human resources 11
How do businesses win the talent battle?
With economic confidence returning and businesses looking to grow, the No. 1 challenge confronting most Thames Valley companies is attracting, retaining and motivating talented staff
That’s the view of Jim Rogers, the managing partner of Grant Thornton in the Thames Valley, and the reason why more than 150 local business leaders are expected to gather at the Royal Berkshire Conference Centre in Reading’s Madejski Stadium on October 7 for an early evening seminar seeking solutions to the skills challenge.
“As we come out of recession, gain stability, and look for economic growth the retention and competition for talent is increasingly seen as the most important item on a CEO’s agenda,” says Rogers.
The challenge to source talent for business growth was highlighted during Grant Thornton’s nationwide ‘Agents for Growth’ summits for mid-market businesses (MSBs) last year, he explains.
“From these summit events, there were three topics crying out as being critical for growth to MSBs in the UK – access to finance, and support for international trading, but the main barrier to growth was the shortage of skilled and talented people.”
Grant Thornton is growing its own talent
Grant Thornton began tackling the sourcing of talent challenge three years ago and decided to invest in its future by setting up a development programme to effectively home-grow its own talent.
While accepting that some specialist talent has to come from external recruitment, Grant Thornton recognises the truth of the old maxim that its people are its greatest asset, explained Kylie Roberts, Grant Thornton’s director of talent development.
“We do look outside for talent, and our aim now is to also home-grow at least two-thirds of our talent requirements.“
Countering the pessimistic view of a skills shortage, Roberts adds: “I actually see huge amounts of talent around, and it is all about how as an organisation you unlock that talent and retain it.”
Just one of the key success factors critical to Grant Thornton’s unlocking process is
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – SEPTEMBER 2014
With 95% of Grant Thornton’s summit attendees planning to grow their workforce during 2014, the increasing demand on talent supply was obvious and inevitable.
Hence, Grant Thornton in the Thames Valley has instigated the ‘Winning the Talent Battle’ seminar on October 7, jointly staged in association with the Reading offices of lawyers Shoosmiths and bankers HSBC, to help overcome this growing problem for business growth – the lack of available talent at all levels.
Rogers hopes the seminar will debate the topic constructively and reveal best practice examples within the Thames Valley. “We aim to find out what the best businesses do to attract, motivate, retain and engage their people. Also, what do great leaders do, within today’s rapidly changing business environment, in response to this challenge of a shortage of key people?”
To assist that aim Grant Thornton and its co-sponsors have brought together leaders and experts in differing fields to give their advice and views in presentations and Q&A panel discussions. Speakers and panelists will include representatives from Best Companies, ARM Holdings, Guide Dogs for the Blind, and the event host companies.
Audience participation will also be encouraged with electronic voting, followed by networking opportunities.
JIm Rogers
A double-page report on the ‘Winning the Talent Battle’ seminar will appear in our November edition.
Bradenham Manor, its Centre for Talent Development near High Wycombe, and the creation of a strong team of talent development specialists led by Roberts, which are part of a larger team.
All the talent development specialists have external business experience, such as having run companies, managed teams or acted as professional consultants to diverse clients. (Roberts admits it was not easy recruiting such a talented squad, and the innovative nature and personal challenge of the new job role was a key attraction).
Grant Thornton’s development programme is not a traditional classroom-style skills training regime. It’s objective is to provoke constructive change and fresh thinking.
Candidates are actually likely to spend much of their time outside Bradenham Manor, exploring its gardens, doing yoga exercises on the lawn, or enjoying outdoor teambuilding and coaching sessions.
“We aim to provide an attractive space of wellbeing in which people can think creatively, innovate and enjoy constructive discussion,” explains Roberts. “If we improve people’s thinking we can improve their performance.”
www.businessmag.co.uk
The overall aim is to promote worklife integration. “It’s not just about a balance between work and home, it’s about the organisation supporting employees in a satisfying and rewarding lifestyle. We want people in Grant Thornton to bring their very best self into work.”
The programme takes a holistic approach to talent development – even to the extent of the Bradenham Manor menus. “We provide food for healthy brains, not stodgy stomachs.
“It’s not simply about learning new skills, it’s also about changing mindsets and behaviour, equipping our people for today’s business world and tomorrow’s. We invest in our people because we know they can be our leaders of the future."
Details:
www.grant-thornton.co.uk
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