The Data Connection: How Keeping Current with Your Impact Players Drives Your Competitive Edge

By: Sanjay Sathe Founder and CEO Risesmart, Inc. (a Randstad Company)

The Data Connection: How Keeping Current with Your Impact Players Drives Your Competitive Edge

By Sanjay Sathe

Consider foramoment thisquestion:Whoknowsmoreaboutyourmostessential talentandtheircapabilitiesthanyoudo?(Settingaside,ofcourse,theirspouses,otherkeyfamilymembers,andfriends.)

Themostlikelyanswerwouldbe:LinkedIn.Ithardlyseemspossible,doesit?Aremoteinformationportalwheretherelationshipsarevirtualandparticipationisvoluntary?Thereis no centralized governing process to ensure consistency, accuracy, and completion. It’sjustavarietyofdashboardsanddialstoin#luenceandattractavoluntaryongoing,incomingstreamofupdatedinformation.It’snotevenhuman.And,unlessyourbusinessisbasedinSilicon Valley, the chances are excellent that the humans who work at LinkedIn don’tactually knowanyof yourpeople.AndyetLinkedIn is oneof thebiggest threats to yoursecurepositionasyourmost-valuableemployees’employer.

SohowcanLinkedInbebetterthanyouareatstayingabsolutelycurrentwithyourownpeople?Whenyouthinkaboutthestorylineofyourrelationshipwithyourtalent,itmakessenseveryquickly.Here’showitgoes:

Youhaveanopeningthatrequiresacertain,deMinedsetofskillsandexperiences.Aboutthesametimeyoubeginyoursearchprocess,awonderfulcandidateupdateshisLinkedInproMile to include hismost recent career experience and educational credentials. In thatfortuitousintersectionwhereneed(yours)meetsavailability(his),theselection,interview,

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offer,onboardingprocessbegins.YourneedisMilled.Hehasanewjob.Andtheinterestsofyourbusinessstrategy,asitcurrentlystands,areserved.

Excellent.Butthestoryisn’tover.Thisiswheretwopathways(yoursandtheemployee’s)begintodivergeagain.Youhave

opened a Mile for your newhire:His skills, background, educational credentials. And younowfocusonputtingthemtoworktohelphimbesuccessfulinhelpingyourcompanybesuccessful.This iswhatyoudo, and, as far asyou’re concerned, this iswhathedoes.Nomore,and,hopefully,noless.

ButthatMileismerelyasnapshotintime,alreadyoutofdateaftertheemployee’sMirstday at his new job. Your new employee’s professional development lives on, as does hiscontinuallyupdatedLinkedInproMile.Whilehe is focusingondoinga stellar job foryourcompany,exactlyaccordingtoyourmutualagreementaboutwhattheexpectationsare,he’scontinuing tobuildhiscredentials:Addingexperiences,developingwithin therole,goingbacktoschoolforadditionaldegreesandcertiMications.Inlessthanayear’stime,maybealittlelonger,theemployee’squaliMicationshavecompletelyblownpastthedeMinedscopeofabilitieshecametoyouwith.

Andnowhe’slookingfornewwaystoputtheseabilitiesintoaction—tobeneMitbothhimself andwhichever company is lucky enough to see his offerings on, you guessed it,LinkedIn.

Did you know about his expanded scope of abilities? Very likely not. He has beenmeasuredfortheworkhehadbeenhiredtodo.Andhe’sbeendoingitwell,perhapsevensurpassingallexpectations.Maybehisbossisloathtolethimcapitalizeonhisprofessionaldevelopment because that would result in possibly losing him to a better opportunitywithinthecompany.Whateverthereason,yourvaluableemployeeseesnoavenuethroughwhich to inform your company how he’s been developing himself in his off-hours. And,likewise,thereisnotoolforyoutocapturethatdatainawaythatwillbeeasilyaccessiblelaterwithjusttheentryofafewkeywords.

Theemployeedecidesthathehasoutgrownthepotentialofferedbyyourorganization.Heseesnootheropportunitiesinternally.Hehaslostfaithinhisboss’sabilitytohelphimmovehiscareertothenextlevel.Andsohestartstoacceptcallsfromrecruiterswhohavefound him on, of course, LinkedIn, using keywords that match his updated skill set. Heeventuallytellsyouhe’smovingon.EvenifyoudohappentoseethathisproMileincludesallthose new skills and credentials that you’re looking for in your own updated businessstrategy, youmight be tempted to tell your recruiters to pass on him. There is still thatbeliefincirculationthatoncesomeonedecidestoleaveyourcompany,there’snopointintryingtohangontohim.You’dbe justpostponingthe inevitable.He’salreadyresigned inhisheart (youassume), soanybetterdealyoucouldofferwillonlykeephim fora shortwhilelonger.Soyou’reconvincedthatit’sbesttolethimgo.Bettertostartfresh.Withnewtalent.

A clean slate. This scenario is not about how LinkedIn is yourworst enemywhen itcomestoyoureffortstoretainyourbesttalent.Thepointhereisthattherearenewdatatoolsatyourdisposalrightnowthatcanhelpyouattract—andkeepandredeploy—yourmost valuable people at a time when mission-critical “impact players” are essential todevelop,retain,andmaybeevenre-recruit.

LinkedInisanexampleoftheapproachtodatacollection(evendataattraction)thatcanbeusedtothoroughlyserveyourstrategies—notonlythestrategiesoftodaybutwellinto

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thefuture.What’sthedifferencebetweenLinkedIn’sapproachtodataandwhatmightbeyours at the moment? Think of LinkedIn’s data Mlow as an ever-moving river, alwayschanging, always updating itself as conditions change, always Milling new wells ofinformationwithnewwaysoforganizingthatinformation.

In contrast, if your data collection system is consistentwith the vastmajority of HRdepartmentsoutthere,yoursystemismorelikeastop-actioncamera.Eachmomentintimeis frozenwith a single click to lock in the data. Once that data is locked in, it’s alreadyoutdated.AllthewhileLinkedIn’sinformationriverkeepsrollingalong,itscurrentpoweredbyanengagedmembershipthatvoluntarilycontributesupdateddata.

Yourcompanyneedsanddeservesthatsamelevelofengagement. Itsdestinyridesonthebackof your talent andhowdedicated they are,which increasinglydependsonhowconMident they are that your company is a good investment in their own professionaldevelopmentjourney.ThisconMidence,inturn,istrackedandmeasuredbytheinformationyouareabletoacquireandorganizeatamoment’snotice.Ashiftinyourapproachtonotonly how you collect data on your employee population but also how you use it willaccelerate your company’s ability to keepupwith its changing strategies and implementthem using the best talent available to you. This chapter will help you retool your datamanagement systems tomake themostofyourpeople, evenyouralumni, and theirownthirstforprofessionaldevelopmentandgrowth.

Therestofthischapterisbasedonfourorganizingprinciples:Data ismost ef,icaciouswhen it’s ,luid. As demonstrated in the opening LinkedIn

exampleofthischapter,circumstanceschangesorapidlytodaythatweneedtoinstalldatacollection and analysis processes in such a way that we can understand our talentpopulationinrealtime,atamoment’snotice.Thiswayweseewhowehaverightnowandwhatthey’recapableofdoingnow(orsoon).WecanalsoreasonablyforecastwhomightbebeneMicial to our companies’ changing business strategies further down the proverbialstream.

True employee engagement is in constant motion. It wasn’t that long ago thatreportsonengagement surveys couldbe reasonably expected twelve to eighteenmonthsafter the surveywas administered. Pulse surveys Milled in the gaps, but their scopewastypicallyextremelylimitedtooneortwoquestions.Today,especiallywiththeinMluenceofMillennials and their unique sets ofworkplace expectations, change is thenew constant.Andimmediacyisthenewstandard.Today’stalentdemandsongoingfeedback.Theyneedtotrustthattheyhavethebestpossiblementors.Theyneedtoknowthatthereisalwaysanextstepinsidetheorganization—ortheywillgoelsewhere.Theyneedtoknowthisallthetime.

Employee engagement drives— and is driven by— career empowerment. Toptalentneedstoknowthattheyareconstantlybuildingtheirskillsetsandlayingdownthepath to their next development milestone and beyond.While the need to be constantlymentored and developed is most deMinitely a Millennial trademark, it affects theanticipations and expectations of all your employees, older and even younger. No oneexpectsany jobtobesecureorpredictableanymore(yourownLinkedInproMile isup-to-date,right?).AndtheaggressiveenergythattheMillennialsinvestinmakingsurethattheyare always on the move adds pressure to their colleagues to be competitive as well.Therefore, you, as the HR leader, are on the spot to build your engagement factor by

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demonstratingyourorganization’scommitmenttotheprofessionaldevelopmentofallyouremployees.

When employees see a linkage between what they do for their company and whatthey’re doing for their careers by way of tapping into developmental opportunities youpresenttothem,youastheemployeraremostlikelytoenjoythebusinessinterestbeneMitsofemployeeengagement.

And career empowerment drives business empowerment. Anxiety-riddenemployeesarenotgoingtobeequippedtoprovidetheirbestworkcontributionstoyourorganization.They’redistractedatbest.Resentfulatworst.Andit’sasmallstepfrombeingpassivelynotengagedinthecompany’smission-criticalprioritiestoactuallybeingactivelydisengaged where the employees retaliate against a company by exposing intellectualproperty, sabotaging the company’s reputation on sites like Glassdoor, even destroyingphysicalpropertyinextremecircumstances.Therewasonceatimewhenemployerscouldassumethatemployeeswerefocusedontheirworksomuchtheydidn’tnoticethesignsonthehorizonthatforetoldalmostcertainlayoffs(ifyouhaven’tbeenblind-sidedyourselfbythe unexpected conversation that concluded with you handing over your card key, yousurelyknowsomeonewhohas).

Butthosedaysaregone.Eventhemostsublimelycontentedemployeehasoneeyeontheopendoor.Single-mindedloyaltytothecurrentjobhasitslimitations.Employeesknowthat. And you know it too. Engagement isn’t about keeping all employees; it’s aboutsustainingamutuallyadvantageousrelationshipwheretrustandcommitmentbeneMitbothemployee and employer. And a very valuable component of that relationship is theemployee’srelativeconMidencethattheemployerisactivelyengageditselfinrespondingtoall employees’ drives for professional development and expansion of career potentiality.Evenifthatnextstepmightbeexternaltotheimmediatecompany.

This simple adjustment in the employer’s philosophy about employees’ professionaldevelopmentresultsineasilyobviousbeneMits:

Oneofthetopthreereasonspeopleleaveanorganizationisthelackofchallengingandmeaningful developmental opportunities. According to Aon Hewitt, 74 percent ofemployeesareactivelysearchingfornewjobsatanygiventime,and69percentreportthatsearchingfornewopportunitiesispartoftheirregularroutine. EmployeeturnovercostsU.S.businessesanestimated$11billionannually.

According to Gallup, actively disengaged employees represent $450 billion to $550billioninlostproductivityeveryyear.ThisMiguredoesnottakeintoaccountthedirectcostto the company in terms of harm done, such as equipment damage or compromisedintellectualproperty.

An Accenture study reports that while 55 percent of employees report being underpressure to develop additional skills, only 21 percent report that companies provide thetraining for those skills. Additionally, a SuccessFactors survey reveals that83percentofemployeesdon’t feel that their current skills andexperience arebeing fullyutilized.AndAccenture furthershowedthat34percentreport that itwaseasytomovetoanother jobwithin theirowncompaniesand49percentsaid that theiremployersprovidedadequateinformation regarding what additional skills and knowledge would help employeesprogresstothenextlevel.

Clearly, companies that take the simple, additional steps of creating a tightly wovenmatrix against which employees can conMidently plot their entire array of skills

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developmentanddeploymentstandtobeneMitwheretheirmoredetachedcompetitorsjustwon’t.

Inshort: High-valueemployees—theso-called“impactplayers”whomakethemostsigniMicantdifferenceinyourcompany,theonesyouwanttokeepforaslongaspossible—aremost likely to staywith your enterprisewhen they can see a valuable connection totheirfutureprospects.

Dataisnolongerformerelycapturingemployeeinformation.It’stoequipcompaniestostay current with their impact players— even the ones who have entered the ranks ofalumni.Usedatatokeepengagementalive,tobuildbenchstrengthforboththeimmediateandlong-termfuture,andtobuildahealthyemployerbrandbeyondyourimmediatecirclesofinMluence.ThiswillpositionyouwellforattractingkeytalentinupcomingyearstofulMillbusinessstrategythatyouhaven’tevendevelopedyet.

Therearetwowaystobreakdownyourapproachtousingdataasatalentmanagementenrichment/career empowerment tool: To retain key employees and to sustain a livingrelationshipwiththemevenaftertheyhaveleftyourcompany.

RetentionWhenyouloseakeyemployee,whatdoyousupposethecausemaybe?Itmaybenaturaltoassume that that employee left for a better job or better paycheck. But increasinglyemployersarediscoveringthattheirbestpeopleare leavingbecausetheyaredissatisMiedwiththeirprospectsfordevelopment.Maybeyourtrainingopportunitiesaren’tasrobustasthey need to be, or there is a lack ofmobility.Maybe your people are craving a broaderarray of developmental opportunities across the various departments so that their ownbucket of capabilities ismore comprehensive. Or perhaps they have lost faith that theirimmediatesupervisorhasanythingnewtoteachthem.

Inanyofthesescenarios,yourbestpeoplenolongerseethatyourcompanyisinvestedintheirfuture.

Onyoursideofthetalentledger,youbelievethedevelopmentalopportunitiesthatyoucanextendyourpeoplearelimited.Youseethatyourcurrentbusinessstrategy(theoneforwhichallyourpeoplearegearedup)hasanextremelylimitedshelflife.Andyouworrythatallthesepeopleonyourstaffwillneedtobereplaced—eithergraduallyorabruptly—asyour company’s new strategy shifts directions. True, youwill probably lose some talenteventually— talent thatwasoncemissioncriticalbutwillbecomemissionobsolete.Butyourecognizedthatthereareextremelyvaluableemployeeswhoareworththeinvestmentofdeveloping,maybeevenretooling.YourjobistoMigureoutwhotheyareandwhatthey’llneedtomeetyourcompany’sfuturestrategicneeds.

A re-engineered data collection strategywill help your organization fully understandthepsycheoftheemployeesintermsofwheretheyare,wheretheywanttogo,whataretheskillstheyhave,andwheretheywanttogrow.Withthatdata,youcanmakeinformeddecisions on how to empower employees so that you can stopwhatever stagnation anddisengagementtheremaybe.Youcanalsoplayanessentialroleinhelpingtheorganizationrealign its strategies using the talent that is already onboard, reducing the expensesassociatedwithreductionsinforce,andultimatelysourcingandonboardingnewtalent.

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Ifyoumustprepareyourselftoonboardnewtalentanyway,usethatenergyandthoseresources to help your current talent onboard themselves in the form of careerdevelopment.EmployeeswhoaresatisMiedwiththeircareerdevelopmentaresigniMicantlymorelikelytostayforatleastthreetoMiveyears.ThosearethreetoMiveyearsthatyoucanleveragetokeepthemengagedpartnersinthecompany’sfuture.

Data-enabled tracking and programming technology places critical tools at yourdisposal to extendmultiple developmental opportunities to your essential talent to helpyourcompanydevelop itself fromwithin, rather thandependon theconstant, expensive,riskychurnofsourcingandrecruitingnewemployees:

Short-termdevelopmentalopportunities:Theseprojects—increasinglyreferredtoasgigs,giveyourkeytalent theopportunities toexpandtheirscopeofexperienceswhilehelpingyourcompanyMillshort-termneeds.Maybesomeoneonfamilyleave—orwhohasbeenassignedtoanotherproject—createsanopeningforashort-termMill-intohelpbringaprojecttocompletionintheresultingabsence.Oraspecialprojectbringsmembersfromavariety of internal teams together to collaborate on a limited, deMined objective. Theseopportunitiesgiveyourpeople thechance to “testdrive”careeroptions theyhadnotyethad the opportunity to fully explore, or investigate other departments or business unitsthat might represent longer-term opportunities down the road. This can fundamentallyincreasetheirbreadthanddepthofexperience.

Short-term developmental opportunities — especially those with speciMic, deMinedoutcomes, alsogiveemployees theextremelyvaluableopportunity to tell a storyaboutaprojectfromstarttoMinish.Asmanyworkplacesareincreasinglybasedontheso-calledgigeconomy,whereyouareonlyasgoodasyour lastcompletedproject,anemployerwho isabletocontinuouslyofferitspeopleanarrayofgigstochoosefromistheemployermostlikelytokeepthoseambitious,high-talentimpactplayers.

A culture of data-driven internal gigs beneMit your organization beyond redeployingtried and true talent into short-term needs. They also prepare the next generation ofmanagers and leaders within the organization. They allow you to give these peopledevelopmentalexposure,drivingtherichnessoftheirexperience,thereforegivingthemthechancetogrow.Ultimately,witheveryopportunitytolead—evenforashort-termproject—youarehelping themdevelop the skills tobecome future leaders, qualifying them fortheirnextfull-timeopportunitybecausetheyhaveproventhemselveswithinthecontextofyourcompany.

Cross-team collaboration also works very well in this gig approach to talentredeployment.WhenyoucreateteamsfromacrossthecompanytoaddresssomespeciMicneedswheretheycanlearnfromeachother,knoweachotherbetter,andjustincreasethecollaborationwithintheorganization,you’recreatingauniMiedfabricofrelationshipsandbringing together fresh ideas fromunexpected sources. This is probably oneof themostcriticalwaystofundamentally impactthegrowthofanorganizationandits impact inthemarketplace.Verygoodcommunicationandverygoodcollaborationgohandinhand.

Long-term opportunities: Even today, with the beneMits of the internal applicanttracking systems, themost sophisticated Fortune 500 companies still don’t have a clear,well-deMined internalmobility strategy.Quite often, the job openings inside onebusinessunitwithinalargecorporationmaynotbesharedwithanotherbusinessunit,or,iftheyare,thepathtotransitionisn’tclear.It’snotuncommonforacompanytobelayingoffagrouprepresenting a certain skill set in one unit, only to be hiring the same talent in another

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business unit. The missed opportunities to hire from within during a layoff can beextremelycostly,fromoutrighttalentacquisitionandonboardingcosts,toemployerbrandperception,reputation,andfuturereferralsandrehireopportunities.

Andeveninthoseinstanceswheretheskillsetsoftheoutgoingtalentdon’tquitematchupwith the skill sets required of the new ramp-up, companieswoulddowell to give allemployeesadvancenoticeastowhatskillstheywillbelookingforintheforeseeablefuture.Whataretheattributesthatwillbeneededastheorganizationgrowsinitsnewstrategicdirection?Are thoseskillswithin reachof currentemployees,given the time tocompletetheirdevelopmenttowardthosegoals?YouhaveacadreoftalentwhoMittheculture,whohave institutional knowledge. Wouldn’t it be wiser for you to give them the chance todevelopthemselvestomeetyournewrequiredproMileofcapabilities?

Thisleadsusto…Forecasting: These needs don’t simply jump out at organizations overnight. While

somebusinessunitsmayappeartogoliveinsideaveryshorttime-framefromthepublic’spoint of view, the behind-the-scenes runwaynecessary to create the enterprise is a longandgradualone.Nooneshouldbecaughtbysurprisethatacertainsetofabilitiesareindemand.Lettingpeopleknowinadvancethatacertaindemandisaroundthecornergivesthemthetimenecessarytovolunteerfortakingonthatskillsetsandstartaccumulatingthenecessaryknowledge,experience,andcredentials.

Maybe your existingworkforce alreadyhas those skills. A robust, data-based internalmobilitysolutionequipsyoutoknowwhichskillsalreadyexistwithinyourcompany,whohas those skills, who can teach them to others, whowould be an excellentmentor, andwhichskillsneedtobeintroducedintotheorganizationfromanexternalprovider—eitherintheformoftrainingoranentirelynewpopulationoftalent.

TransitionEven with the best of developmental programs, companies still lose their most valuedtalent. But the relationship on pause doesn’t have to be permanently broken. You cancontinue to re-engage talent at different points over the course of their careers byleveragingthedatathatyouhavekeptoneachemployee,aswellastrackingtheirprogressastheydeveloptheircareersapartfromyourcompany.

Using data, you can always have access to valued talent — even the talent who istransitioning out through layoffs, voluntary terminations, and retirement. Your prospectsforsuccessfulongoingrelationshipswithyoualumniaredrivenby1)howwellyouhelpedthem land their next position quickly and 2) your ability to keep upwith their ongoingcareerdevelopmentstory,whichwould include theongoingacquisitionofnewskillsandexperiencesthatmaycomeinhandyforyouatafuturedate.

It is at this time when it’s especially important for your organization to treat yourdepartingemployeeswell.Tobeginwith,you’reprotectingtheemployerbrand.(Withtheproliferationofsocialmedia,careersandcorporationscanbebroughtdown.Yourcompanyisn’t immune to the damaging effects of negativeword ofmouth.)Organizations need toreinvent their thinking about their relationshipwith employees and ex-employees. Theirrelationshipshouldnotend,evenifthetenureoftheemployeeends.

Thisputsyouinanexcellentpositiontohaveawelloftalenttorecruitfromlater,fromgigassignmentstofull-timework.Ifyouarelookingatyouralumniastalentthatyoucan

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bringbackagain,buildadatabaseofthesepeopleandtheirassociatedskills.Thisisalivingdatabase, capturing the skills they had coming into the organization, the skills theyacquired along the way, and the skills they have been accumulating since leaving theorganization.Asyourneedsevolveover time, requiringyou to reachbeyond thewallsofyourcurrentemployeepopulationtosourcetalent,thisisthedatabaseyoucometoMirst.

Employees have a lifetime value to organizations, and you should make a point ofbuildingandnurturinganalumninetwork.Today thereareavarietyof tools that canbeleveragedtokeepyournetworkaliveandwell-nourished,providingrichandcurrentdataontalentthatcanbere-activatedatwill.

Remember that your goal here is business empowerment through the careerempowermentofallyouremployees.You’reempoweringalumnitosucceedintheircareerswhethertheyaregoingtoreturnasrehiresinthefutureornot.Youaredemonstratingthat,asanorganization,you’reopenandsupportiveofallyourpeople,whethertheyarecurrentemployeesor theyaredeparting talent.Whatever theirstatus,youarewise tokeepyourrelationshipwiththemhealthyandmutuallysupportive.Alumnicouldeventuallybeyourcustomers,yourvendors,andyourpartners in the future.Theycouldbe theparentsofachildyouhirelater.Theywillrememberhowyoutreatedthem.

Look at your transition strategies in terms of career empowerment, and considerelements of your separation process more holistically — from a long-term perspective,ratherthanjustmakingalist,layingpeopleoff,andmovingonthinkingthateverythingisokay,justbecauseyou’resavingmoneyrightnowthroughareductioninforce.

Focusyoureffortsonhelpingyouremployeesget theirnext jobquickly (don’t simplyrelyonthetraditionaloutplacementMirms’approachofmerelytrainingthemhowtobejobseekers).Asmuchasorganizationshaveinvestedonthefront-endofanemployee’stenurewiththecompany,theyshouldinvestontheback-endaswell.TheeffortthatyouinvestinhelpingyourdepartingemployeeslandquicklywillcomebacktoyouMinancially,aswellasinyourreputationamongbothemployeesandcustomers.

Leveragetherelationshipsthatyouhavewithothercompanies.Therearetremendousopportunities, for instance, for employers of all companies across a given community, ageographic region, or a professional or industrial sector, to share resources and helpemployeestransitionfromonecompanyoranother.AllemployersbeneMitfromhavingthisshared sense of responsibility to the extent that it’s appropriate build a community oftalent.

Don’t overlook the beneMits of virtual career fairs. Enable organizations to presentthemselves online so that potential employers can meet directly with these people intransition. This is a win-win arrangement for everyone because the organization that isletting themgowants to land them fast.Theorganization that ishiring is able to Mill thepositionsfast.Andyouareabletosustainarelationshipofgoodwillwithyourtalentthatistransitioningout.

ConclusionTherewas once a time—andunfortunately inmany circumstances, it’s still the case—when, for many companies, talent management was treated as little more than a speedbumpinthefasttrafMicofmarketcompetition.ThefortunatecompanieshadthebeneMitof

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anenergeticandcreativeHRprofessionalwhorelishedthechallengesofmakingthebestmatchesbetween immediate companyneed for a speciMic setof skills and the immediateavailability of candidates with the skill sets that approximated that wish list. But morecommonly, companies clumsily cycled through waves of employees, bringing them in asneeded, washing them outwhen their skills apparently no longermatched the businessstrategy. I sayapparently because, aswehave seen in this chapter, employers commonlydon’t keep records of their employees’ growing collection of abilities. And so they riskjettisoningtheverytalentviathelefthandthattheyarespendingvastsumstoattractandacquireviatherighthand.

Decadeafterdecadeofemployersandemployeesalikeexperiencedthehardknocksoflayoffs,causedbyallmannerofreasons.Theconventionaloutplacementservicessoothedthe rough, sharp edges of regret, perhaps guilt, and worry over long-term reputationalimplications. That solution had its place while employees still assumed a more passivestanceregardingtheirowncareertrajectory.

Someoutplacementservicesandtheirconsultantsnoblyandauthenticallyconcentrateon helping outgoing candidates make their next best career match. But the drive forbusinessefMicienciesbeingwhatitis,andhumannaturebeingwhatitis,theoutplacementworldhasbecomesomewhatcommoditized.Andsuccessisalltoofrequentlymeasuredbyspeedratherthanquality.

Today, as you walk through the corridors of your workplace and consider youremployees,you’relookingatworkerswhohavetakenactiveownershipoftheirowncareertrajectories.Quiteindependently,asamatteroffact,ofwhateverplansyourcompanymayhave for them. They are using the various social networks and databases to their ownpersonal advantage. Which iswhy, aswe discussed in this chapter, LinkedIn very likelyknowsmoreaboutyouremployees thanyoudo. It’s all about the timely, to-the-moment,even voluntary updating of relevant data— organized and stored in away that ismostbeneMicialtoboththeindividualsandemployers.

Thiscaliberofdatacollectioniswithinyourowngraspasaprivateemployer.Whenyoutake up the resolve to actively gather essential data on your employees’ developments,severalbeneMitsoccur:• Yougainstrategic insightandarebetterable toreinvest inyourcurrentemployeesandpotentiallyevenalumni.• You reduce expenses associated with recruiting, onboarding, training,unemployment, and severance. Don’t overlook the intangible expenses, such asreputationalandbrand-negativeimpactsonyourcompany.• You are best equipped to align yourworkforce strategieswith business strategies,well inadvanceof actuallyneeding theabilities inplace.Witha robustdata collectionstrategy,youcanquicklyidentifywhoalreadyhastheheretoforeuntappedabilitiesthatwill be essential in the near future. You can also identify who is best positioned toperhapstakeonnewtrainingtoacquirethosenecessaryskills. And,youcaneventapyouralumni,invitingthemtoreturnbecauseintheinterveningyears,theyhavebecomeexactly what you will be needing very soon. And you know this because your datacollectionsystemhaspresentedthemtoyouforyourconsideration.In its simplest iterations, thisdedication toa robustdatagatheringprogramcouldbe

easilyseenasmere“careerempowerment.”It’salwayshealthyforemployeeengagement,

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good will, and your employer brand to be seen as an organization that takes an activeinterestinyouremployees’careerwell-being.

But in this context, career empowerment is a critical component of businessempowerment. It isalways to the company’s best strategic and competitive advantage toknowexactlywhatskillsandabilitiesareavailabletoitatanygivenmoment.Whetheryourmostcompellingneedatthemomentisaredeploymentoftalentfromonebusinessunittoanother,or a temporary stand-in foragig thatoffersdevelopmentalopportunities to theemployees,themoreinsightyouhaveinthetalentthatisclosesttoyou,themoreagileyouare–readytostayaheadofyourmarketneedsandcompetitors’challenges.

After going through a layoff himself, Sanjay Sathe founded RiseSmart to deliver higher quality career transition services via cutting edge, proprietary technology to forward-thinking and compassionate employers who wanted their employees to land the right new jobs—fast. RiseSmart, now the nation’s fastest-growing outplacement firm, was led by Sathe as CEO and President from startup to the 2015 acquisition by Randstad, one of the world’s largest HR services providers.

Prior to founding Risesmart, Sanjay served as vice president for enterprise data management for Sabre Holdings, the parent company of Travelocity and a $2.5 billion global leader in travel commerce. Before Sabre, Sanjay was senior vice president of marketing for Brierley & Partners, a CRM and loyalty management company that serves global brands such as Hilton HHonors, Hertz #1 Club Gold, Sony, and Nokia. He also has worked in marketing management in Europe and Asia with Lufthansa, HSBC, and other major corporations.

Contact Sanjay at ssathe@risesmart.com.

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