Here's a list of the biggest takeaways from Module 6: Sustaining Talent. You can refer to this list at any time.

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• ‘Retaining talent’ is about appeasing people or keeping them from leaving, whereas 'sustaining talent’ is about making people want to stay. It’s about building workplaces that’re inclusive and fulfilling, where people are free to be themselves and can achieve their professional goals.  

• While developing a comprehensive retention strategy might help minimize turnover, developing a strategy to sustain talent can help minimize turnover, boost morale, improve productivity and more.

• ‘Mentorship’ refers to a professional relationship where a more experienced employee provides guidance and support to a less experienced employee. It typically involves meetings where the more experienced employees, called ‘mentors,’ share stories and bits of knowledge, answer questions, and provide feedback or advice to the less experienced employees, called ‘mentees.’  

• Mentorship is about providing less experienced employees with the support needed to reach their professional goals or take their careers to the next level.

• Employees that're more engaged are less likely to leave their jobs. In other words, higher engagement means higher rates of retention.

• ‘Professional development’ refers to programs or initiatives that allow employees to learn and acquire specialized knowledge or skills.  

• Professional development initiatives empower staff to take control of their personal and professional growth, providing opportunities for them to learn and engage more deeply with their work.

• ‘Career advancement’ is about progressing in your career. For example, by taking on more responsibility or managing a greater number of people.

• Career advancement is important to just about everybody for one (1) reason or another.

• If an organization isn’t offering opportunities for advancement or if criteria for advancement is unclear, employees might grow tired or bored and start to disengage. They might end up feeling unmotivated or dissatisfied, leading to a drop in performance and productivity. Eventually, they might become frustrated and decide to leave, seeking opportunities for advancement elsewhere.  

• ‘Equitable compensation’ is about making sure our biases aren’t affecting the way we compensate our employees. Employees’ pay should be based on skill, experience and the value they bring to the organization as opposed to characteristics like gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or newcomer status.

• When an organization doesn’t prioritize equitable compensation, bias will inevitably affect the way employees are paid, meaning some employees will be paid more than others for equal work. Naturally, this is going to foster resentment and frustration. Employees that're being underpaid will eventually leave to seek better opportunities elsewhere.

• ‘Flexible work arrangements’ allow employees to determine their own hours and location. So, instead of working out of an office and adhering to a traditional 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM schedule, employees have flexibility as to when they start and end their workday and whether they work from home, from the office, the library, their friend’s apartment, a café and so on.

• When an employee can adjust their hours or location to accommodate their health, personal preferences, caregiving responsibilities and so on, they can achieve a healthier work-life balance. This means they’re going to be more satisfied with their jobs. As a result, they’re going to be more engaged, leading to increased productivity and rates of retention.

• ‘Soliciting feedback’ means asking employees how they’re feeling with regard to the organization’s policies, practices, culture, leadership, management and so on.  

• Soliciting feedback might mean organizing focus groups, scheduling 1-on-1 meetings, conducting anonymous surveys, or creating “suggestion boxes” that allow employees to submit ideas or concerns at any time.

• A ‘stay interview’ is a structured conversation between an employee who’s not planning on leaving their job and their direct supervisor, who wants to know why they’re not leaving. So, what’s their reason for staying and what can the organization do to guarantee their tenure?

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‍Disclaimer: Gateway to EDI: A Workplace Learning Journey resources were created in the year 2024. So, by the time you read, watch, or listen to them, the language used to describe or discuss some of these topics may have changed.