There are so many instances where the saying, ‘hindsight is a wonderful thing’ applies. Yet nine times out of ten, it shouldn’t apply to talent management. Employers and hiring managers generally know that adopting a proactive approach to talent management can contribute significantly to the success of a team and organisation.

More to the point, many of us have experienced the additional workload, pressures and loss of knowledge when managers don’t recognise the importance of key talent or fail to anticipate the need for additional resources as the business grows. This can lead to broader consequences such as poor morale, missed deadlines, a decline in customer service, and even unmet business goals.

So, what is proactive talent management? In simple terms, it involves anticipating short and long-term staffing needs, identifying and engaging talent within your team and organisation, and developing and creating paths for progression for said talent. 

Yet it is common for managers to engage in reactive recruitment practices, put off training and development, and fail to address obvious signs of employee dissatisfaction early. This is often because managers do not have a detailed understanding of where the business is heading, lack the authority to make resourcing decisions, or are too busy to focus on their people.

Kickstart 2024 by making talent management a key priority. Here are four recommended actions to improve your talent management proactivity.

1.      Enhance your understanding of the organisation

Understanding the organisation’s strategic direction, what factors influence the achievement of goals and how these will impact on what is required of your team and other teams is essential for proactive talent management. While this may seem obvious, managers don’t always have the information necessary to be agile enough to meet business needs. The more you know, the better you will be able to anticipate needs and prepare. Are there additional tasks required, or skills the team will need to learn? Does the current team have the knowledge, experience or resources to realistically meet your organisations objectives?

Furthermore, understanding how HR systems and policies work in full, what mechanisms are required to increase staffing and who influences these decisions is crucial. In SME’s where funds are often tightly controlled, those influencing the decision may include operational managers, who have more control over budgets and growth. In larger organisations, mechanisms for team growth may be more data driven, aligning with the strategy, sales or achievement of team or individual KPIs. It’s essential to understand the official and unofficial mechanisms that are in place.

2.      Build relationships and networks within the organisation

How often do you learn company information informally rather than formally? Informal information is essential to company communications channels, and according to Indeed, has a number of significant purposes. Building relationships fosters collaboration, improves productivity, boosts morale, transfers skills and knowledge, inspires creativity, attracts new team members and can make work more fun. This helps to enhance your understanding of the organisation and its purpose, as well as engage employees.

Building relationships across the organisation assist you in understanding how your team can better service the business and improve engagement. Writing a list of the people in the organisation you need to build relationships with and what you wish to learn from them can be a great starting point. It also enables you to get to know the skills and talent available in other teams that may complement your team.

3.      Allocate time for employee engagement

There is so much information available regarding employee engagement, yet much of it is contradictory. Be informed about and participate in HR engagement initiatives, providing the team with relevant information. However, unless these activities are compulsory, such as specific training or performance management, allow your team to opt out for the right reasons. Research suggests that in the process of engaging your entire team, you risk disengaging team members if you don’t respect individual needs.

Case in point is a company lunch. If an employee is simply too busy, it may require reallocation of tasks, so they have time to attend. Yet if a team member is an introvert or suffers from social anxiety, pressuring them to attend may create animosity and distrust. It’s essential to understand the nuances of each situation.

As a manager, there are so many things you can do to engage with individual team members more actively. Start simply by providing constructive one-on-one time, allowing performing employees to choose how often you meet and contribute to the agenda. More experienced employees may only require a monthly catch up, while new employees could need weekly or more regular meetings, at least initially. Commit to being present, listening and delivering on the agreed actions.

Another key action for 2024 is to discuss learning, development and career goals at a minimum of every six months to ensure ongoing skill development and succession planning. Regularly ask questions about what work a team member is enjoying, what is frustrating them, what else they need from you or the organisation, what they want to learn, and where they want to go in their career. This will facilitate the formation of individual engagement plans.

4.      Regularly assess talent needs and implement a succession plan

The above three actions provide necessary information for assessing talent requirements in the context of business needs, helping you to form a workforce plan that includes succession paths. Often managers don’t engage in this planning because they recognise gaps requiring external talent. However, it is equally essential in this scenario. Plans incorporating role and structural changes may be an option in anticipation of a loss of unique skill sets, while helping you to identify current or potential roles that require external talent. This enables you to map and earmark potential talent in the market, so that when the time arises, you can approach people who have an interest in your organisation.

If you don’t have the time or resources for this, a credible recruitment agency can assist you. Bayside Group, as a specialist recruitment agency, works with many employers to map talent for future requirements to aid with workforce or project planning. Prioritising proactive talent management this year could be the key to improving team performance, increasing engagement and reducing unnecessary pressure.

If you’re looking for talent or are interested in our talent mapping services, contact Bayside Group today.