Domain 1: Engaging and Evolving Talent
Creating a sustainable talent ecosystem isn’t just about attracting the best talent quickly, it also means engaging and evolving the talent you have. As organisations strive to reduce talent waste, they can work to ensure they’re putting the right people in the right roles, matching the skills of their workers to the future needs of the company, and upgrading the skills of existing workers to meet these needs where possible.
Sustainable teams maximise the impact of every worker. The Talent Sustainability Framework offers businesses a clear path to engaging and evolving skills throughout the employee lifecycle, creating mobility and building new career paths that work for the company and individuals. This creates efficiency as part of an organisation’s sustainable approach, where reskilling and upskilling reduces under-utilised talent.
To work sustainably and efficiently, organisations will need to engage and evolve their people to create higher-skilled talent at an optimal cost. Often the talent that’s needed already exists within the organisation and research from the UK suggests that, for every worker they upskill, organisations could save £50k compared to hiring new talent. This existing resource needs to be reimagined, redeployed or reskilled. ManpowerGroup’s own research indicates that 84% of HR leaders say they plan to implement reskilling and upskilling programs, with many of these focused on future-proofing their workforces.
By using assessment and career mapping, HR leaders can get a detailed understanding of the skills makeup of the company to assess where there are skills gaps and where there is untapped potential. Leveraging an insight-driven approach to development allows leaders to shine a light on where the organisation’s existing talent can be coached to evolve the skills needed to meet business demand. This requires organisations to build a robust skills taxonomy and to understand the capabilities within their teams, as well as assessing and benchmarking talent. This focus means companies can be sure they are upskilling the right people and that their investment will make a difference, creating highly-skilled employees who are engaged and want to stay. The second domain identifies six elements that can help businesses achieve this and establish best practices for engaging, evolving and mobilising existing talent.
Start at the most senior levels. Speak to those who have long tenure in the company and ask them why did they stay? Why have you been here this long? We know they stayed because someone was actively encouraging and managing their career there. You can’t do that for everyone, but you can create an environment where people can see others who are just like them and who are progressing. And that makes them think: If that’s the case, then it can be done and it’s my turn next.
From creating a coaching culture within the company, to promoting career mobility so that individuals are empowered to raise their prosperity and meet their potential, the Talent Sustainability Framework guides organisations as they engage and evolve their talent. It provides a pathway so that businesses can maximise talent to create a high-skilled, engaged workforce in a cost-effective way.
