2012 will see organizations rush to truly engage the employee at all levels, because the initial concept of ‘customer is king’ has now changed to ‘employee is king’. The right employee is now an asset to the entire organization, therefore making it pertinent for companies to work on employee engagement.

Companies will look to engage employee’s with respect to clarity of life and clarity of role. In 2012 organizations will have a greater interest in an employee’s personal life. Induction will be a two-way process where employees and employers understand each other. Organizations will help employees identify what they do not want in their life and likewise identify what are the wants of their lives. With the rise of social networks and the active participation of employees on these networks, organizations can understand their needs and wants, and thereby build an environment to help achieve the same. In the coming year, expectation mapping will become furthermore critical from both sides. The clearer the employee is about his role and what to expect from the organization, his superiors and subordinates, the more production would he be in the organization.

As Dr. Scott Simmerman puts it, “Nobody ever washes a rental car”. I feel organizations will put the onus of ownership on their employees and let them implement their ideas in 2012. This will put employees in the driver’s seat and with this they will be expected to be responsible and accountable for their actions and the organization as a whole.

With change so apparent everywhere, organizations in 2012 will nurture their talent to be highly adaptable. Organizations will need to skill and re-skill them to adjust their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors to effectively accommodate and handle every issue which comes their way.