"Welcome to this month’s Link Letter.
 
Two of our articles this month demonstrate the important linkage between employee engagement and both the attraction and retention of talent. We need to remember that engagement is not done in a vacuum: it has a very specific set of business purposes and improved talent management is one of the most important.
 
Our piece from HR magazine shows how brand strength can be leveraged in the war for talent. The research captured here shows that, even at CEO level, a brand which engages potential talent can have a huge impact on who joins your organisation in the first place. It suggests that the way brand and EVP interact have a unique effect on being able to attract the very best towards you as a “talent magnet”.

At the other end of the scale, our piece and infographic from Inc.com suggests that companies are still losing great talent due to a lack of engagement. The sources for this are multiple: lack of connection to your mission and purpose; poor definition of your company culture; a lack of trust in leadership; and poor recognition for great work. None of these are new! But it’s still amazing how many firms have not yet cracked these basic drivers of engagement to ensure they are keeping the talent they strive so hard to attract in the first place.

Enjoy this month’s reads."

Dr Andy Brown, CEO, ENGAGE

Leadership engagement

Good piece from HBR on how leaders can fritter away their power:

• 4 Ways leaders fritter their power away - Harvard Business Review

Interesting piece on the future leadership capabilities needed within HR:

• What are 3 key capabilities of future HR leaders? - Inside HR

Nice piece from HBR on whether leaders really need charisma to be effective:

• You don't need charisma to be an inspiring leader - Harvard Business Review

Employee engagement

Interesting piece from HR Magazine on using brand strength to attract talent:

• Leveraging brand strength in the war for talent - HR Magazine

Good piece from Fact Company on the demise of the performance review:

• Why the annual performance review is going extinct - Fast Company

A short piece on issues around today’s multi-generational workforce:

• It's not just about Millennials - it's about a multi-generational workforce - HR Grapevine

Communications engagement

Nice piece from Melcrum on “unplugged” comms between leaders and employees:

• How to create an unscripted leadership platform of your own - Melcrum

Good case study on how L’Oreal are using social media to create employee engagement:

• How L'Oreal used social media to increase employee engagement - Econsultancy

Interesting piece on leadership comms from HBR in light of the VW scandal:

• Volkswagen and the end of corporate spin - Harvard Business Review

And one infographic on talent retention/loss...

• Here's why half your employees will be gone in less than a year - Inc.com

To learn more about the above areas or have an exploratory conversation with one of our experts, call us on +44 207 947 4471 or email info@engagegroup.co.uk.