The Hindu Business Line : Root cause of talent poaching

OFTEN, we come across hiring managers complaining about talent poaching by their competition. An easy hire would be to make a +10 per cent offer to the people and woo them to your side. The same holds good for your competition too. How do you eliminate/minimise talent/people poaching? What does it say about the position being filled? If anyone can fill the position, doesn't it call for elimination/automation of that position?

If value addition is not expected of a position but mere mundane execution of a procedure, then it is a candidate for automation (or elimination). Why do companies fight over filling such positions? If human deployment is cheaper than automation, then, get temp staff. Organisations that rely on temp staff for longer periods should consider redesigning their business processes.

The real value-adding positions are unique to each business and are tightly integrated with their business models. Poaching will seldom help fill such positions. A meaningful talent search is needed to ensure value generation by that position. It is difficult to find an exact or near-exact match in the open market. The collection of such positions in organisations forms the competitive advantage platform. The selection process would be to seek out people with basic business acumen, maturity, near-zero ego, and a willingness to learn and adapt. People engaged in such positions form the human capital for their organisation.

Those seeking such positions would see their role to be meaningful and adequate on the economic front. They would not be available for a +10-30 per cent offer by the competition. The world is opening up with global opportunities. It is difficult to tie employees up for long in one place unless they see it as home.

The HR challenge should be to make the job/position meaningful rather than to entertain poaching. With rapid obsolescence of business models, the hiring manager's focus should be on role design and engaging the right people. Human capital is not built with deadwood. Poaching is a transitional phenomenon in static (high inertia) business models and soon becomes irrelevant in the information/knowledge society.

Then, why do hiring managers complain about talent poaching? Are high-inertia, static business models the root cause? Why are organisations looking for answers somewhere else?

(The author is Chairman and Managing Director, ECHC Management Services, and can be contacted at ramshkv@echc.co.in)

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