The Personnel Concept

……. THE RIGHT PEOPLE ARE

The old adage "people are your most important asset" is wrong. The RIGHT people are your most important asset.

An organisations technologies, products and structures can be copied by competitors. Central to an organisations competitive advantage are the highly charged, motivated staff that add value to the organisation. People are a repository of knowledge and are critical to the development and execution of strategies, especially in today's faster-paced, technologically driven business world, where top management alone can no longer assure competitiveness.

"The right people" in today's business, are the staff that are worth their weight in gold, the cherished employee that reflects a higher value to the employer. They deliver on promises and their results are tangible where performance is real. They set high standards and high expectations and seldom compromise on them. Not the kind of employee that shows up for work, completes the job and goes home.

This proven market trend has lead to a paradigm shift in the recruitment strategies implemented in businesses. Historically companies focused on merely filling their staff quota's, regardless of the long-term recruitment visions. These strategies were often based on traditional methods, recruiting like-minded people of similar cultures.

This new paradigm stems from the high cost associated with appointing the wrong person, in conjunction with the understanding that people are the building block towards corporate success. Many organisations have altered a downward business trend through the right talent that they have on board. The right person is often characterised by the desire to make a difference within their careers and often see their roles within the organisation as pivotal. Accepting nothing less than excellence and focusing on achievement.

Historically talented job seekers far outnumbered the positions available to them, it was a buyer's market. The shift is clearly evident. Talented job seekers don't have to exclusively sell themselves to companies anymore. It's the companies that have to focus more on selling the benefits of working in their organisation. As the markets scramble for top talent grows steadily fiercer, more and more business leaders are coming to realise that money alone isn't going to attract the very best. The company has to be known as a place where employees are respected, talent is nurtured, and new hires are provided with genuinely challenging work. Without this companies may not get the chance to sign-up the top people they need.

Give talented people open-ended job offers ("A job's waiting for you whenever you want it").
Recruit top talent when there isn't a job opening and create a job to fit the person.
Speed up the time it takes to recruit and reduce the risk of other companies snapping up the talent, while you are tied up in tedious processes.
Sell your cultural "sizzle." Talent are attracted by a culture that will allow them to express their true ability, one that is focused on performance and one where they can develop their passion for their careers.
Ensure that the entire company is focused on attracting new talent and are always receptive to receiving CV's of interested parties. Thereby ensuring that recruitment policies allow for this continuous stream of new talent.
Implement flexible and creative recruitment strategies to ensure that the right people are attracted.
Ensure salaries are market related and are increased competitively over time. Each individual should be assessed differently to ensure that their package is tailored to entice and retain them.
Performance based incentives are successful in rewarding the performers and achievers, giving them a feeling of gratification for their effort and the drive to continue to excel within the organisation
Maintaining advanced and progressive internal systems and methodologies, ensuring exposure to valuable skills for existing and new staff
Creating a pool of brilliance of talented employees. This will create an infectious atmosphere that talent will aspire to become a part of.
Empowering the workforce to meet market demands
Long term career opportunities for individuals who will then perceive their role as long term
Organisation should partner with leading specialist recruitment consultancies who guarantee access to talent pools. This method of outsourcing the attraction arm of recruitment allows the organisation to benefit from their recruitment partners experience, reputation and relationships with the "right" people that they seek to attract.

There are few things in business more important than hiring the right people. Without the right people, no amount of money can make a company succeed. Some companies depend entirely on the strength of their employees to perform services; others sell products or manufacture products for sale. Even companies that make or sell products depend on people to make the products or sell the products. No machine can ever replace the ability of humans to think, create and act appropriately.

The wrong person is far more damaging than an empty position and organisations should focus on implementing the strategies necessary to securing the "right" person. If you research any successful company, you will find that there are always key people that are easily identifiable with their success. Clearly indicating that the "right" people are instrumental in making a difference.

current trends