By Manel Blau Rifai, Ph. D
CEO, The Executive
Recruitment & Retention
Strategies
Strategy works best when
the future is seen as being
right in front of you and
the present is looked at from a distance.
1. R&R Framework & Flow2. Organizational Culture in
the Heart of R&R3. Pitfalls and How to Create
an Efficient R&R Model?
Relating- Pre-recruitment process for
identifying key talent and establishing
relationships; postemployment process
for maintaining relationships
Recruiting- Talent Acquisition Process
Retaining- Processes Designed to
Extend the Talent Engagement Cycle
The Building and Maintaining of Pre- and Post-Employment
Relationships
to Create “Just in Time” Talent Reserves
instead of “Just in Case” Talent Inventories(The Concept of Talent Strategy
Initiatives)
The Logic of Talent Relationship Management (TRM) is that
Recruiting Involves: Relationships With People Who Are More Like Customers Than
Mere Candidates
The Process of Developing Talent
Relationships Forces Hiring Managers:
1. to Develop a more Outward-Looking
View;
2. Stay on Top of Cutting Edge Trends;
3. Build their Company’s Image;
4. and Learn the Latest Trends, Products,
Employee, and Customer Expectations.
Patterns of Talent Recruited are NOT
the Same For Talent Retained.
Marshall Research(The Psychology of Small Group Integrity)
Objective Factors May well Help(e.g. Compensation Programs, Career Paths, Job Content,
Training Efforts, etc)
Ford Motors
However, as Failure to Retain Happens usually the First Six
Months…
Retention At-All-Costs Approach Can Also Contradict Business Strategy
Objectives .
All-Turn-Over is Not
Damaging Turn Over.
Thus…
Retention Should Be Clearly in The Heart of a Comprehensive
Talent Strategy Plan.
Retention Initiativesmust take into Account the Logic of
the Talent Marketplace
where the Market, NOT the Employer, will more often have a Disproportionate Impacton Employee Turnover.
Why Talent Leaves, is at Least as Complicated as why Talent Joins.
The Answer:Involves the Economy, the Industry, the Company, the Job, and the Individual.
Some Turnover is Desirable, while Some is Not; Some Turnover Can Be Controlled,
and Some Cannot.
Retention Initiatives Must Consider these Variables, Anticipate Outcomes,
React But NOT Overreact.
Turnover is an Inevitable Part of Talent Flow
You Want Loyalty.....?
Get a Dog!
Turnover Cannot Be Stopped, YET
It Can Be Channeled Intoa Balance of Desired Retention
and Acceptable Turn Over,
and Take Into Account Factors that
Influence Retention:
1. Economy and Industry
2. Demographics
Younger Workforce vs. Older Workforce
3. Company Image
4. Recruiting, Selection & Deployment
(Quality and Rigor of Talent Flow Processes)
5. Leadership
Employees Join a Company
BUT
Leave Managers!!!
6. Learning & Development
7. Reward & Recognition
8. Career Advancement,
Particularly for Younger Generation
9. Job Security
Particularly for Older Talent
Fact-
The People You Wish Would Stay Are
The Ones Most Likely To Leave
People leave their company when the cost of staying exceeds the rewards
of leaving.
Thus…
Key Points:
1. Have Formal Employee Retention Plans
2. Rigorous Competency-Based Selection Model to Minimize Bad Hiring Actions, and When Possible Include Competitive Packages
3. Combined With The Small Group Integrity Psychology
There is NOT a
One-Size-Fits-All-Solutions
At The Organizational Level,
Having a Good, Clear Communicated
Business Strategy, Which People
Understand and buy in on
Seems to Be a Strong Retention Tool,
Along With
Talent Strategies that Foster Group
Integrity.
R&R Strategies Are About
Innovative Decisions &
Implementation
R&R Strategies Are also About
Who You Are and
What You Represent
(Your Organizational Culture)
Organizational Culture (OC) in the Heart of R&R.
We first must Understand Different
OCs:
1. Humanistic/Helpful-Organizations Managed in a
Participative and Person-Centered Way
2. Affiliative- Placing High Priority on
Constructive Relationships
3. Conventional/Conservative-Traditional and bureaucratically
Controlled Organizations
4. Dependant- Hierarchical and Non
Participative
5. Avoidant- Organizations that Fail
to reward Success but Punish Failure
6. Oppositional- Confrontation prevails and Negativism Rewarded
7. Power- Organizations Structured
on the Basis of Authority
8. Competitive- Winning is Valued
and High Performance Required
9. Competence/Perfectionist-Persistence, Perfectionism and hard
Work Are Valued
10. Achievement- Value Employees
that set Challenging But Realistic Goals
11. Self-Actualization- Creativity,
Quality Over Quantity, Task
Accomplishment and Personal Growth
Are Valued
Hire and Retain Talent that
Would Fit With Your Specific OC,
Through Rigorous Professional Personality-Based Screening
Once Talent Fits with OC,
an Immediate Climate of Trust &
Motivation Takes Place,
Followed By Ongoing Communication
and
Progress Measurement through
Scorecards, etc..
Pitfalls &
How to Create an Efficient R&R Model?
1. Following Market Urgencies
2. Focus on Cost vs. Quality
3. Little Creative Edge
4. Quick-Fix Solutions
vs.
Long-Term Solutions
5. Little Strategic/HR Planning
and
Management Support
6. New International Players
Coming Into the Region
and
Revamping Old Standards
7. Weak Understanding of R&R as a driving Strategy
8. Challenge in Identifying R&R as Key Driver to Business Success
9. Lack of Resources Necessary for
R&R
10. Organizational Changes (Mergers,
Acquisitions, etc…)
which are poorly Planned and
Managed
11. Lack of Relevant Skills within HR Department to Fully Implement
R&R
12. Little Formal Recruitment Strategy –
Hires are Often ‘Panic Buys'
13. Little Co-Ordination or Sharing of
Business Information or Best Practices
14. Large Degree of Misinterpretation of Requirements
15. Poor Pre-Selection
Made by Agencies, Due to Shortages in
Understanding The Client’s OC
16. No Real Follow Up With
Recruited Talent
17. Lack of Relationship Management Skills
18. Little or Absence of a real Induction and
Post-Induction Program’s Strategy
19. Confusing and Unclear
Recruitment Processes that Inevitably
Lead to
Poor Retention Strategy
20. Lack of Creative Development Plan, Focusing on Competitive
Rewards Relevant to the Here and Now…
It is time to Shift the Existing Paradigm
It is Time for …
A New R&R Model
Through:
1. Promoting OC
2. Ongoing Transparency
3. Ensuring a Good Relationship
Between Employees
and
their Supervisors
(People Leave Their Managers)
4. Regularly checking, the morale and motivation of Employees, beyond Performance Appraisal
Sessions
5. Adding Value..Through Increased Intellectual/ Creative
Capital Targeting
High Potential Talent
6. Projecting and Implementing An Image of Excellence
in
Everything We Do
7. Having Your Own Signature That Differentiates You From
Others…
This Signature has the Flavor of
Your OC
8. Aligning R&R Strategies With
Top Management Business
Strategy
9. Ensuring “We are On The Same Page” Question is duly Satisfied
Before
Going Ahead With the Hiring
10. Ongoing R&R Success Measurement:
Through Score Cards, Feed Back, Rumors, Sensing How The
Company is Evaluated by People, Creating the Required Competitive
Edge In Terms of Cost Saving,
Profits, etc
11. Effective Succession Planning-Within Acceptable Turnover
Dynamics
12. Good Cross Functional Working Relationships & Development,
Based on
Trust and Effective Communications
FINAL NOTES-
With a Real Will & Commitment to Implement Efficient R&R Strategies,
We Will Manage
to Shift The Existing Paradigm
and
Create Controllable Environment
Where We Can Forecast and Manage
Regional Talent Flow Dynamics .
Understanding OC, Small Group Integrity Patterns, Offering
Competitive Packages, Along With Applying Ongoing Success
Measurement,
May Well Be The Start to Managing a More Stable and Fair
“War of Talent”