Talent pipeline management today and beyond

07 October 2020 10:00

Talent pipeline management today and beyond

With the move to Level 1 of South Africa’s COVID-19 lockdown, the weakened South African economy now has the opportunity to rebuild, as industries look to recover the significant loss of business experienced over the past six months.

From working toward business growth, many businesses have been in survival mode, which means regular practices such as talent management may have taken a back seat.

While making crucial decisions, Rudi Kruger, General Manager at LexisNexis Data Services said that leadership should be cautious not to shift focus away from areas that are critical to overall business health, post Covid-19.

One such area is talent pool management. Investing time and resources into the talent pool is necessary now, more than ever, says Kruger.

“In a few short months, we saw how several organisations were able to ride the wave, adapt and continue working despite the challenges,” he said. “Worth noting is that this was largely due to the agility, flexibility and innovation of many of these workforces,” he said.

Likewise, businesses are going to need the right people in their corner going forward in order to recover from an economically crippling crisis. “A skills gap can be detrimental over the next year or so, especially as industries try to figure out what the workplace is going to look like in future,” Kruger said.

Furthermore, large scale retrenchments across the board could see incredible talent, who may not have been on the market before, now ready to explore opportunities with other companies.

Cultivating a talent pipeline

The success of talent pipelines is firstly dependent on a business strategy, which clearly indicates the direction in which the company is going and what kind of support is required to get there. Right now, with recovery being a top priority, many companies are looking toward innovation. Empowering current staff is just as important as attracting new talent.

“Internal efforts could include determining how your current employees can support this phase of business and what training or support they need in order to evolve. Nurture the future leaders that already exist in the organisation in preparation for greater contribution,” said Kruger.

Externally, Kruger said organisations should aim to attract suitable candidates by showcasing their brand values and company ethics online.

“Demonstrate why you’re serious about providing future opportunities to job-seekers and why you’re an employer of choice. Be accessible, make the application process user friendly and take into consideration the current situation, where face to face interviews and assessments are not practical,” he said.

Like all areas of business, much is still to be discovered about how things are going to work in future but talent pipelines are valuable regardless of the outcome.

To support your talent management and e-recruitment efforts, look for technology-based solutions that can cover everything from comprehensive background screening and reference checks to interviews and candidate assessments. The best solutions provide for virtual support such as capturing fingerprints remotely or can act as mobile hubs with providers making in-person calls in a safe and compliant manner.

Need support in selecting the most suitable talent for your business and ensuring all checks and balances are carried out? Visit Lexis RefCheck for more information and assistance.

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