around with few tasks that do nothing for them to channelize their energies.

Instead, they want to be confronted with tasks that are workable, and require brain power, creativity, and effort. Challenging assignments at work give employees the opportunity to learn and grow both personally and professionally which often sets a  benchmark for the rest of their careers.

Making a difference

No one likes to feel that what they are doing is pointless and empty. Removing that feeling of emptiness gives employees a sense of purpose and direction which in turn makes them genuinely enjoy their workplace. There is no real definition of what it means to make a huge difference. Instead, it is about employees feeling like they are making a significant change on behalf of the organization they care about.

Feeling recognized and valued.

Employees want to feel that their work has some meaning, not just for themselves but also for the organization. They also want to think that their managers appreciate the professional accomplishments they have made and the struggle they have put into their work. At its core feeling valued and recognized by the management makes employees feel appreciated, improves their happiness levels and boosts productivity.

Honest Effective Management

Another factor that makes the employees happy in the workplace is effective management that is capable and transparent. Employees like managers who are honest and open with them about success, areas of improvement and challenges. This kind of transparency makes the employees feel that they are trusted in the organization and also gives them a sense of competence and a feeling that what they are doing matters.

Though an effective talent management software can facilitate autonomy, it is better to have it as a part of an HCM software than as a stand-alone tool to leverage on all the aspects of HR functions. Darwinbox is one such HCM software which has a functionally deep talent management module.