How we look at things and the metaphors we use to describe them can sometimes reveal the thinking behind our philosophies. For example, the term human capital was used for many years to describe a company’s investment in people. Business leaders saw their people as a portfolio of assets much like a mutual fund and expected a return on investment in business performance. But the connection focused on the noun capital. Human was just an adjective. 

Here Comes a Turnover Storm in The New York Times Job Market section makes a semantic but important point:

“People are not equipment. They’re not investment capital.”

In the downturn, some companies lost employee trust because they treated people like human cattle and neglected to cut costs, not capabilities. They are experiencing productivity perils and a revolving door of people staying, going, returning. They are paying the cost of turnover at rates from 50% to 400% of annual salary and answering the $60,000 question with each replacement.

With the economy improving, your top talent may be looking elsewhere. That’s why now is the time to validate employment considerations, solidify your employment brand, hardwire performance, and revisit terms of engagement. Focus on your people and show them that talent is the noun in your business metaphors.