Attracting and

retaining talent
Building an exceptional employee base
The development and execution of a corporate strategy
depends
on human capital. Companies need to anticipate their
human
resource needs, develop motivational environments, and
create
adequate measurement policies to ensure that they stay
ahead
of their competitors.
2

Growth challenge
Growth strategies can be disrupted by a high rate of employee turnover. Companies need
to anticipate their human resource needs and develop strategies in order to achieve them.
Growth implies an evolution of resource requirements
As companies grow they require people with skill sets that reflect the company’s evolving
resource requirements. Growth also requires the creation of complex organizational structures
and further departmentalization, which can imply a shift toward greater specialization.
The right people are always in limited supply
Finding and keeping people with the vision and commitment to create and execute a strategy
is as difficult in recessions as it is in expansions.
High turnover disrupts growth
Departures can affect morale. They can also draw away customers whose loyalty is placed
with an employee rather than with the company.
How do companies identify their critical talent?
Critical talent is the people who create the value that an organization needs to succeed.
Answering the following questions can help identify the individuals who represent a
company’s critical talent:
1. Which strategies, skills, and capabilities are crucial to the company’s success?
2. What emerging workforce trends (e.g., supply and demand of engineers) will affect
the company’s ability to deliver value?
3. Who are the people who support the company’s critical talent? Are these supporting
people difficult to replace?
4. Within the company’s critical workforce segments, who possesses the greatest potential? 1
3

Addressing the challenge

A talented human resource base can be a competitive advantage in any economic environment.
However, building this base is a challenge when companies are faced with changing
internal requirements, increasing employee demands, and competition for employees.
Companies must anticipate their resource requirements and establish a long-term approach
to securing them. This includes establishing a brand in the labor marketplace. It also includes
investing in talent—just as they would invest in any valuable corporate asset—by providing
varied motivational factors. A long-term approach should also include systems to monitor the
needs of employees to help ensure that HR policies continue to reflect employee goals.
1. Plan for the long-term
Companies can prepare for future human resource demands by anticipating their requirements
in light of corporate goals.
2. Establish motivational factors
Monetary incentives do not foster long-term commitment. To attract and retain people who
will thrive in a high-growth environment, companies must offer more than just competitive
salaries and benefits. Companies need to build, develop, and deploy motivational cultures
that provide employees with opportunities for professional growth.
3. Monitor progress and adapt
Companies need to ensure that their HR strategies are contributing to the achievement of
their growth goals. To avoid losing top talent to competitors it is essential that companies
remain aware of employee demands.
4
1. Plan for the long-term
Companies must plan for their future recruiting as necessitated by their corporate strategies
(see Figure A). To ensure that they are able to target the right people at the right time and in
the right manner, companies need to anticipate their needs and the needs of their employees.
Companies also need to focus on specific human resource targets and develop their corporate
brands within the labor market.
Understand and forecast the company’s needs
Companies need to determine their ongoing resource requirements, while anticipating the
skill sets they will need to support their corporate strategy. Using skill databases, companies
can analyze the gap between available talent and the talent needed to fulfill their goals.
Once this gap has been determined, companies can begin to develop their HR strategies.
A long-term HR plan should include an assessment of the relevant labor markets and target
existing employees for development, promotion, or inter-functional moves. It should also
forecast budget requirements consistent with labor market trends. Companies must keep
in mind, however, that rigid adherence to their forecasts can be damaging to their growth
plans; they must have the flexibility to adapt to changes in the labor market.
Figure A: HR strategy elements
Corporate strategy
Define resource
requirements
Identify resource gaps /
redundancies
Identify targets
Develop attraction and
retention strategies
Who do we need?
Where do we find them?
How will we get them?
Understand and forecast
your needs
Focus on specific targets
Develop your brand and
message
Establish motivational factors
5
Focus on specific targets
Once companies have developed a long-term HR plan they can begin to target specific
individuals and audiences for recruitment. Mass advertising may be appropriate in order to
attract candidates to certain positions and roles. However, more targeted efforts are required
for skilled workers and executives. In North America, using headhunters and recruiting talent
from competitors are accepted practices. However, companies should also pursue other sources
of talent, such as educational institutions in emerging markets, the alma maters of their
executives, or joint venture or alliance partners.
The goal of HR should not be limited to recruitment, but should also include influencing
who leaves the company and when they leave. 5 CEOs may become uncertain of managers’
ability to grow along with the company at the critical transition point of 30 to 50 employees. 6
Companies may need to identify and release under-performing managers. This is a difficult
task, but it can be essential to a company’s ability to attract and retain critical talent. Generally,
high performers are attracted to companies populated by other high performers who can
provide intellectual stimulation and mentoring.
Different employees require different retention efforts:
• Heightened retention efforts: employees who are essential to the health of the firm,
such as an engineering genius or an inspiring leader.
• Average retention efforts: employees with specific skills, such as members of a team
responsible for the creation of a new product.
• Minimal retention efforts: employees whose skills aren’t in demand in the market and
in roles that require little training. 7
Recruitment strategies: Examples
To target qualified engineers, IDEO, an American product design firm, sends senior staff
to teach in the master’s program at Stanford University. Through their teaching they are
able to conduct what amounts to a three-year interview of promising designers. 3
Architectural Support Services thought hard about its workforce and realized that it did
not need to fill all its positions with highly educated workers. It started recruiting from
community colleges instead of elite four-year institutions. The company has been rewarded
with a much more loyal and committed workforce. 4
Sears, a large U.S. retailer, has made its people the focus of its corporate strategy by
admitting that, “for Sears to be a compelling place for investors, the company must first
become a compelling place to shop. For it to become a compelling place to shop, it must
become a compelling place to work.” Sears developed a series of required employee
competencies that “became the foundation on which the firm built its job design, recruiting,
selection, performance management, compensation, and promotion activities.” 2
6
Develop the company’s brand and message
To help attract the most appropriate prospects, companies should state their core values and
what they expect of their employees. Companies can use interviews, press releases, and regular
operational meetings to make it known that they provide a stimulating work environment.
Building a brand in the labor market can begin by word of mouth by encouraging existing
employees to refer qualified friends and relatives. For example, Cisco Systems runs a program
called “Make Friends @ Cisco” where employee candidates interact with people who work
in positions that are of interest to them. 8 This provides the company with an opportunity to
address outside prospects while reinforcing internal messages.
“Employees look for opportunities for career
development,
responsibility, and professional satisfaction.
Good people like to work for companies with
reputations for honor and competence.” 9
7
2. Establish motivational factors
Companies must develop employee benefit packages that will establish their reputation
as employers of choice. Motivational factors that reaffirm a company’s claim of being an
ideal employer can be examined under three categories: compensation, culture, and
career opportunities.
Design creative and flexible compensation packages
An employee’s total compensation should include traditional elements, such as salary, health,
and retirement plans, as well as soft benefits, such as opportunities for advancement and
flexible work hours (see Figure B). Ideally, companies will satisfy multiple requirements by
allowing employees to choose a personalized compensation package from a menu of options.
Manage the evolution of organizational culture
It is essential for growing companies to maintain flexible corporate cultures while avoiding
the bureaucracies typically associated with larger, more complex organizations. Companies
can foster innovative and empowered cultures by encouraging knowledge sharing, and
rewarding creativity and risk taking, while focusing on tangible results.
“Get to know each of your direct reports. Talk to them
about their family, their hobbies, and their work, and
encourage them to do the same thing with their
reports.
Many managers are squeamish about interacting with
individual employees on a personal level, so when you
hire people, don’t forget to tell them you manage by
walking around.” 10
By establishing policies that manage relationships with every employee, companies can build
the type of personal and social ties that will increase employee retention. By encouraging
groups to form around common interests or goals, companies will also support employee
networks that increase knowledge flows and connectedness.
Successful growth companies foster an innovative and empowered culture by:
• Hiring the right people.
• Creating synergistic teams.
• Coaching rather than directing.
• Encouraging knowledge sharing.
• Focusing on outcomes.
• Eliminating barriers and constraints.
• Rewarding creativity.
• Allowing for risk taking.
• Avoiding bureaucracy.
Empower employees and provide opportunities for growth
A focus on professional development is essential to giving employees the flexibility to adopt
new roles. Companies can keep their existing employees committed and motivated and attract
additional talent by providing mentoring and training programs as well as clear options for
career development. Employees should also be allowed flexibility within their roles, such as
having the freedom to move between departments and disciplines and choosing their projects.
“A healthy corporate culture exists when individuals
feel responsible for their companies, feel empowered,
and do not feel bounded by their jobs.” 11
9
”At Universal Technical Institute, 1,100 employees
were involved in creating a new strategy and finding
revenue generating opportunities. Employees from all
divisions in the company worked together to identify
the business drivers, create the strategic plan, devise
the leadership principles, set accountability
measures,
and roll out the communications surrounding the new
strategy. Involving employees has had an impact not
only on the gross profits (which rose 28 percent in
2001) but also on morale.” 12
Employee relationship management
Employee relationship management (ERM) systems, such as those developed by Siebel
Systems, Workbrain, and Peregrine Systems, can improve employee performance as
companies grow. ERM systems manage individual job performance, deliver online training,
and enhance employees’ skills. By applying the tools of ERM, companies can improve
their ability to attract, develop, manage, and retain employees.
10
3. Monitor progress and adapt
To ensure that HR policies are responsive to changes in the organization and the labor market,
companies need to assess their HR strategy in light of the company’s performance and to
benchmark their HR plans against those of the competition.
Undertake performance management
A company’s HR strategy is its primary employee management tool. The HR strategy must
reflect corporate objectives and be linked to company performance (see Figure C). GTE is an
example of a company that has implemented measures to link HR success to their business
strategy. 13 GTE took its business strategy, translated that into an HR strategy, and created a
tool—an HR Balanced Scorecard—to measure its success.
One of the measurable targets of GTE’s HR performance scorecard, for example, was the
company’s ability to develop leadership. The company monitored the acquisition of key talent
for managerial positions. It also examined the training and development of employees that
would fill these positions in the future. As a result, managers were able to track the progress
and retention of their employees and forecast specific roles for recruitment.
Benchmark the company
At least once a year, companies should undertake a benchmarking exercise that compares
their company with the competition. Various aspects of the organization, including compensation,
culture, learning programs, and performance management, must be evaluated.
Figure C: Creating HR performance measures
Business
strategy
HR strategy
Performance
measurement
Identify key
measurements
Link to performance
criteria
Create HR Balanced
Scorecard
Populate scorecard
Analyze scorecard
Share results
Key measurements are identified through interviews
with external subject matter experts and
employees across the company.
Key measurements are linked to performance
criteria for incentive pay programs.
Queries of the company’s performance with
respect to key measurements are placed on the
company intranet.
Company divisions answer questions and enter
data based on key issues.
Information gathered from across the company
is analyzed against the company’s strategy.
Scorecard analysis is posted on intranet in order
for management and employees to monitor
company’s progress.
11
Adapt to changes in the company and the talent pool
Changes in the economic environment and societal perceptions of work have an impact
on employees’ expectations. Companies should do the following:
• Ensure that the corporate culture is aligned with the corporate strategy.
• Guard against inflexible policies that hinder the growth of the talent pool.
• Respond immediately to weaknesses and opportunities highlighted by the benchmarking
exercises.
• Respond to opportunities that arise from performance evaluations.
Figure D: Benchmarking total reward
Criteria Your company Competitor 1 Competitor 2
Salaries / wages
Variable compensation (bonuses, incentives, etc.)
Equity participation plan
Retirement / pension plan
Health, dental, life, and other insurance
Vacation, paid leave, and sabbatical
Learning programs
Lifestyle plans (fitness club, fitness
equipment, etc.)
Flextime, work-sharing, daycare, parental
leave policies
Performance evaluation and promotion plans
Lateral moves / exploring opportunities
12

An executive’s diagnostic
Planning for the future, establishing motivational factors, and monitoring progress in order to
adapt to changes in the labor market are key steps your company should take when addressing
the challenges of attracting and retaining talent. The following 20 questions will help you
evaluate the effectiveness of your plan and identify potential areas for improvement.
Plan for the long-term Yes | Somewhat | No
1. Are your HR executives involved in your company’s strategic
planning process? | |
2. Do the individuals responsible for recruitment and retention
policies understand the company’s vision, strategy,
and expectations? | |
3. Does your company track conditions in the labor market
and forecast the availability of necessary skills? | |
4. Are incremental headcount requirements and employee
turnover anticipated by the company’s annual
budgeting process? | |
5. Do hiring managers support headcount forecasts with
detailed functional requirements that outline the tasks
to be performed and the skills required? | |
6. Does your company engage in formal succession planning
for key personnel? | |
7. Does your company revisit its attraction and retention
strategy regularly in order to ensure that it reflects changes
in the company and/or the labor market? | |
8. Are your retention efforts focused on high performing
individuals and on the jobs that require particular attention? | |
9. Does your company communicate its corporate culture
and its attractiveness to the labor market? | |
10. Does your company have a strong reputation regarding
employee benefits as compared with its competitors? | |
13
Establish motivational factors Yes | Somewhat | No
11. Do your employees’ compensation packages balance
traditional monetary compensation with soft benefits
such as training and work-life balance? | |
12. Are your employees’ compensation packages tailored to
their particular requirements? | |
13. Do your managers take the time to personally build
relationships with your employees? | |
14. Do you provide your employees with options for long-term
career growth path? | |
15. Does your company have mentoring and training programs
in place to enable the development of employees? | |
16. Does your company foster an environment in which
employees have the freedom to innovate and make key
strategic decisions? | |
Monitor progress and adapt Yes | Somewhat | No
17. Do your current performance measurement tools allow you
to have a clear understanding of how your HR strategy is
affecting the growth of the company? | |
18. Does your company conduct a benchmarking exercise to
evaluate its compensation structure, its culture, HR programs,
and performance management against key competitors? | |
19. Does your company perform employee satisfaction surveys
to better understand their requirements? | |
20. Considering the weaknesses and opportunities highlighted
through your benchmarking exercise and employee feedback,
do you institute changes to your HR strategy? | |
Scoring key:
If more than 75 percent of your answers (16 of 20) are “Yes,” then your company is addressing the
challenge of attracting and retaining talent. If 50 to 75 percent of your answers (10 to 15) are “Yes”
or “Somewhat,” there is more work to be done in order to attract and retain talent. If less than
50 percent of your answers are either “Yes” or “Somewhat,” your company needs to re-evaluate its
approach toward attracting and retaining talent.
Re-evaluate
0–50%
Need more work
50–75%
Ready
75–100%
14

References and related materials

References
1. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. “It’s 2008: Do You Know Where Your Talent Is?” 2004.
2. Becker, Brian E. et al. The HR Scorecard: Linking People, Strategy, and Performance.
Harvard Business School Press, 2001.
3. Harvard Business Review on Finding and Keeping the Best People. Harvard Business
School Press, 2001.
4. Cappelli, Peter. “A Market Driven Approach to Retaining Talent.” Harvard Business
Review, January 2000.
5. Cappelli, Peter. “A Market Driven Approach to Retaining Talent.” Harvard Business
Review, January 2000.
6. Ministry of Enterprise, Innovation and Opportunity. “The Dynamics of Growth.” Leading
Growth Firm Series, October 2001.
7. Cappelli, Peter. “A Market Driven Approach to Retaining Talent.” Harvard Business
Review, January 2000.
8. Chambers, Elizabeth G. et al. “The War for Talent.” McKinsey Quarterly, 1998
9. Cairncross, Frances. The Company of the Future. Harvard Business School Press, 2002.
10. Campbell, Kenneth G. “Retaining Employees: Six Steps to Success.” Global Perspectives,
1999.
11. Cappelli, Peter. “Corporate Culture as a Contributor to Growth.” Growth Insights.
www.growth-insights.com.
12. Caudron, Shari. “How HR Drives Profits.” Workforce, December 2001.
13. Solomon, Charlene M. “Putting HR on the Score Card.” Workforce, March 2000.
Related materials
Boyett, Joseph; Boyett, Jimmie. The Guru Guide: The Best Ideas of the Top Management
Thinkers. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1998.
Conway, Joe. “How Executives Face Greater Pressure to do More with Less.” Business Wire,
July 29, 2002.
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. “Attracting and Retaining Talent.” DTT Perspectives, Growth
Insights. www.growth-insights.com.
Langley, Aidan. “Totaling Up an Executive Compensation Package.” Growth Insights.
www.growth-insights.com.
15

Motivation
People are motivated by different wants, needs and desires — startup talent is no different.
While each individual may have different prime motivational factors, a startup has to provide
a framework that considers all of these factors in order to maintain momentum. Consider
these motivational strategies:

 Meaningful work: Most top talent will want to work on meaningful things that will
change the world. This is the main reason they came to your company. Keep the work
meaningful even when it might be mundane.
 Freedom to create: Top talent wants to invent and create. Allow them to do that by
encouraging people to solve problems in creative ways. Don’t put a lot of process in the
way. Trust that good people will build fantastic products.
 Realistic expectations: Nothing crushes talent like the never ending meat grinder
of unrealistic expectations. Everyone knows they need to work hard but don’t add super-
human effort to the equation — it just burns people out.
 Clear goals and objectives: Clarity of purpose allows top talent to get their job
done. Strive to clearly define what is required and then don’t change it. Being indecisive
and constantly changing direction will demotivate even the most motivated person.
Setting these goals does not mean you don’t change them when it’s clear that something
has to give.
  Flexibility: Being flexible is not just for the work environment and should be part of
your culture. A culture of flexibility will allow creative solutions for problems that might
pop up.
The great fallacy about motivation is that money is a good motivator. In fact, it’s the worst
motivator for startup talent. If you find talent that is solely motivated by the Benjamin’s, run
far away. It’s true that the attraction to a startup is the potential for huge upside but that’s a
small part of it. The real motivation is to work on exciting products and services that your
talent can directly affect in big ways. When the upside comes, it’s just that — an unexpected
benefit.

Retention
Your attraction and motivation efforts will be for not unless you can retain your talent. The
most important thing about talent retention is that management is fair, balanced and open
with everyone. This can be hard when your startup is going through tough times. Any
retention efforts need to be done well before the crisis or the results will be lack luster. Some
retention strategies include:

 Open communication: Treat your talent like part of the team. This means that you
need to be as open as practical to the situation your startup is in. Openness will always be
rewarded with loyalty if it’s genuine.
 Treating talent the same: It’s important that a manager treat all her talent the
same. Showing favoritism will drive a wedge between your team. This will lead some of
them to have a “I can’t win” attitude and that poisons your group.
 Be flexible within reason: Rigid rules and procedures will just drive talented
people mad. Be flexible yet don’t be a pushover since being too wishy-washy will also
drive people away. Being flexible also means that you allow your people to solve
problems the way they want to.
 Looking out for needs beyond the company: People have a life outside of work.
Respect that and allow them to deal with their life issues when they arise.
 Being open to suggestions: Nothing drives away talented people more than the
“my way or no way” attitude. Always be open to suggestions, acknowledge good ideas and
respect dissent.
Retention is really an extenuation of attraction and motivation with a bit of forethought
rolled in. The best retention strategy is to build trust and respect before things go bad. Notice
that bonuses were not in the list. Any kind of written down, systematic bonus structure where
people get reward for reaching certain milestones will backfire with talented people.
Remember, the main attraction, motivation and retention factor is the creative environment
your create. Startup talent loves the challenge of a good problem and that will motivate them
more than any monetary reward.

It Starts From the Top

All of these techniques will do nothing for you unless the CEO is bought into them. It really
does matter what the CEO thinks, feels and does. Once you have that, then you can create an
environment where your talent can thrive, create and make a difference.

What the HR function can learn from the Marketing profession

For the past decade, the “War for Talent” has been a reality faced by all
employers, in all parts of the world, and in all economies.
In countries like India and China, the pressures to attract and retain talent
have been even more severe. Their higher than global average economic
growth has lead to an “employee market”, where the best candidates are
targeted by many organisations and choice of employer is abundant. Mobility
is high, and talent retention low.
As we move through this recession, evidence from our global clients suggests
that despite reductions in headcounts, the challenge of recruiting, attracting
and retaining the best talent and future leaders is as crucial as ever. Skills
are in short supply, new skills requirements are emerging and there is huge
pressure for people that are able not just to manage today but to lead future
organisational direction. This all adds significant pressure on companies and
on their HR directors to ‘get it right’ and to build the teams and the
capabilities needed to compete more effectively in the future.
In this context, the HR function assumes greater strategic importance and
has to find more efficient and differentiated ways to attract and to retain ‘the
best’ people.

HR needs to become more ‘Candidate and Employee-Centric’

In simple terms, Marketing helps drive profitable, demand-led business
growth by attracting and retaining customers through active brand building
activities that provide better customer value than competitors. The same is
true of recruiting and retaining great talent.
HR needs to create and manage an employer brand that is relevant and
differentiated in attracting its target candidates as well as connecting with
existing employees to meet their needs. Organisations must find more
innovative channels to engage with their target candidates as both graduates
and experienced professionals are using conventional media less and less.
The employer brand must stand out from the competitors, must have clear
candidate benefits and must be kept fresh and competitive over time.
These are the same challenges faced by marketers and very much what
effective marketing is all about.
For 10 years, BRAND LEARNING has been helping some of the most
successful global companies to build their internal marketing capabilities. We
have worked extensively with both Marketing and HR departments to uncover
powerful insights into the similar challenges they face – in attracting and
retaining their different ‘customers’.
There are many parallels between Marketing and HR and many practical
approaches that HR functions can learn
from Marketing to help lead the way and gain competitive advantage

‘Employer Marketing’ – applying best practice Marketing

techniques in HR
Despite the recession, Talent Strategy and Management remains a significant
challenge for many HR professionals, demanding ever more effective ways of
engaging with corporate long term strategies, in order to determine and
develop the skills required by the business to deliver those business
strategies.
Talent Pipeline Management includes many specialist processes such as
Talent Planning, Attraction & Recruitment, Reward & Remuneration, Learning
& Development, Engagement & Retention, Performance Management,
Resource Deployment and Exiting often managed by separate specialist
teams and just as in consumer organisations this specialisation has one big
flaw – no one owns the employees’ overall viewpoint and there is a big gap in
the holistic skills needed.
We believe that the time has come to push the boundaries in the way
organisations connect with one of their most important stakeholder groups:
the people working for them and those they need to recruit, across all ‘touch
points’.
In order to identify these ‘touch points’, BRAND LEARNING transported a very
valuable marketing tool, the ‘Purchase Ladder’ into the HR Talent
Management area, and created what we call the ‘Candidate Journey’
(illustrated below), indicating all the stages a candidate might go through
from ‘Not Really Looking For A Job’ through to ‘I Want To Work For This
Company’ and ‘I Love Working Here’.

The Candidate JourneyA typical “active” Candidate Journey: from

Consideration to Action© BRAND LEARNING 2009I want to change jobs, but …(Decision to change
jobs)… What are my options?(Identifying options)Which ones are the best options?Apply, Interview
and Assess best fit for meAccept best offerOnboardingCareer Planning, Motivation and
RetentionThe ‘Candidate Journey’ is a powerful tool to help organisations
become more candidate – centric, and to ensure all candidate facing
activities, messages and propositions are more efficient, so the organisation
can be more successful in attracting and retaining the best talent.
Just some of the Marketing capabilities we have successfully introduced to
the HR function include effective processes, practical tools and measurable
skill development initiatives to build ‘employee-centric’ capabilities in:

1. Information to Insight: this covers the generation and application of

insights that inspire actionable ideas to drive competitive advantage. HR
needs to understand the insight process, the differences between data,
information and insight and how to focus on building a much deeper
understanding of employees’ and candidates’ wants and motivations. As a
result, HR can develop activities that are more relevant to all employees from
new hires to experienced staff, engage with them better, and have higher
impact.

2. Segmentation: the capabilities needed to identify distinct groups of

candidates or employees, with different needs and behaviours, and how to
attract them more precisely with tailored Employee Value Propositions,
leading to better recruitment and employee investment decisions.
Important questions can be answered by rigorous segmentation: How can we
address graduates and experienced professionals in the most relevant way?
Which segments have the most propensity to join or remain in our company?
What is our current performance per segment and what can we do to
improve it? How can we increase the relevance of our proposition for our key
target segments in order to meet our People Plan etc?

3. Employee Value Proposition (EVP): the selection of the optimal set of

benefits the company should offer its target candidates and employees in
order to attract them to want to work for the organisation. Tried and tested
marketing approaches like Brand Positioning and Proposition development
are hugely relevant here helping HR to focus down to the set of benefits that
are most relevant and credible for all employees and most unique to the
organisation. This enhances differentiation of the organisation against
competitors and improves attraction and conversion rates.
Once created, the EVP can be used to drive the communication at all
candidate and employee touch points (including interviews), as well as
internal activities that enhance the company as a great place to work,
providing an excellent platform to drive culture change.

4. HR Marketing Strategy & Planning: this is a critical process to enable HR

professionals to better connect with the corporate strategy and identified skill
gaps, analyse the employer brand’s strengths and weaknesses versus
competitors, gain deeper candidate understanding and insight and define the
appropriate strategies to deliver the talent goals at the lowest possible cost
(see diagram to the right).

5. HR Marketing Activation: this covers how to put Marketing Strategy into

action and connect with candidates and employees at the desired ‘touch
points’ to influence their decisions. HR has become highly reliant on
traditional media like printed and specialised press, head hunters and
recruitment agencies, campus events for graduates and most recently online
job search sites. With the digital revolution, employees’ attitudes and habits
are changing significantly, and HR needs to maximise the ways it connects
with potential candidates and employees with more efficient use of
resources.

6. Employee Brand Engagement: finally, this highlights how to use

Marketing Communications approaches to ensure that all employees relate to
and live the brand values by demonstrating the behaviours and performance
that drives the corporate strategies.

Award Winning HR/Marketing Initiative

BRAND LEARNING‘s successful transfer of Marketing capability development
of effective processes, practical tools and skill development programmes and
initiatives into HR has recently attracted the attention of Marketing’s premier
professional body in the UK – The Marketing Society . The pioneering work
BRAND LEARNING has done with Shell global recruitment has been awarded
the Marketing Society Award for Excellence 2009 in the Marketing
Capabilities/Organisational change category (click here to review the
winning paper – some confidential details removed).
Perhaps the management functions of HR and Marketing have far more in
common than they have differences and the strategic focus by marketers on
‘customer-centric’ capability development might start to catch on in HR
applied to employees.

The three defence services are facing a shortage of 14,244 officers and the
Coast Guard was short of 679 officers and over 2,500 personnel below officer
rank, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

"The shortage of officers is around 11,500 in the Army, 1,507 in Navy and
1,237 in the Air Force," Defence Minister A K Antony said in reply to a query.

He added that the shortage of officers was "partly attributable to accretions

from time to time, tough selection procedures, difficult service conditions
coupled with perceived high degree of risk involved in recruitment and
training.

He added that a number of steps to attract youth to join the Armed Forces
have been taken, which include increase in tenure of Short Service
Commission (SSC) officers from 10 to 14 years, increasing promotional
avenues for officers by implementing the A V Singh Committee
recommendations on the restructuring of officers cadre of the Indian Army
and implementing the Sixth Pay Commission report.

Replying to another query, Antony said the DRDO was facing a shortage of
aeronautical engineers and the premier defence research agency requires 20
such engineers every year for the next five years.

In reply to another question, the Defence Minister said there was no

"significant deficiency" in the officers in the Armed Forces Medical Services
and added that in the Army Medical Corps, there was a shortage of 388
officers.
The approval of the Union Government to open a second Officers' Training Academy (OTA) at Gaya in Bihar
marks a major step to solve the problem of shortage of officers in the country.

The new academy will function on the similar lines as one that exists in Chennai. Initially the new Officers
Training Academy at Gaya will commence the training of 250 cadets, but in due course of time it will be
upgraded to its full design capacity to train 750 short-service commission officers annually.

At present the Indian Army has two training institutions; one, at the Indian Military Academy ,(IMA) Dehradun
that annually churns out permanent commission officers. The other is Short Service Commission officers
that are produced at the Officers Training Academy at Chennai.

IMA gets its cadets from the tri-Service National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla, which is open to
youngsters after class XII, as well as through the `direct entry' route open to college graduates.

The Officers Training Academy at Chennai is open to college graduates only are also struggling for
students. In both the institutions students have to clear a very comprehensive test and this include physical
endurance test as well.

As part of their force-restructuring to maintain a young profile and attract bright youngsters to their fold, the
armed forces are gradually moving towards substantially increasing the number of short service commission
officers in their ranks. The change in intake pattern will eventually lead to one is to two ratio, for Permanent
Commission to Short Service Commission officers.

India Military Academy at Dehradun currently has a capacity to train 950 officers per year, while the Officers
Training Academy at Chennai trains around 500 officers. The capacity at both these academies is also being
expanded to train an additional 100 cadets each every year.

However, the National Defence Academy that enlists high school graduates and turns them into officers for
the Navy, Air Force and also the Army, is struggling for students. The defence ministry records show just
190 students signed up this month against the academy's sanctioned strength of 300.

Incidentally, almost all the three wings of the armed forces in the country are short of officers. The Indian
Army is short of around 11,400 officers. The Indian Navy is short of about 1,500 officers. The Indian Air
Forces grapple with a shortage of about 1,400 officers.

The shortage of the Indian defence force officers becomes conspicuous when we cross check shortages of
the officers with those of its prescribed strength.

The Indian Army has an authorized strength of 46,614 officers. The authorized strength of Indian Air Force is
12,136, whereas the Indian Navy has an authorized strength of 8,797 officers.

India's army, the world's fourth largest, is failing to attract enough youngsters with "officer-like qualities'' for
its 1.13-million strong Army. The second is Indian Army is facing a massive exodus from its ranks, with more
and more officers opting for premature retirement. The shortage of officers in the Indian defence forces is
blamed on stress, low pay, slow promotions and the military's tough lifestyle.

Even though the salaries of armed forces have substantially increased after the 6th Pay Commission, the
youngsters still find them less compared to the private sector. This consideration is put forth especially is
one takes into the account of the life of a soldier which is tough and risky.

Then army has severe promotional bottlenecks. After entering the army, an entry level officer must wait up
to 10 years before donning the flashes of a lieutenant-colonel. But even at that level the monthly basic salary
does not exceed much. The other contributing factors are poor promotional avenues and frequent transfers
that disrupt family life of the officers.

The traditional catchments area like; Punjab and Rajasthan for recruitment of Army officers have gone dry.
Most of the families that have strong soldiers background have stopped sending their wards to the Amy
schools and are keen to send them abroad have hampered the steady flow of the officers in the Indian
Military service.

Added to it is the lack of interest of the Anglo- Indian and Muslim communities in joining the Indian Army that
has resulted into the shortage of the officers in the armed forces. If we check the old records and compare
with the recent ones the total desertions of these two communities from the armed forces is glaring.

We may like it or not, corruption has entered into the armed forces as well. Many talented recruits feel
patriotism and valor the two cardinal features of the deference services are compromised with corruption
coming into its ranks. This has resulted in keeping them away from the defense services.

Indian Army faces a dire shortage of officers because the booming private sector is recruiting the best talent.
The private sector, which has been luring away India 's best talent by offering hefty wages and generous
perks and the government and the services, simply cannot compete in matters of salary and perks with the
corporate world.

The Indian Armed forces has enormous opportunities available outside the services. According to the
defence ministry's Directorate of Resettlement, a third of the 3,000 officers who retire annually enlist in top
Indian business schools. And the corporate world welcomes retiring military recruits with open arms.

This has left the military with poor pickings. Most of those applying are not the right material. Experts feel
that the deficiencies should not be met by lowering the quality standards of the world's largest voluntary
army.

India, which has fought three wars with Pakistan and a bloody border skirmish with China since its 1947
independence, has never turned to compulsory recruitment but such a move could be an option in future to
meet the demand of the shortage of officers.

Compulsory military service could be one of the avenues before the government but at moment it’s not given
much thought but sometime in the future such possibilities cannot to be ruled out.

However, skeptics feel that conscription is not the answer to the problem because it may lead to indiscipline,
waywardness and desertions.

Nonetheless the recruitment issue has become an urgent priority for the army after 3,000 mid-level
commanders recently sought early retirement on top of an existing shortage of 11,200 officers. The army
needs a total of 46,615 officers.

How this anomaly is going to be resolved needs to be seen in the new policies that are going to be evolved
by the government in the course of time. The only good news is thanks to India 's billion-plus population and
high unemployment, the 1.23-million-strong army has no shortages in the lower ranks.

There is no shortage of soldiers in the Army. However, there is a shortage of 11,371 officers in the Army
which is mainly in the ranks of Lieutenant Colonel and below. Several measures have been taken by the
Government to enhance recruitment in the Army.

All officers including those in Short Service Commission (SSC) have been made eligible to hold substantive
rank of Captain, Major and Lieutenant Colonel and equivalents after 2, 6 and 13 years of reckonable service
respectively. The term of SSC Officer has been extended to 14 years.

This has made the Army an attractive career option. Besides Army has undertaken sustained image
projection publicity campaign to create awareness among the youth. Awareness campaigns, participation in
career fairs and exhibitions, advertisements in print and electronic media are also some of the other
measures in this direction.

This information was given by the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri Amir Alam Khan
in Rajya Sabha today.