More workers quit their jobs than were laid off in March. Wow. I was a little surprised when I first heard this statistic. Then I thought about it and realized what this means for talent management and workforce planning – it’s no time to be on auto-pilot. We’d better be working on strategies to keep the talent we already have as companies begin to hire again giving employees more choices in employers.

Let’s admit it – there’s been a buyer’s market for talent the past two years (when there’s been any hiring at all) resulting in a class of “underemployed” – laid-off overqualified types who were willing to trade in a title or a bit of salary in exchange for benefits. Even tenured employees who have been denied promotions or raises during hiring freezes and layoffs can be counted as underemployed. I recently wrote about this in the Dallas Business Journal.

Well, guess what? As the economy turns around, these high performers expect to move back up the ladder whether it’s at their current company or someone else’s. Employer/employee loyalty is on its way to becoming a thing of the past – just listen to HR Happy Hour’s “Re-thinking Talent” and see if you agree.

So before your highly-prized talent starts seeking greener pastures, it’s time to ramp up your workforce analytics and start being proactive.

Analyze the talent that you’ve got.

Assess the skills and experience of your newest hires. Don’t forget to review the qualifications of tenured staff, too – you don’t want to lose a longtime employee to a competitor. Tools like the 9 Box Matrix and side-by-side profile views in OrgPublisher Succession help document and compare talent easily.

Monitor your talent flow.

Check the pulse of your workforce by monitoring your talent pipeline. Analyze how talent is flowing through the organization, trends in turnover and other workforce analytics using Aquire InSight’s visualization tools and consulting services.

Spread the word.

Make it easy for employees to envision career paths and visualize a future with your company by publishing organizational charts through OrgPublisher Premier.

It’s time to roll up our sleeves and do some serious talent management to keep those high performers around for the long haul. Are you with me?

Cheers,

Lois

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