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Little More to Workland gives a fresh take on the corporate rollercoasters through the lens of Human Resources. From everyday moments to little deeper insights, lets explore all that there is in the world of a workplace, a Little More, everyday.

Little More..to Workland

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Workland experiences can sometimes feel like destiny and sometimes be as daunting as a string of nightmares. No matter what, a little more insight might just make the rides a little less scary & a little more exciting!

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Let’s be honest! No one wakes up one morning and suddenly finds a “Fossil” sticky-note glued to their cubicle. Becoming outdated at work is rarely dramatic. It’s silent, gradual, and often self-inflicted. And it can happen whether you’re climbing mid-level ladders or already lounging in the corner office.Why People Start to Feel Extinct 🦕 Past Glory Syndrome: “I’ve been doing this for 15 years” is not a badge anymore. It’s often a blindfold. What worked yesterday might not even get you noticed today. Skill Freeze: Ignoring new tools, tech, or trends is like showing up to a Formula 1 race with a bullock cart. The workplace will zoom past you. The Networking Hibernation People who stay tucked into their silos miss out on fresh ideas. Remember: out of sight is often out of mind (and eventually, out of job). The Change Allergy “We’ve always done it this way” is the fastest path to irrelevance. If new methods feel like an itch, scratch it before it becomes a rash! Brand Rust Your personal brand needs polish. If people only remember what you did five years ago, you’ve gone stale on the shelf.How to Avoid the Extinction List 🚀 Keep Learning (and Unlearning) Courses, podcasts, or just shadowing a colleague—make curiosity your default setting. Go Digital, or Go Home No one expects you to code in Python overnight, but not knowing how AI tools, analytics, or collaboration apps work is a red flag. Reverse Mentorship Rocks Listen to Gen Z / younger generations. They’re not just making reels, they’re reshaping industries (&amp; countries). A little humility goes a long way. Be Seen, Be Heard Write, speak, share. Don’t be a hidden gem. Unpolished stones rarely get picked. Test new ideas. Even small experiments show you’re still in the game and not just a relic from a different era.The Final Word 💡 In careers, extinction isn’t about age. It’s about attitude. Mid-level managers who adapt early become tomorrow’s leaders. And leaders who keep reinventing themselves remain inspiring instead of intimidating.<blockquote>You don’t have to be the next dinosaur display in your Workland! Just keep evolving, because in today’s workplace, relevance is the real survival skill.</blockquote>

How not to become the Dinosaur in your Workplace

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Employee engagement has evolved from being an HR buzzword to a strategic business priority. Organizations today are no longer content with high-level satisfaction scores or pulse surveys that scratch the surface. They want depth. They want stories behind the data. And most importantly, they want to act.But how do you truly measure something as dynamic as engagement? Let’s explore!In the earlier article: Employee Engagement: Beyond the Buzzword we saw how HR opens up pathways to navigate employee engagement into the different corners of the workland. This article is like a Signboard of Directions placed along the pathways. Today’s corporate world has numerous ever-growing &nbsp;tools and options for measuring employee engagement. So the first thing you do while measuring your employees’ engagement level, collectively decide WHY &amp; WHAT you want to measure. &nbsp; &nbsp;Let’s understand how to decide these “Why-s” &amp; “What-s”&nbsp;The initiatives we design as an HR team are a foreground to the deeply rooted drivers of engagement among the employees.There could be 2 types of these drivers:Trait Engagement (inner drive) - People who often have a positive take in all aspects of life, and are more appreciative of others are more likely to see the workplace also like that. The proportion of their commitment and performance might usually surpass the Organization’s engagement interventions. The ones with a negative outlook on life may not even appreciate the biggest efforts.State Engagement (external motivators) - This is when employees whose degree of employee engagement is influenced by the work environment.&nbsp;Whatever the case be, HR takes the steering wheel in their hands and drive through the workplace dropping the motivators in their respective destinations. So it is all the more necessary to get reflective data insights from time to time so that the navigation is clear.&nbsp; First let’s see what are the broader types of measurement tools:&nbsp; - Annual Engagement Surveys Traditional, deep-dive tools often rolled out organization-wide. They offer a comprehensive view but may not capture real-time sentiment. (You’ll find some examples below). - Pulse Surveys Short, frequent check-ins. Great for spotting trends or responding to changes quickly, especially during transformations or crises; or could be a routine pulse check-in at different milestones/stages of the employee life-cycle (e.g. Onboarding, Training cycle, etc.) - eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) &amp; Real-time Feedback - A simple, one-question tool—“Would you recommend this as a place to work?” While minimalist, it’s a good gauge of loyalty and advocacy. This can easily be weaved into the above two kinds of surveys, if not as an individual.&nbsp;Check out <a data-mce-href="https://little-more-to-work-land.com/blog/4-hr-areas-critical-to-track--why---how" href="https://little-more-to-work-land.com/blog/4-hr-areas-critical-to-track--why---how" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this link</a> for understanding ENPS calculation.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; - Also, this question could form a part of real-time feedback survey after each new initiative/event aimed at driving engagement. In this case, the question could be directed at the point-in-case - &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;“Would you like to see this &nbsp;initiative recurring in future?” -- Manager Feedback &amp; 1:1s Sometimes, real engagement insights come from conversations, not checkboxes. Regular manager connect sessions provide qualitative richness. - Platform Analytics Collaboration tools (like MS Teams, Slack, or Yammer) offer data on usage, interaction, and initiative participation that are indirect signs of engagement. - Exit Interviews &amp; Stay Interviews These retrospective and proactive tools reveal what’s working and what’s broken - often brutally honestly. These could help you red-flag the managers that need immediate attention.As promised, here are some of the examples of Annual Engagement Surveys, explaining the purpose of each, so that you can decide which one to use: When the goal is to see how HR programs, policies, or recognition efforts are shaping engagement, surveys that focus on behavioural outcomes and Organizational levers work best. The following ones may be used for that:1. The Gallup Q12 Survey is one of the most widely used models globally, built around 12 key questions that assess foundational needs like clarity of expectations, recognition, and opportunities for growth. It’s known for being simple, actionable, and effective at capturing engagement levels across diverse Organizations. 2. The Aon Hewitt Engagement Model defines engagement through three behavioural indicators: say (employee advocacy), stay (retention intent), and strive (discretionary effort). This model is data-driven and closely ties engagement to business outcomes, making it a favourite among performance-focused companies. 3. The Towers Watson Survey takes a more holistic route by integrating three pillars - engagement, enablement, and energy. &nbsp;It’s particularly useful in Organizations undergoing transformation, where both motivation and structural support need to be measured together. 4. Great Place to Work (GPTW) Survey: A globally recognized benchmark that evaluates trust, fairness, credibility, respect, and pride. It’s particularly powerful for Organizations that want external validation of how well their workplace practices are translating into employee perception.When the intent is to understand how much intrinsic motivation, passion, and commitment employees bring to work, tools that focus on psychological states and deeper cultural drivers are more suitable. 1. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) is a psychology-based tool that measures employee engagement through three core dimensions - vigor, dedication, and absorption. It's ideal for understanding the emotional and cognitive energy employees bring to their work, especially in research-driven or academic environments. 2. The Denison Organizational Culture Survey blends engagement with culture analysis, focusing on dimensions such as mission, adaptability, involvement, and consistency. It works best in organizations where leadership wants to align culture with strategic goals, especially during mergers, scaling, or change initiatives. 3. Finally, custom in-house surveys are increasingly popular. These are built around an Organization’s specific values, leadership behaviours, or talent philosophy. While they may lack external benchmarking, they offer high internal relevance and buy-in from employees and leaders alike.A Practical Tip for HR &amp; ManagersDon’t get lost in big survey names or overcomplicated models. Instead, mix methods: For example:- Use pulse surveys and GPTW to check the impact of HR programs. - Use stay interviews and growth analytics to understand intrinsic drive. - Use manager check-ins to bridge both worlds.<blockquote><h3>&nbsp;Engagement isn’t a number. It’s a story: one part shaped by the company’s efforts, and the other part powered by the individual’s drive.</h3></blockquote>Ultimately, the best choice depends on what you're trying to understand and what you're ready to act on.

How to Measure What Really Drives Engagement

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HR Function has been exposed to free critics and constant scrutiny experts for decades now. Some of the many myths had just begun to burst and we got introduced to a new sub-function of HR, “Talent Management” (TM). Now what the heck is that, where did it come from, and the most important of all - WHYAs introduced in the piece: “<a data-mce-href="https://little-more-to-work-land.com/blog/employee-engagement--beyond-the-buzzword" href="https://little-more-to-work-land.com/blog/employee-engagement--beyond-the-buzzword" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Employee Engagement: Beyond the Buzzword</a>”, TM embraced many aspects of employee engagement under its wings. With that, we are going to talk about what else is sharing the space under the umbrella of Talent Management.To begin with, let me reconcile the word used for TM as “new”. It may sound new to many as it is not one of the “famous” things HR is known for. It might as well be just another buzzword for some. But the change in the role of HR &nbsp;has always reflected how the role of employees has evolved in organizations. TM found its roots in that story.What began in the pre-1970s as simple personnel administration soon shifted after the 70s to recognizing employees as vital assets in a competitive global market; and by 1997, McKinsey’s influential report ‘The War for Talent’ placed ‘talent’ at the center of business priorities, paving the way for Talent Management to emerge as a distinct function in the early 2000s.It was carved out as a specialized HR vertical, investing in career frameworks, High Potential (HiPo) programs, Employee Experience and Leadership Development. In fact, it borrows the strategic elements from the other HR verticals and integrates them in a cohesive framework, bridging the gap between business priorities and talent capabilities.Here’s what it typically entails across companies globally: 1. Workforce &amp; Succession Planning<ul><li>&nbsp;Identify future talent needs based on business strategy.</li><li>&nbsp;Succession planning for critical roles by creating talent pipelines.</li><li>Talent mapping for key skills and leadership positions.</li><li>&nbsp;Conducting talent review discussions with senior management.</li></ul>2. Talent Acquisition Collaboration<ul><li>&nbsp;Partner with Recruitment to ensure hires align with long-term talent strategy, not just short-term vacancies.</li><li>Influence sourcing for high-potential or niche skills.</li><li>Use data to predict skill gaps, hiring needs, and potential re-hires.</li></ul>3. Learning &amp; Development <ul><li>Creating career journeys in alignment with L&amp;OD.</li><li>Equipping employees with skills for growth and future readiness.</li></ul>&nbsp;4. Employee Engagement &amp; Experience (<a data-mce-href="https://little-more-to-work-land.com/blog/employee-engagement--beyond-the-buzzword" href="https://little-more-to-work-land.com/blog/employee-engagement--beyond-the-buzzword" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click for a little more insight on this</a>)<ul><li>Driving culture, belonging, and motivation.</li><li>Ensuring employees feel valued and connected. </li></ul> &nbsp;5. Career Pathing &amp; Internal Mobility<ul><li>Enabling employees to move laterally or vertically.</li><li>Encouraging cross-functional exposure. </li></ul>&nbsp;6. Recognition &amp; Retention<ul><li>&nbsp;Designing reward frameworks beyond compensation.</li><li>&nbsp;Creating channels/platforms for recognitions with both, horizontal &amp; vertical reach. </li></ul> &nbsp;7. Talent Analytics<ul><li>Using data to predict skill gaps, flight risks, and succession readiness.</li><li>Building dashboards to guide talent decisions.</li></ul>So, how is TM different?<ul><li>While overall HR has a wide arena with policies, payroll, compliance, employee relations, etc., TM is strategic and future-focused.</li><li>TM ensures business sustainability by building a workforce that adapts, grows, and leads change.</li><li>It acts as the bridge between people strategy and business strategy. </li></ul><blockquote>In short, Talent Management is like the "strategic HR brain". Thinking not just about hiring today, but ensuring the workforce is ready, motivated, and skilled for tomorrow’s challenges.</blockquote>

Little More..to Workland

Recent blog posts

How not to become the Dinosaur in your Workplace

How to Measure What Really Drives Engagement

Talent Management: From Personnel to Potential