By Allen Law, an EO Singapore member and  the CEO of Park Hotel Group.

We are in a Talent War. As entrepreneurs, a lot of our success relies on our ability to attract and retain talent. I believe talent management is more than just recruiting the right people for the job. It goes beyond the people— it’s all about the processes we put into place. Here are three approaches I take when it comes to managing and retaining talent in my business:

Developing new jobs

It’s important to remember that employees are multi-dimensional. I make it a point to think beyond conventional job descriptions and work scopes, and provide employees with more exposure to different skill sets. With varied tasks, employees gain diverse job experiences and may learn about different aspects of the organization and industry. For example, we have a multi-skilling job scheme at Park Hotel Group, where employees under the Hotel Operations Specialist Team rotate around three main hotel departments, namely Front Office, Food & Beverage and Housekeeping. On top of picking up different skills, these employees are able to contribute to resolving manpower-shortage issues. At the end of the day, the organization also benefits from higher productivity and efficiency levels.

Training as an investment

Despite the high attrition rate of the hospitality industry, I see the importance of allocating capital on staff training, and have invested in setting up an in-house academy equipped with a team of accredited adult trainers. To me, training cultivates employees’ sense of belonging and ownership. This in turn encourages them to grow within the company, thus serving to reduce turnover. It is also useful to align internal training programmes with industry accreditations, as this lends credibility to both employee capabilities and organizational competitiveness. These courses also form the foundation for an employee’s career-based training, upgrading pathways and skills recognition.

Caring for employees

This may seem obvious, but it’s important to take measures to ensure the safety and health of every employee. Employees need to know that they are genuinely being cared for, and this care goes beyond remuneration packages. Training and communicating with employees on the importance of work safety also allows for a better understanding of everyone’s role in building and sustaining a safe work environment.

Inevitably, talent management is a topic that often pops up during conversations with business associates. As every industry and company has different practices, there is no cookie-cutter approach to managing talent. It is therefore all the more essential and beneficial for employers and HR personnel to implement applicable employee-friendly initiatives, and create an attractive organisational culture ideal for retaining talent.

Fun fact: Allen is addicted to traveling, and loves visiting new destinations and hotels.