Help, my top people keep slipping away

The talent pool is showing signs of drying up. In many UK sectors this threat to the talent pool can be blamed in large part to the continuing recession. Over 80% of service sector management claim their workloads have more than doubled in three years leaving them disgruntled and seeking new pastures.

What immediate quick fixes can be applied? Do we need to be concerned and will the talent drain or more the talent flow and associated HR costs be worth bothering about?

To plug the talent pool leaks in the short term we could try to improve on providing learning and development opportunities. We could (further?) empower our management and help to manage change differently. Perhaps even organise work processes better to minimise stress and pressure. Is this enough? Will this allow us to tread water until the recession ends?

Five practical (and obvious) steps can supplement any management talent pool drain in the longer term:-

- Make engagement a leadership priority

- Create a culture of and for engagement

- Offer real career development opportunities not just tokens

- Promote wellness or put simply, value those around you

- Demonstrate effective communication.

Which of the above are unachievable? None should be. How many of the above are we following (indeed are there other obvious pearls?). It's not rocket science.

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