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Welcome to this week’s issue of Talent Edge Weekly!

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THIS WEEK'S CONTENT

Below is a quick overview with links and brief descriptions of the topics covered in this issue. If you're interested in my deep dive, including bonus resources, you can read the full newsletter.

• Sample Questions for Evaluating Aspects of HR Tech Decisions | Brian Heger | My editable worksheet with starter questions to help evaluate aspects of HR tech.

• 2024 Accountability Report | The Talent Strategy Group | Examines current and desired levels of manager accountability across six talent practices, offering recommendations for increasing accountability.

• Potential or Performance? We Should Value And Reward Both | IMD | Advocates for a balanced approach to talent management—one that recognizes both performance and potential. I share bonus resources.

• When Moving Sideways Makes Sense | MIT Sloan Management Review | Discusses how slower promotions and a tighter job market have created opportunities for organizations to highlight the benefits of lateral moves.

• Resourcing And Talent Planning Report 2024 | CIPD | A new 42-page report covering HR practices, recruitment strategies, flexible working, selection processes, talent management, and workforce planning. 

📉 Also, check out my job cuts tracker & Chief HR Officer hire of the week.

Brian

THIS WEEK'S EDGE 

HR TECH

Sample Questions for Evaluating Aspects of HR Tech Decisions | Brian Heger

My editable worksheet with starter questions to help evaluate aspects of HR tech.

With the HR Technology Conference taking place this past week, many HR leaders and practitioners experienced the excitement of the latest advancements in the HR tech market. As HR teams think through the various components of tech decisions that will deliver the greatest value, this cheat sheet offers a few questions across four categories: 1) business needs, 2) vendor evaluation, 3) cost and ROI, and 4) security and compliance. For example, under business needs: What business problems are we solving? How will HR technology address these areas? What do we expect to be able to do better and more effectively compared to how things are done today? For vendor evaluation: What percentage of the vendor’s customers use the platform for the functionality we need, and what results have they achieved? Regarding cost and return-on-investment (ROI): Will ROI be realized in the near term, or over a longer period? If the latter, what value will be captured in year one, year two, and beyond? I’ve included an editable text box that can be used to insert high-level notes for these four areas. While there are many other questions and categories that should be integrated into this starter cheat sheet (e.g., ethical AI), you can use it as a starting point to jumpstart discussions on this topic.

Access worksheet

TALENT PRACTICES

2024 Accountability Report | The Talent Strategy Group 

Examines current and desired levels of manager accountability across six talent practices, offering recommendations for increasing accountability.

Organizations continue to invest heavily in talent management—technology, programs, and processes—to drive business results and stakeholder value. However, without manager accountability, the impact of these efforts can quickly diminish. This new report by Marc Effron of The Talent Strategy Group examines the current and desired levels of manager accountability for six key talent practices: Performance Management, Development, Potential and Succession, Rewards and Recognition, Diversity and Inclusion, and Engagement. Based on responses from 90 companies worldwide, participants rated manager accountability for each practice on a 10-point "accountability ladder" scale, ranging from "1 = No consequences for your actions" to "10 = You are promoted or fired for your actions." The report reveals significant gaps in manager accountability with an average level of "3," and slightly higher for larger companies (>25k employees) at "4." Goal setting and increasing employee engagement show the highest current accountability, while diversity ranks the lowest (2.6), though creating inclusive teams scores slightly better (3.8). The report offers practical recommendations for driving greater manager accountability across talent practices. With this in mind, here is my one-page infographic with a few tips for how leaders, managers, and employees can accelerate achieving 2024 performance goals.

Read report

TALENT MANAGEMENT

Potential or Performance? We Should Value And Reward Both | IMD

Advocates for a balanced approach to talent management—one that recognizes both performance and potential. I share bonus resources.

Many organizations conduct talent reviews to identify and develop employees with the potential to advance into larger, more complex roles. While developing future leaders is essential, this article emphasizes that an excessive focus on high-potential leaders can unintentionally overlook high-performing individuals who may not aspire to leadership roles but still contribute immense value. The article advocates for a balanced approach to talent management—one that recognizes both performance and potential—ensuring valuable contributors at all levels feel acknowledged, motivated, and offered development opportunities. In my view, internal talent marketplace platforms, supported by a culture of internal mobility, can unlock scalable opportunities for growth and development across various talent segments. To support this, I am resharing two resources: 1) my internal mobility diagnostic, designed to help practitioners identify opportunities to strengthen internal mobility within their organizations. This diagnostic includes 20 statements across 10 key areas, such as transparency and communication (e.g., internal job opportunities are widely and proactively communicated to all employees; we advertise jobs internally before posting for external recruitment. 2) "How to Start Smart With a Talent Marketplace," which shares Booz Allen’s experience in launching an internal talent marketplace, including key lessons learned during the project’s first year.

Read IMD article

INTERNAL MOBILITY

When Moving Sideways Makes Sense | MIT Sloan Management Review

Discusses how slower promotions and a tighter job market have created opportunities for organizations to highlight the benefits of lateral moves.

In this new article, Brian Elliott discusses how slower promotions and a tighter job market have left employees feeling stuck in their careers, suggesting lateral moves within their company as a solution. He highlights several companies that have successfully implemented internal mobility strategies to address this issue. For example, Allstate increased internal hiring from 45% to 60% by focusing recruiters on internal candidates and hosting coffee chats with employees. PepsiCo’s myDevelopment program combines a skills-based approach with a job database, allowing employees to apply for special projects and short-term assignments. Synchrony enables employees to swap jobs for 90 days to a year, helping them explore new roles and develop skills. From my perspective, despite the tremendous growth opportunities offered by lateral moves, they are often underutilized due to the stigma that they represent a lack of career progress. Organizations can help shift this perception by highlighting the critical skills and experiences employees gain through lateral moves. Since many lateral moves don't come with monetary rewards (e.g., salary increases), organizations should consider other forms of recognition and rewards, such as exposure to senior leadership or high-impact projects to raise an employee’s profile within the company. Are lateral moves part of your organization’s internal mobility strategy? This could be a topic for discussion at your next talent strategy meeting.

Read article

TALENT PRACTICES AND TRENDS

Resourcing And Talent Planning Report 2024 | CIPD

A new 42-page report covering HR practices, recruitment strategies, flexible working, selection processes, talent management, and workforce planning.

This newly published CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) 42-page report, based on a UK sample, examines employer practices, offering insights and recommendations to guide talent management and investment decisions. The report covers recruitment activity, attraction strategies, flexible working, selection processes, recruitment challenges, talent management, and workforce planning. Notable data points on workforce planning include: 1) workforce planning time horizons (p. 34), where organizations vary in how far ahead they plan for current and future workforce needs. While 31% of organizations take a short-term approach (up to six months), 18% plan more than two years ahead, with larger organizations tending to plan further into the future. 2) Data collection. Only 38% of organizations collect data to identify skills gaps, and less than a third attempt to identify future skill requirements or retention issues. About 1 in 5 assess talent availability in the market, the cost of replacing talent internally versus externally, or the cost of investing in technology for automation. HR and talent practitioners can use this report to identify opportunities for differentiated talent strategies and practices.

Read report

MOST POPULAR FROM LAST WEEK

CRITICAL ROLES

6 Common Barriers to Identifying an Organization’s Critical Roles | Brian Heger

My cheat sheet with 6 barriers to identifying critical roles; my bonus template for critical role identification.

An organization’s ability to identify and plan for its critical roles is a key aspect of workforce planning and talent management. However, common pitfalls often arise in this process. My infographic includes six barriers to identifying critical roles and provides a template to help with critical role identification. 

Access infographic

JOB CUTS AND LAYOFF TRACKER

Check out my tracker of announcements from a segment of organizations that have conducted job cuts and layoffs since the start of 2023.

A few job cuts announced this past week:

• Northvolt. The Swedish battery maker announced plans to cut 1,600 jobs in response to challenges in the electric car industry. The job reductions are part of broader cost-cutting efforts amid financial uncertainty.

• Ricoh (OTCMKTS: RICOY). The Japanese multinational imaging and electronics company confirmed plans to cut approximately 2,000 jobs globally due to declining usage and sales of office MFP (multi-function printer) products. Around 1,000 jobs will be cut in Japan, with an additional 1,000 reductions globally.

• Disney. (NYSE: DIS). The entertainment giant laid off at least 300 employees across multiple corporate departments, including HR, legal, and finance, as part of an effort to manage resources and costs more effectively.

Click here to access all listed announcements.

CHIEF HR OFFICER HIRE OF THE WEEK

This past week, 14 new Chief HR Officer announcements were posted on CHROs on the Go, my subscription-based platform, where I track movement in and out of the CHRO role. This week’s CHRO hire of the week is:

• McAfee (SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA)—a global leader in online protection—announced that Justin Hastings has been appointed as SVP and Chief People Officer, effective September 25, 2024. Justin joins McAfee from Experian, where he most recently served as Chief Operating Officer, Global HR and previously as Chief Human Resources Officer for North America. ​

Never miss another Chief HR Officer announcement. Subscribe to CHROs on the Go with a monthly or yearly subscription and gain immediate access to +4000 (and growing) CHRO announcements, including hires, promotions, resignations, and board appointments.

If you are already a subscriber to CHROs on the Go, log in here.

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TALENT EDGE WEEKLY REWIND

SKILLS-BASED HIRING

What Companies Get Wrong About Skills-Based Hiring | Harvard Business Review

Shares research findings on whether the removal of academic degree requirements from job postings leads to the hiring of more candidates without degrees.

A study analyzing 11,300 roles at large firms, covering at least one year before and after the removal of degree requirements, found that for every 100 job postings without a college degree requirement, only fewer than four additional candidates without degrees are hired. The authors provide six practical steps to give managers the tools to make skills-based hiring a reality.

 Read article

THE BEST OF AUGUST 2024

Did you miss the “Best of August ” issue of Talent Edge Weekly? If so, check out issue #257, which includes 16 of the most popular resources from the month.

The Best of September will be published this week, so be on the lookout!

Read the Best of August

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RESOURCE LINEUP

​brianheger.com provides free access to +1,300 curated articles, research reports, podcasts, and more that help practitioners drive better business results through strategic human resources and talent management.

CHROS on the Go is a subscription that provides the easiest and most convenient way to stay informed about Chief Human Resources Officer hires, promotions, and resignations in organizations of all sizes and industries.

​Talent Edge Weekly is a free weekly newsletter that brings together the best talent and strategic human resources insights from various sources. It is published every Sunday at 6 PM EST.