Who started the War for Talent?

I’m not the first to decry the use of the phrase “War for Talent” (see for example this blog by Workable). While I’m sure nobody wishes to downplay the true horror and suffering that is war through the use of such a metaphor, it is rather an apt one for the current recruitment market. I’m referring not only to the blatant mistreatment of undervalued candidates, but the lengths that the “top” organisations will go to in meeting their objectives of hiring only the best talent.

Recruitment: Not Exactly What it Says on the Tin

I’ve been a little obsessed with eBay lately. I’ve been finding random things around the house to sell and exchanging my profits for fabulous shoes (those of you who met me at #CIPD14 may have realised my passion for heels, no matter how painful!). Whats not to like!

Redemption

I’m a big planner and organiser. I think a good dose of certainty has a calming effect. Of course it’s impossible to plan for every eventuality, and that’s even more important to remember when one’s plans are ambitious and wide reaching (which mine often end up being). More difficult still is recognising that the unexpected can bring much needed challenge that actually creates a better outcome.

Inspiration is a Two Way Street

These days it’s widely recognised that many of the enabling tools and techniques of Human Resources need to be two-way to have any chance of being effective. A top-down, dictatorial style is no longer working (if it ever did in the first place). Communication and engagement are things we do together with our people, not to them or at them. In an ideal world anyway. Yet one of the key concepts of the latest management theories, inspiration, works very differently.

The Three Word Engagement Strategy

Type “what is engagement?” into Google and you’re faced with four differing definitions. Obvious references to marriage aside, the first three resonate with what, on paper, organisations ideally want from their employee engagement programmes – things like agreement, commitment and involvement. Heckling from the back is the definition of what organisation’s secretly fear will be the actual outcome of their attempts at engagement – conflict. A scary and chaotic thing.

Are Values Valuable?

Ah Values. Those intangible yet desirable qualities that embellish websites, pepper strategy documents and are emblazoned across corporate promotional materials the World over.

Nowadays values are just words. We don’t measure them, we just expect people to have them. We don’t tell people what they mean, we just expect them to know. Often their absence is when they are most salient. In a nutshell, values aren’t really valued.

You’ve Changed

Everything changes, pretty much constantly. From the minutiae of our daily lives, to the operations of a global organisation, we’re in a state of flux. There are cycles, lifespans, tipping points. Things get worn out, used up or thrown away. We get bored or tired or sick. All those variables, all those interactions, all those risks and possibilities. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to comprehend. It’s chaos.

Measuring Business Relationships – Guess How Much I Love You

Relationships are important right? Building relations is part of everyday life – both at work and at home. Thankfully the CIPD is taking part in a new project to promote the importance of relationships and measure their effectiveness.

Wait a minute…what?

The Clear Policy Policy

I’ve been forced to clear out my wardrobe. Like many women I love clothes, and have a large collection of shoes and bags to go with them. However, I got a surprise the other morning when I opened the wardrobe doors and a tiny moth flew out. This is something I’ve never experienced before, and to be honest, something I thought only happened to old ladies in the 1940s.

Moving on up

We’ve been thinking lately about moving house. Well actually it’s something we’ve been thinking about on and off for years. A three bedroom house isn’t ideal when you have three children, and we don’t have much outside space. The only thing that has put us off to date is the cost. There’s surveys and reports and advertising, and that’s before you decide on what you can afford to buy.

My quandary got me thinking about the property market as an analogy for the jobs market.