In successful companies, talent reviews are one of the most important HR operations. Talent adapts easily to new situations and helps employees to excel.
These employees are exceptional human resources that the company needs to look after. This involves a specific process called talent review. Successful talent reviews require a certain amount of preparation.
How to carry out a review efficiently and optimally? Discover this guide which explains the concept of talent review and how to implement it.
What is the Talent Review?
Successful companies all have one thing in common. They invest heavily in their most competent employees in order to building high-performance teams. In France, the process by which they identify these employees is called talent review.
What’s the talent review?
Once the company has choose its candidate sourcing tool and recruit the right talent, after a while it needs to evaluate them to make sure they’re in the right place. This is where the talent review comes in.
Talent review” is also known as “people review”. In English, it is referred to as “talent review” and “people review”. It is an HR process during which the skills of a company’s workforce are assessed and analyzed.
Personnel reviews are at the very heart of a company’s HR strategy. It is initiated by the GPEC of human resources. GPEC stands for Gestion Prévisionnelle de l’Emploi et des Compétences.
During the talent review, each employee is invited to an interview where he or she is asked a series of questions. The operation has several objectives. Firstly, it aims to identify talents and support them so that they can be even more productive.
Secondly, the people review seeks to create a precise map of the skills of all employees. Finally, it gives each employee the chance to benefit from certain opportunities.
Who is concerned by the talent review?
In a company, several people and departments are involved in people reviews. It starts at the top of the pyramid and works its way down.
Thus, the people and services that the Talent Review is concerned with are :
- The CEO and management committee: Their presence is crucial. They are the ones who best understand the company’s vision. Their role is to ensure that all decisions made during the process are consistent.
- The human resources department: Logically, the real source of the talent review is human resources. It’s also thanks to them that the work can be carried out efficiently.
- Managers: They have a better grasp of their employees. In doing so, they are the only ones able to evaluate them accurately. They are also able to pass on to management all employees’ wishes for professional development.
- Employees: They too have their place in team meetings. Like other employees, they are also affected by any changes that may take place during the people review.
Why is it important to implement a talent review strategy?
Companies have much to gain by including a people review in their HR strategy. Here are 5 of the main advantages of a talent review.
Evaluate employee performance objectively
During a staff review, several different players are involved. This ensures that the assessment process is both relevant and objective.
This will enable the company to make informed decisions based on well-founded criteria or factors. For example, the company’s managers can unanimously agree on a possible promotion.
Identifying real talent
Like the online personality testThe Talent Review identifies high-potential employees. High-potential employees are those who perform well in all the tasks entrusted to them.
The people review is an ideal exercise for identifying employees’ strengths and areas for improvement.
Developing employee skills
Every year, companies undergo a number of structural changes. The staff review is an opportunity to implement strategic plans to give employees more important positions and thus encourage them to develop their skills.
Receive feedback
When talent reviews are carried out properly, employees provide managers with constructive feedback that helps to improve their skills and performance. The result is a more balanced relationship between employees and employers.
What’s more, employees who receive positive feedback from their managers will feel more valued and appreciated in the company’s workforce. This will encourage them to show greater commitment to the organization.
Align with corporate objectives
The final advantage of a staff review is that it ensures that employees are pursuing the same goals as the company.
It’s an excellent way of ensuring that every employee makes an effort to achieve the structure’s organizational objectives.
When and how often should a company carry out a talent review?
The company may consider carrying out the talent review once or twice a year. Each of these options has different advantages.
However, care must be taken to ensure that the choice made does not encroach on the objectives the company has set itself over the same period. Otherwise, the structure could lose effectiveness.
Once a year
This is the most common option in most companies. The timing of this strategic GPEC process depends on the company. Staff reviews can take place either before or after annual appraisal campaigns.
Opting for the second alternative enables talent review participants to gather current, factual data that will enable them to make better decisions.
In addition, managers will be obliged to be consistent. For example, during the interview, they will not be able to consider one of their employees as a “low-performer” and then propose a promotion in favor of this same worker.
Many HR departments may decide to launch talent reviews before annual appraisal campaigns. This has a number of advantages. Firstly, assessments can be standardized in group sessions.
Secondly, this will enable feedback to be received from other managers and announced to employees during their annual appraisal interview. Thirdly, employees will be able to be informed of their raises or promotions, again during the interview.
Twice a year
Companies also have the option of launching talent reviews twice a year. In this case, however, the decision needs to be well thought through. Managers need to ask themselves the right questions, and ask themselves what their objectives are in making this decision.
Companies choosing this option will be able to set up their review at year-end and mid-year. Initially, this will enable you to precisely define a population at the end of the year and another in the sixth month (June).
Secondly, it enables us to discuss new arrivals and identify employees considered to have high or low potential.
The employer can also plan to carry out the talent review before and after the annual appraisal campaigns. Although less common, this option is just as advantageous as the previous one.
Prior to annual appraisal campaigns, talent reviews enable managers to optimize their appraisals. It also helps them implement development plans for their N-1 years.
After the interview campaigns, the people review will serve to standardize ratings. It will help managers to make fair decisions about the various possibilities for raises and promotions within the company.
What are the best practices for implementing an effective and optimal talent review strategy?
Today, there are several indicators that can help you to know whether your recruitment process is the right one. Similarly, when it comes to setting up a people review, there are a number of practices that can lead you down the right path.
Here are the steps to follow for an effective and optimal talent review methodology.
Define the company’s needs
This is the first step towards an effective personnel review. To be meaningful, the talent review must be in line with the strategic objectives clearly defined by the organization.
This operation must therefore be carried out taking into account the company’s short- and long-term needs.
Opting for the right talent management tools
The degree of relevance of a staff review depends on the level of knowledge the employer has of each of his employees. Today, more than one talent management tool helps to gather and analyze precise information about employees.
The most commonly used tools are the personality test and in particular :
- Maintenance management tools ;
- Training management solutions ;
- Tools for determining a population ;
- Platforms used to map employees, via a 9 box.
Speaking of population, the company can be interested in all employees. It can also focus on employees who meet the criteria it has initially defined according to its needs.
Let’s take the example of a growing organization. Leaders can essentially target employees with strong managerial potential, and give them greater responsibilities.
The same targets can be considered in the case of a company experiencing a wave of departures among managers. In other words, it all depends on the company’s needs and objectives.
As you can see, there are many benefits of talent management software. Using them saves an enormous amount of time.
Train managers to collect relevant data
It is important to train managers to be able to unearth talent and recognize the professional qualities of each employee.
If this step is trivialized, managers will be able to collect biased data, which will prevent them from taking the right initiatives for their employees. A more innovative idea is to identify the best manager from its talent pool and assign them this role.
Positioning the most deserving employees
This phase of the talent review takes the form of group sessions that bring together several company players. These include senior management, HR teams and managers.
The presence of these different parties is essential to the success of the operation. Each plays a specific role. Management is responsible for reiterating and including the structure’s overall strategy within the development plans envisaged.
The HR teams ensure that the personnel review itself runs smoothly. They then launch actions in line with each of the decisions taken during the collective sessions. Managers, for their part, make proposals for talent positioning.
During this meeting, the strengths and skills of all employees are assessed. This analysis should lead the participants to develop actions that will enable the company to remain competitive.
These activities can take the form of promotions, salary increases or one-to-one coaching. They can also take the form of training or internal mobility plans.
What questions should you ask employees during a talent review?
To carry out an effective and optimal talent review, it is customary to ask employees open-ended questions. For giving back the results of a personality testHere are a few questions to ask employees.
Questions about professional performance in general
When it comes to professional performance, managers can ask employees :
- What has been their involvement in achieving the company’s current objectives?
- If they manage to meet the deadline ;
- If they have everything they need to give their best;
- What they hope to get before the next appraisal interview.
They can take the conversation a step further and focus on their strengths.
Questions about employees’ strengths
In terms of strengths, managers should ask employees about :
- A situation in which they made a positive contribution to the team’s culture;
- What pleases and delights them in their work;
- The task that seems easiest to accomplish among all those entrusted to them;
- Skills that make them valuable employees.
After that, managers can turn their attention to career prospects.
Questions about current and future career prospects
When it comes to career prospects, managers can ask their employees the following questions:
- Do you feel satisfied and motivated in your current position?
- What do you like least about your current job?
- If you had the chance, what changes would you make to your current position?
- What are your personal and professional ambitions?
Finally, they can also ask them what they hope to achieve within the company in the near and distant future.
What are the mistakes not to be made when implementing a talent review strategy?
When it comes to implementing talent reviews, some companies make mistakes that negatively affect the process. Here are three common mistakes employers make.
Discrimination
When interviewing employees, some employers tolerate unconscious bias. And yet, objectivity is an absolute necessity.
Otherwise, the entrepreneur runs the risk of making unfair decisions and allowing inequalities to develop within teams. The employee appraisal process must be based on fairly relevant criteria.
Neglecting follow-up after the talent review
Many companies plunge into inactivity once the staff review is over. This is a serious mistake that can cost the company dearly.
For example, employees may be demotivated and lack confidence in their work. After a talent review, it’s time to design a follow-up program that will enable high-potential employees to develop.
To avoid any major damage, the company may want to consider initiating a training or updating phase for its talent. It can also think about establishing a plan to help them develop their skills.
Not fully grasping the concept of talent
The other mistake most entrepreneurs make is in their definition of talent and the criteria used to evaluate it. Employers do not have the same apprehension of what constitutes high potential or top talent.
As a result, there is often a great deal of disagreement on the subject. This can also lead to problems during the assessment phase. Employers will therefore need to define a common language, as well as their own definitions of high and low potential.
Ultimately, the staff review is a highly beneficial tool for any company. It enables you to make the right decisions and adapt your actions to the company’s strategic needs. A talent review may be just what your company needs right now to take it to the next level.
