What is your 2023 People Strategy? Here is a Step-by-Step Guide
What I mean by "people strategy" is what are your plans to increase employee engagement and retention in 2023?
You may have noticed in many cases that the HR and leadership practices we relied on in years past are no longer effective. In a recent survey by Deloitte, nearly half of respondents said their organization’s leaders are struggling to respond to new trends.
That's because we are in the middle of a workplace evolution and many organizations are in the midst of redefining what leadership, HR, and organizational culture look like. The pandemic catapulted us into a new way of working and many organizations are still trying to adapt.
This is where having a solid (yet flexible) People Strategy is so important.
To attract and retain the best employees, you will need a plan that includes….
Applying customer service and inclusion principles in recruiting, hiring, and onboarding
Creating an equitable, transparent hybrid work strategy
Providing access to leadership coaching in addition to training for supervisor skill building
Creating a plan for pay AND benefits transparency and competitiveness
Creating systems for collecting and implementing employee feedback
Implementing more shared decision-making
Building conflict management skills across the workforce
.....what else are you including in your People Strategy to create a workplace where employees consistently do their best work?
Creating your People Strategy may seem like a daunting endeavor. To support you in your efforts, here are the succinct steps to take to build your 2023 People Strategy.
Keep in mind these strategies can be applied at the organization level, department level, or even if you supervise just one employee (or if you supervise volunteers.)
Step 1: Celebrate your accomplishments
Before getting started, it’s important to reflect on how far you, your team, and your organization have come this past year. Recognizing accomplishments is a great team building activity. Read more on accomplishments-teambuilding.
Step 2: Find out what the feedback says
Building a People Strategy without employee feedback, is like building a customer service strategy without customer feedback. HR strategy and organizational culture improvement must start with an understanding of what employees are seeing as the organization’s strengths and areas of opportunity.
Sources of employee feedback may include…
Annual employee engagement survey
Stay interviews
Exit interviews
Inclusion & belonging survey
New hire surveys
Onboarding check-ins
Information gathered informally, i.e. from supervisors/employee 1:1s or team meetings
Step 2: Look at the numbers
Analyzing the recruitment, engagement and retention data you have on hand will help you to plan the HR-related workload and prioritize your efforts in 2023.
Numbers to review and include in your planning…
How many positions will we need to hire this year? Answered by: Historic turnover and hiring trends plus any growth plans.
What are the top 2-3 reasons employees leave our organization? Answered by exit interview data.
Where in the employee lifecycle do we need to prioritize our engagement efforts? Answered by: Number of applicants by job requisition and tenure of employees who have left the organization.
How competitive is our salary and benefits package? Answered by: Market survey data and internal equity analysis.
Step 4: Set realistic goals and priorities
I am often asked by leaders who are seeking to improve organizational culture where they should focus their efforts. If I had to pick 3-5 strategies to focus on in 2023 to improve organizational culture they would be from the bulleted list at the top of this blog post, (the list that starts with a focus on customer service and inclusion in recruiting, hiring and onboarding.)
My favorite goal setting format is SMARTIE goals, which keep us focused on inclusion and equity.
Step 5: Make sure the People Strategy is incorporated into the organization’s strategic plan
Pay and benefits strategy, recruitment planning, and engagement and turnover goals are a critical component of any organization’s success. For this reason, it’s important that your People Strategy is incorporated into your organization’s strategic plan just as you’d incorporate finance, fundraising, programs, etc.
Step 6: Get the HR support you need
Leaders are not expected to be experts in all things! If you're having trouble....
Getting started with creating a People Strategy
Knowing where to focus your energy
Prioritizing what is most important to your organization's mission and employees
then, let's connect for an HR Strategy Session to create your 2023 People Strategy!
Get the support you need to build your People Strategy.
Book an HR Strategy Session and you will receive…
A 2022 year-end HR checklist to make sure you are on target for State & Federal compliance
A 2023 People Strategy Planning Calendar with action items to amp up your employee recruitment, engagement, and retention in 2023
Guidance and support from an HR Consultant with 20+ years of experience
One (1) hour confidential session via Zoom for you along with any folks from your team you would like to join
Quick, targeted answers to your HR, organizational culture, and State and Federal compliance questions
Ways to Work with Skye
Monthly Retainer HR Consulting: On-demand monthly contracted HR services customized to meet your business needs. Quickly offload HR tasks to an experienced consultant.
Leadership Training: Interactive in-person or online training tailored to your organization. Build leadership skills with relevant HR & leadership training.
Employee Handbooks: Handbooks tailored to your organization’s unique values and focused on reducing State and Federal compliance risk.
HR Strategy Session: Get quick answers to your HR questions from an HR pro. Receive expert guidance and a clear plan of action to resolve your immediate HR issues.
