New Research on Finding and Retaining Top Performers

Today we are joined by Rachel Barker, employee experience manager at Qualtrics. Barker will answer some questions about grooming and developing top performers. Qualtrics recently released survey research entitled, Qualtrics Research: How to Groom and Develop Top Performers. Let’s get started.


Recruiting Daily Advisor: How do outside companies identify top performers?
Baker: Talent assessment and performance management tools are commonly used tools for identifying top performers. Typically, organizations will outline core competencies, mission statements, or key performance indicators as criteria by which to measure performance. For example, at Qualtrics, we utilize a combination of 360[-degree] reviews from peers, managers, [and] directs reports, and we combine that data with OKR [objective and key results] assessments and self-promotion nominations to determine promotion. Each of these assessments is built off core competencies or mission statements, creating a more consistent measurement across the organization.
Recruiting Daily Advisor: There is a big difference between an employee responding to a job offer and taking it. Do you have any insight into this difference?
Baker: In a competitive talent pool, employees are often considering multiple opportunities or offers, so in this regard, there is definitely a difference. Just as in the sales world, closing a candidate requires extra work to ensure that candidate accepts the offer. A recruiter or hiring manager may need to do a significant amount [of] educating and negotiating to guide that candidate to accepting the offer. And in some regards, “hiring” never ends because even after a candidate officially accepts an offer, it’s the organization’s responsibility to engage and develop [him or her] so that the employee/employer relationship is beneficial for both parties throughout the entire employee experience.
Recruiting Daily Advisor: Your study shows that wages, work environment, and work/life balance are the best way to retain top performers. But how does a company identify which top performers are itching to leave?
Baker: Collecting ongoing feedback from employees (whether through regular engagement studies, pulse surveys, or ad-hoc check-ins) can alert managers and HR leaders to at-risk populations. However, part of creating and maintaining a relationship with employees means that organizations may not be able to look at attrition risk for individuals within the organization. In addition to employee experience check-ins and data collection, managers should hold regular 1:1 meetings to help mitigate issues and help an employee develop and maintain high engagement. This manager relationship is extremely powerful in helping manage the work environment, promotions, and pay raises, as well as work/life balance issues for their employees.
Recruiting Daily Advisor: What advice would you have for employers based on this study?
Baker: Listen to your employees through multiple channels. If you can collect feedback from employees across the entire lifecycle—from recruiting to exit—you’ll be able to identify potential retention or disengagement risks before they become real issues. Collecting the right feedback at the right time is important, but acting on that feedback and communicating those changes to your employees is just as critical.