Talent management, skill development, engagement and work-life balance
Talent management attracts, develops and retains high performers; India's skill drive builds a job-ready workforce. Engaged employees with balanced lives perform better and stay longer.
Talent management toolkit
| Element | Key point |
|---|---|
| Talent management | Attracting, identifying, developing, engaging and retaining people of high value to the organisation |
| 9-box grid | Plots performance against potential to spot stars, core players and under-performers |
| Succession planning | Identifying and preparing successors for key positions in advance |
| Talent pool | A ready bench of internal candidates for future roles |
| Employer branding | The firm's image as a place to work, built on an employee value proposition (EVP) |
| Retention tools | Career paths, recognition, stay interviews, competitive pay, flexible work |
Skill development in India
- The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a public-private partnership, was set up in 2008 to fund and catalyse training.
- The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was formed in 2014; the Skill India Mission was launched in 2015.
- Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) offers short-term training and recognition of prior learning (RPL).
- The National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) arranges qualifications in ten levels by competence.
- Industry-led Sector Skill Councils set occupational standards; ITIs and apprenticeships provide vocational and on-the-job training.
Engagement models
| Model | Author | Key idea |
|---|---|---|
| Personal engagement | William Kahn (1990) | Psychological conditions: meaningfulness, safety and availability |
| Work engagement (UWES) | Schaufeli and Bakker | Vigour, dedication and absorption; the positive opposite of burnout |
| Job demands-resources model | Bakker and Demerouti | High demands drain energy (burnout); resources such as support and autonomy drive engagement |
| Q12 survey | Gallup | Twelve questions on basic needs, support, teamwork and growth |
Work-life balance
Engagement is more than satisfaction: a satisfied employee may be content but not energised.
NET asks for definitions and authors (Kahn, Schaufeli, Gallup's Q12), Indian skill initiatives by year or purpose, and work-life balance practices in multi-statement form.
Typical MCQ: “What are the three dimensions of work engagement in the UWES?” Vigour, dedication and absorption. Trap: Kahn's conditions (meaningfulness, safety, availability) are a different set.
Typical MCQ: “What does a 9-box grid plot?” Performance against potential. Trap: it does not plot pay or length of service.
Engagement is VDA: vigour, dedication, absorption. Kahn needs MSA: meaningfulness, safety, availability.