“The increasing economic recovery in Australia means more job and career opportunities are appearing in the marketplace and that means disenchanted employees will be asking themselves should I stay or should I go,” says Nick.

Managers who were caught in the eye of the financial storm last year may have resorted to a fear-based management or leadership style, which in doing so is likely to have alienated employees striving to stay on top of heavier workloads, longer hours and in some cases less pay.

“Now is the time to leverage the mood for economic revival and the return of consumer confidence,” says Nick. “Let your people be a part of your recovery process, take the time to find out what they want and where they think the business is heading.”

Following a downturn, employees need to be valued and recognised for their additional efforts, feel confident about their future, and a good place to start is by finding out about their level of job satisfaction through independent employee engagement surveys.

“Engaging your employees is about making that emotional connection, inviting your people to get involved, contribute to and share the same vision, ” says Nick.

Economic restraint practices held back normal levels of employee mobility during the global financial crisis and given the optimistic economic forecast, even the most loyal of employees are likely to be tempted by an “employer of choice” or perhaps a new direction.

Employers who act too late to engage their employees are likely to suffer a mass exodus of talent, if the desire for change gathers momentum among employees and ripples across a business.

Nick warns that for some employers, the aftermath of the global financial crisis could be far worse than anything endured in the last 18 months.

Ultimately, employers who invested in their people in the tougher times are reaping the rewards of their foresight and will be well placed to secure the top talent as their reputation spreads.

Research shows that employers who create a culture that is engaging and train their leaders in behaviour management are likely to sustain higher levels of performance throughout the Human Capital Lifecycle.

Nick urges employers to focus on understanding employee engagement by formally identifying what experiences, systems, attitudes and beliefs motivate their individual people to go the extra mile and by the same token, identify those that cause them to lose interest and withdraw effort.