Closure - An Important aspect of Talent Acquisition Process

Look at the image above for 5 seconds.

Now, analyse what your mind was at while looking at the incomplete circle - Was it trying to make the ends meet or join? I am sure, most of us would get the ends meet. This is what psychologists call 'Closure' and human brains are wired to attain closure.

Recently, I came across individuals and bright ones for that matter who didn’t have very high opinion of some of the very good and known brands to work for.  The reason – “Apply, Apply but no Reply”. Many organizations, I know of, have a very good hiring process for the chosen ones or for individuals who swim across various stages of the selection process. The candidates definitely have a feel-good experience and they talk highly about it. However, not many organizations have a pleasant way of showing the red signal.

Organizations world-wide spend a great deal on ‘Employer Branding’ exercise in an attempt to lure the best available in the talent market. Even with available metrics it is extremely difficult for the organizations to justify the cost-benefit of these dollars. As many would put it – “We have high online virality of our company updates” or “We are the most talked about” or “We are the most searched for”. However, living with these incomplete notions and defining employer branding only till that is flawed. Each and every touch point matters while creating and leaving an impression.

The big question to ask is “How many of us have a feel good experience for the applicants throughout our hiring process?” Closure is an important part of human nature. We all desire closure and don’t want to have dangling situations. The dangling aspects act like a baggage and constantly nag our mind. I am sure each one of us early in our careers would have sent our resumes or emails asking on a probable opening/vacancy at a particular organization. Our reactions to revert and non-reverts would have been at the opposite ends of the ‘feel-good’ continuum; sometimes leaving a bitter feeling and at other times feeling courteous towards the organization.

A revert or a reply for closure may seem pithy and we may not pay much attention but to the applicant it may leave a pleasant impression and who knows your Talent Acquisition team may be bombarded with referrals by the non-selected candidates. Your TAT may create opportunities galore, creating a large pool of candidates.

A small action may reap huge benefits. Just Think. So have you mandated a closure for each application received by your TAT? If not, what are you waiting for?

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Engaging the Engagers!

My discussions on this blog stem from the many observations and conversations that my profession as an HR enables me to have with wide diaspora of people. On a certain day, I was having an informal conversation with one of my colleagues. Then sprung a series of topics and activities related to HR. Suddenly he quipped, " We need to take care of the world's engagement (employee engagement he meant) but who takes care of our engagement?" His question provoked a lot of thoughts but no instant reaction or answer.

There is a lot of enshrouded truth in what my friend mentioned. I have come across a lot of HR professionals who are low on motivation. And if that is the case, how can a disengaged employee take the onus of keeping other employees engaged? While this thought presents a serious concern, extremely critical is the question - 

Whose baby is the 'Engagement of HR Folks'?

There is no contention to the fact that successful HR professionals are highly self motivated individuals and have internal locus of control.However, motivation is like a fuel which drives ability to achieve goals. And like any other fuel, this fuel is also not perpetual. Sometimes the sense of accomplishment in terms of thrusting business results drives motivation and at other times building employee capabilities crusades the will to keep going. But, coming back to the original concern - Who is necessarily responsible for HR's motivation? Deriving out of my experience so far, CEOs in any organization play an important role in motivating the HR team. It is CEOs vision of the organization which moulds HR as a function which then moulds the organization.Besides, reverse recognition (from employees) also acts as a latent engagement driver.

While keeping the HR team engaged is off the books in several organizations, it can have severe repercussions for the organizations in the times to come. HR acts as a central node for building the workforce capabilities and thereby synthesizing organization.Failure of this node can lead to organizational catastrophe. The idea is not to paint out an apprehensive picture but present a perspective that a veiled systemic concern is being ignored and needs to be acted upon.I, in my capacity ensure that relevant stakeholders are informed on the engagement levels of the members of our HR team and proactive measures are taken. I see this aspect finding mention as a KRA not only in manager's performance matrix but also of the CEOs.

Would love your inputs and insights on this topic and any programs commenced in your organizations to Engage HR Teams.

Role of HR in Tough Times - Talent Perspective

Paradigm Shift and Talent Management:

 

We are witnessing a paradigm shift in the role of and perception about HR. The real challenge for HR function lies when the days are no longer sunny. There are two aspects to this – ‘Proactive HR’ and managing the paradox of being ‘Employee Champion’ and ‘Strategic Business Partner’. Let’s discuss both these scenarios.

We have been saying that HR has to be proactive. But then what is that ‘proactive approach’ we are talking about. When it comes to global economic downturn, the first measure that most organizations take is ‘downsizing’. A proactive approach would result in ‘Right-sizing’. There would be no need to cut the extra flab when the organization is already in shape. For this again, effective manpower planning has to be carried out and several analytical techniques can be used to get the count right. Scenario analysis is one such technique which can help us visualize different scenarios by juggling with several parameters. The Talent pool has to be just right. This also involves taking a long term view of things and avoiding myopic and tunnel vision to attain short term stability. We need to also understand that any economic crisis is a transient phenomenon and so we should not sacrifice vision for immediate short term gains. One excuse or explanation that comes from many organizations during downturn is that the non-performers are being retrenched. But my point of contention is – Why to wait for economic downturn to chuck out the non-performers. Besides, what could be the quality and effectiveness of selection procedures in these organizations so as to induce non-performers into the system? What has the learning and development team been doing all this while? 

 Its important to understand that 'Employees' are important stakeholders contributing to business success even in tough times and post that. HR being a business partner has to aid the decision making of Leadership team by presenting concrete rationale and do what is right for the business not only in the present but also in the long run while preserving the interest of the internal customers. An analogy that strikes me is that of a 'mother' in the family. 'Mother' always has to balance the act of the 'father' (Leadership Team) and that of the 'children' (Employees) for the emergence of a happy and loving 'family' (Organization). An organization should stand by its employees in the tough times which will build a culture of trust and loyalty. Employees will reciprocate by higher productivity and higher commitment levels. This is a simple human phenomenon – a psychological contract. As someone has said, “If you exceed someone’s expectations by a little, they will make sure to exceed your expectations by a lot more”. HR has to strike a balance between the employees’ needs and the business demands. SAS is one organization which has never retrenched its employees and has consistently figured in the ‘Great Places to Work’. This has a positive impact on the employees as a whole resulting in high motivation levels and sense of belongingness for the organization. Besides, other stakeholders – shareholders, suppliers, and customers take note of such initiatives and are highly appreciative resulting in better relations and more business. As stated earlier, a long term and far sighted view has to be taken. 

HR has to understand these realities and pitch for the most rational option. It is HR’s responsibility to make the management cognizant of the holistic picture and present the pros and cons of any decision before them in the language they understand. HR has to take the Central Stage and make a mark.