Career advice, insights & tips for HR professionals
How can public sector employers stop talent from making the jump elsewhere? 22/02/2010
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Sustainable advantage comes from leveraging and nurturing an organisation’s most important asset – its employees. Susan Moore stresses the importance of managing talent in the public sector.
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- Public sector trends - time for change?
- Public sector - struggling to retain talent
- Re-examining talent management in public sector
- Training & skills development: key to talent
- Personalise learning & development
- Online employee development - the way forward?
- Nurture talent and learning within public sector
Public sector trends - time for change?
Described as a ‘demographic time bomb’, it is widely accepted that the public sector employs an ageing workforce. A dwindling supply of young workers and a large number of personnel nearing retirement age can lead to a loss of vital skills and knowledgeable backgrounds.
Public sector - struggling to retain talent
The Society for Human Resource Management broadly defines talent management as the ‘implementation of an integrated strategy or system designed to increase workplace productivity by developing improved processes for attracting, developing, retaining and utilising people with the required skills and aptitude to meet current and future business needs.’
However, with one in 10 social-worker vacancies currently unfilled, it is reported that the public sector finds it twice as difficult to maintain talent as the private sector. How can we look to personalise and build on each individual’s professional development? How can records of skills and qualifications be updated with utmost precision and efficiency, so that employers are aware of the skills of their employees?
Re-examining talent management in public sector
Now more than ever, the public sector needs its highest performers to be fully engaged and actively participating in the development of their organisation. In order to make working within the public sector more satisfying, we must look to be inventive in methods of engagement and recognising talent. We must nurture the right kinds of talent in people who will help deliver strategies and meet organisational goals in the future.
The recent dramatic advances of technology certainly fuel an avenue for promoting talent management in the sector. Focused purely on the learner, talent management solutions usually comprise several modules that may integrate together to provide a single management system, typical modules are as follows;
- recruitment management (talent acquisition) and on-boarding
- performance management (inc. appraisals, goal mapping, development)
- competency management / workforce planning
- career & succession management
- learning and development management
- compensation management
Training & skills development: key to talent
Organisations require a systematic approach to help managers uncover their staff’s talent plus focus on individual employee needs. Managers necessitate a clear description of skills needed now and in the future; this can unearth those with potential as well as identify those that may be lacking in certain areas or require future development.
At times of re-structure, new skills can be built upon and employees can be exposed to different parts of the organisation. Records that are stored online can then be accessed easily by staff and managers; employees can therefore continue where they left off with their training programmes. This can reduce frustration and allows staff to remain interested in furthering both personal and professional skills.
Personalise learning & development
Through learning management platforms we can track and recognise individual learners' progress. Furthermore we can assess what impact employee talent, and management of talent, is having on organisational outcomes.
A highly personalised approach to learning can help employees achieve long and short term goals. An appraisal, for example, can be logged and held in a personal learning folder. Furthermore, informal appraisals such as positive feedback via email from a manager can also be stored online. Who says appraisals and feedback should be once a year?
Employees today want ongoing, dynamic and real-time development with the ability to identify and focus on their gaps. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can be assessed and further assigned to build upon an individual’s and team’s key competencies. An historical record of an employee’s training programme can be updated and returned to as and when needed.
Online employee development - the way forward?
Ultimately, the key to managing talent and keeping employees engaged is to offer ongoing support programmes that add value to their role. By aligning, engaging, developing and retaining a workforce, organisations can translate valuable employee performance reviews into career maps and pathways.
An empowered employee will work productively for a department that is forward thinking in its approach to development. Furthermore, those offering an online environment that caters for the employee’s every need will empower staff to learn together and share their experiences.
Nurture talent and learning within public sector
As Gillian Hibberd said; "We rarely hear of the brilliance of local government talent. It's all too often that we hear from public sector staff, 'I was told I have outgrown my job'. So rather than drain the talent from our sector, let’s nurture what we have to grow to new heights!"
The key to success lies in working in partnership. Those public sector organisations that not only provide inspiring and motivating learning and development programmes, but also track and reward talented personnel within their team, will ensure a highly productive and engaged workforce.
Susan Moore, head of public sector, Thirdforce
Susan has over 15 years in the training industry driving e-learning solutions across the education and government sectors. Heading the UK public sector business at Thirdforce, she is passionate about human resource and e-learning technologies that are revolutionising the workplace.