Searching for meaning

Employees value meaningful work over any other retention initiatives, and the best career option for employees amid the current economic scenario is developing their skills with their current employer. According to Talent Edge 2020, a survey series conducted for Deloitte Consulting LLP by Forbes Insights, meaningful work holds more importance for an employee than any other retention initiative being adopted by their companies.

In a separate survey, findings suggest that development opportunities play a crucial role in staff retention. More than 500 people from 33 countries responded to a recent survey conducted by assessment and development consultancy Cubiks, which asked respondents about their opinions on development and talent management. Their responses demonstrated that employees valued development opportunities offered by employers.

Better yet, the Towers Watson 2012 Global Workforce Study concludes that the traditional definition of engagement — the willingness to invest discretionary effort on the job — is no longer sufficient to fuel top performance in a world of relentlessly increasing demand. What's required now is something called "sustainable engagement." The key factor, according to the post, New Research: How Employee Engagement Hits the Bottom Line , is a work environment that more fully energizes employees by promoting their physical, emotional and social well-being.

For instance, this report found that companies with low engagement scores...keep reading