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”