Tuesday's article had established that Corporate Malaysia is vying to attract the best talent in an environment where it is increasingly becoming a rare commodity.
Consequently, HR departments are being shaken out of their stupor and coerced to pursue proactive strategies.
1) To compete and attract better talent by moving up the preferred employer hierarchy
2) Communicate the strengths and advantages of their corporate culture and environs
3) Design/execute on-going programmes to enhance capabilities, skill-sets, deeper involvement and understanding of corporate goals/priorities
4) Motivate, retain, nurture and mentor talent,
5) Maximize their full potential inter alia defining career scope and opportunity streams
6) Build-up the future managers, specialists, HoDs and senior executive echelons
In addition, they have to increasingly manage both multi-generational employees and highly driven foreign talent which will work with a differential pace and motivation, compared to local staff
Net Take-out: HR departments in Malaysia are competing in a "sellers-market" situation. Now it's much more than just managing payrolls, tackling basic administration, preparing brochures, leaflets and top-brass approved corporate presentations. Like their branding, marketing and Mar/Com colleagues, HR personnel must imbibe and utilize marketing, promotional, consulting, strategic and visionary skills. Instead of lethargically relying only upon line-managers and HoDs to deliver the critical spiels.
HR personnel are likely to benefit from understanding the various types of candidates who might be walking into their offices or booths at the fair. Knowledge of their nuances and motivation-drivers can be used to engineer better engagement.
Job seekers' Priorities
Qualified (fresh) talent can be ostensibly divided into four groups:
a) Ambitious Aspirers: Those seeking genuine career scope. They are likely to prioritise options which provide on-the-job training, wider functional exposure, specialization, definite career path and growth opportunities, besides decent remuneration. Savvy ones are also willing to invest the initial 3 to 5 years in a reputed corporation which provides such scope.
b) $ and Glamour Pursuers: Those who prioritise the highest financial pay-packet as their primary criteria, often irrespective of other considerations. Some who just feel that their self-esteem is best fulfilled by entering the glamour-tinged banking or advertising industry, or even working for an iconic brand.
c) Comfortable Coasters: Those seeking a secure but not very demanding job, in even a half-decent company, with reasonable remuneration plus benefits.
d) Clueless Hopefuls with a Paper-Degree: Those who are just seeking an opening, without any definite plan or perspective. Often realizing later that their paper degrees are less relevant as a door-opener, compared to their personality throw and real capabilities.
During my salad days in JWT, was informed by legendary CEO, Subhas Ghosal, that most companies actually require all four types of candidates at the entry level. To fit into various job functions and provide a basic observation pool from which management can separate the wheat from the chaff and nurture their potential.
Middle Management option seekers can be divided into four ostensible groups:
e) More Matured Ambitious Aspirers: Who are keen to maximize their potential, generating greater financial and career scope returns from their initial years invested in a or b (above). Having benefitted from good training and having fought in the trenches, they are now confident about moving on to more dynamic opportunities, including international postings and fast-track-growth
f) Matured Course Correctors: Those seeking better, definitive and specialised career opportunities, having flirted with b or c (above). Or even those who are seeking a less demanding assignment, for a mix of reasons (including family issues).
g) Cross-functional Course Correctors: Those consciously seeking a specialised career path, having worked in a different function earlier. Often they have observed and liked this alternative job-function in their previous company, but were refused the option to change.
h) Exposed Comfortable Coasters: Those seeking an alternative but less demanding job, since their previous organization had raised their operational standards and/or their lethargy having been found out.
Global competitor, Nestle, has long pursued business goals and maintaining their competitive advantage by consistently attracting, motivating, retaining and mentoring talent. Preferably talent which is superior to the local-market or regional average become their assets. Executive director of HR, Uzma Qaiser Butt, confirmed how Nestle aims to be the preferred employer by "offering opportunities to enable them to reach their full potential", besides "nurturing them" in a "conducive working environment" along with caring work-life balance and health/wellness benefits.
Nestle leverages a 70/20/10 model, focusing:
a) 70% of development through on-the-job experience, which has the highest impact on professional and personal development,
b) 20% on relationship-based approaches, and
c) 10% on formal training opportunities.
Most important, they consciously leverage Nestle Brand Equity facets in HR engagement to maintain their distinctive, preferred employer status.
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