Talent management and the older worker: Organisational practice and policy issues Professor Carole Tansley, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent.

Talent management and the older worker: Organisational practice and policy issues

Professor Carole Tansley, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4BU [email protected]

EXTERNAL CONTEXTGlobalisation

Government policiesTechnological development

Employment levels

WORKFORCE (supply)Demographic trends

Work force diversitySources of labour

Perceptions of leaders and managers

Work-life balance

EMPLOYERS (demand)Global markets

Competitive advantage Workforce flexibility/agility

Competition for labour‘Employer of Choice’ agenda

ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXTCorporate governance

Business strategyHR strategy, stewardship & policy reach and alignment

The talent pipelineRoles: CEO/HR/Line management/employees

Implementation, control and evaluation of talent management

WHY TALENTMANAGEMENT?

The Context of Talent Management ©

..the nature of ‘talent’

•‘a complex amalgam of employees’ skills, knowledge, cognitive ability and potential’ (CIPD) or

•‘someone who has ability above others and does not need to try hard to use it. They excel with ease and grace. A talented person has a certain aura in their ability that others wish to emulate and from which lesser mortals draw inspiration’(Thorne & Pellant, 2006).

In most organisations currently, ‘talent’ is usually taken to mean those with potential to move into leadership positions..and tends not to consider Baby Boomers..

Specific industry talent requirements people with the right capability and potential for current and future roles, e.g. the finance industry

For their requirements include:

Financial acumen and / or business acumen; Communications skills (including requirements for foreign language

capability); Ability to learn and grow; Problem solving ability; Critical thinking ability; Creativity; Team-working ability; and Initiative.

These requirements are as true at school and college-leaver level as at senior levels…but organisational talent management programmes are still mainly focused on succession planning for managerial and leadership roles utilising high-performing, high-fliers. It is generally not used as a term to cover all employees.

How do employer’s brand their organisation to attract and retain older workers?

Employer branding is:

.. the building of an image in the minds of the potential labour market that the organisation above all others is a great place to work (Ewing et al, 2002)

The package of functional, economic and psychological benefits provide by employment and identified with the employing company’ (Ambler and Barrow, 1996)

How is ‘Scotland’ branded?

We know what constitutes younger talents’

employment value proposition..

Reward me Develop me

Support me Don’t forget me

Stretch me Let me flourish

Get to know me Listen to me

Lead me well Let me go

Source: CIPD report September, 2007 “Talent Management: Strategy, policy, practice’.

But what of older workers’ employment value propositions, and how should they be addressed?

Reward me? Develop me?

Support me? Don’t forget me?

Stretch me ? Let me flourish?

Get to know me? Listen to me?

Lead me well? Let me go?

Source: CIPD report September, 2007 “Talent Management: Strategy, policy, practice’.

IS PERSONAL BRANDING AN AREA WHICH CAN BE SUPPORTED?

Attraction

• Employer Brand

• Employee branding

• Creative recruitment • Measured selection tools• Competitive rewards

Retention• Hearts and minds• Appropriate benefits• Identifiable culture• Leadership branding• Employee engagement• Exit interview data

• In/Formal interventions• Stretching projects• Career management/deployment• Coach and mentor

Performance management• Clear expectations• Appraisal• Development• Measurement• Rewards

Strategic Focus• Organisational growth• Improve client Relationships• Offer excellent quality

THE TALENT MANAGEMENT SCORECARD

How aware are employers about the legislation which provides protection from discrimination on the grounds of age?

The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 provide the main legislative protection from discrimination on the grounds of age.

The Regulations which came into force on 1 October 2006 arrived in advance of the December 2006 deadline set by the Equal Treatment Framework Directive (2000/78/EC) which required the UK to implement national legislation preventing age discrimination. 

The Regulations have already been amended by the following: The Employment Equality (Age) (Amendment) Regulations 2006

(SI 2006/2408), and  The Employment Equality (Age) (Consequential Amendments)

Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/825).

As the legislation is still relatively new and complex employers are not full up to speed about it

Some age discrimination issues employers worry about …

• What are the forms of age discrimination, what does legislation cover and how do I comply?

• How are statutory redundancy payments and our own redundancy payments affected by age discrimination legislation?

• How do I know if our benefits based on length of service are age discriminatory?• What age should be shown in our terms and conditions?• Does our adopted retirement age have to be the same for men and women?• Can we exclude older workers from benefits such as long-term disability

insurance, permanent health schemes or life assurance cover?• Can an employee over the age of 65 who is dismissed claim unfair dismissal? • Which statutory procedures apply to retirement dismissals? • If we allow employees to remain beyond the contractual retirement age can

they insist on reduced working hours?• Can we allow an employee to work beyond a specified retirement date if

there is one? • Can we dismiss an employee for poor performance if we regret having

allowed the employee to work beyond a specified retirement date?

Implications for Scotland.. The importance of equality of experience for mature workers is still

under-recognised. Employees become disaffected when their talents are not recognised

and utilised Under-employment of older workers can result in the loss or impairment

of valuable skills and knowledge for organisations and therefore the economy.

there are many hindrances to the progress of mature talent, not least age discrimination.

As Scotland is increasingly being branded as a great place to work and organisations are branding themselves as ‘Employers of Choice’, such agendas require a specially formulated brand of talent management to attract and retain the talented older worker.