A short interview with Director, Caterina Glenn
What talent mobility changes will affect Chief People Officers (CPOs) in 2023?
"Access to a wider pool of candidates coupled with inflexibility if there is not a good balance between office and home working and economic challenges will continue to be key considerations. In addition, companies will need to create strategies and hiring processes around remote policies."
Do CPOs need a different approach to locating and hiring the people their businesses need?
"CPOs will need to be able to offer true hybrid working and be on par with market rates when it comes to salaries as there are still some discrepancies. Other areas such as life and health insurance and annual leave remain very important for candidates. There needs to be a clear career path and an ability to sell the business and business culture."
Should CPOs also look closely at mobility within their businesses to ensure their existing workers have room to grow?
"They should have a system of succession planning and early careers development in their business as part of their process. Early careers would give them an opportunity to “grow their own talent” and would give the people joining a good idea of where they can perhaps progress to and how to do it. It would give the business an insight into the future leaders and enable continuous development, training programs, mentorship, and coaching."
How can technology help CPOs manage the talent mobility they are seeing?
"AI technology is becoming more prevalent and if CPO’s are incorporating this into their learning and development, it would need to be considered as part of the overall process in a business. There should always be a robust HR system and an employee who can gather reports, interpret data and identify how to use that data strategically."
Is a clear path for career development a differentiator for job seekers?
"For some it certainly will be and for others it may not affect them as they may not be interested in a progressive role, so it is important to establish what the business needs early on. Companies need to be clear on the role and showcase what they would like from the person, and they must think about whether they can offer progression, the timescale, if they have succession planning, if there is early careers support and training. Considering these elements will add value to the process and allow individuals to truly understand their career options in the future."
Has the great resignation plateaued? Or is this a clear and present danger CPOs must continue to address?
"Given that this began with the Covid19 Pandemic, it did of course have a huge impact now and made the labour market exceptionally competitive. It is likely that it is not over yet and there was evidence in 2021/2022 that it remained an on-going trend. It is difficult to predict whether this will continue during the year ahead, but we would urge people to be aware that it is potentially not as prominent as it was, but still very much a potential issue for CPO’s and organisations as whole."
Final thoughts/ comments
"The last few years have been interesting and challenging for many in Senior Leadership Roles within HR. There is a need for CPO’s to focus on employee engagement, satisfaction and retention. Compensation, benefits and career development will not only retain people that may be thinking of moving on but also allow CPO’s to pipeline talent for the business in a way that make a positive impact both to retention in the future and satisfaction for the individual.
Having an inclusive, diverse workforce will be of benefit and offering flexibility when hiring will be attractive to employees. CPO’s should have tick boxes they would like the candidate to have experience in to help streamline the process. They should also question whether the career move is for progression or if it’s a sideways step to ensure both options remain beneficial and challenging for the candidate."
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