Retaining top talent during crisis

AMID large-scale disruptions, organizations are faced with the challenge of maintaining employee productivity and retaining top talent. Two recent studies from the Ateneo Center for Organization Research & Development (Ateneo Cord) shed light on the importance of effective leadership behaviors in performance management and rewards management in achieving these goals. Both studies, involving a total of 263 employees, were conducted at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, where respondents' experiences were heavily influenced by the crisis.

Leaders play four key roles to manage employee performance during a crisis and ensure organizational goals are met. As a performance driver, they must balance focus on goal achievement with people management. As a performance enabler, they must assess and adapt to the situation, provide resources, support, and feedback to help employees be efficient and effective. As a performance coach, they use various monitoring tools, have regular check-ins and have on-going coaching conversations. As a performance rewards allocator, they must allocate and align rewards and recognition with performance standards. The behaviors in each role play a critical part in guiding employees toward success and predicting better productivity, retention, and perception of organizational justice.