The vast majority of employers admit they are failing to tap into the full
potential of their staff.
Capitalising on Talent, a report by business psychology consultancy OPP,
finds that 84 per cent of companies admit that talent lies undiscovered in
their organisations.
Almost 80 per cent of the 400 senior HR professionals surveyed do not
actively identify and develop talented staff, even though 94 per cent believe
employing the most talented staff improves profit.
The research shows little is being done to capitalise on hidden internal
company strengths, with 77 per cent admitting that their organisation does not
have an active talent management strategy.
A lack of methods to assess talent and potential is causing headaches for HR,
with 96 per cent admitting to hiring staff who haven’t lived up to
expectations.
Nathan Hobbs, leader of the Talent Management Consulting Team at OPP, is
alarmed that so many organisations are not applying talent management
techniques.
"There is no excuse for getting this wrong, particularly given the
number of proven ways to accurately assess staff potential, such as the use of
assessment centres and psychometric instruments," he said. "It is
perfectly possible to identify underlying potential and capitalise its value to
the business."
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Nearly half the respondents define talented people as those who actively
seek new challenges and are keen to take on responsibility.
When it comes to attracting and retaining talented staff, competitive
financial benefits are not key according to the UK’s HR directors. In their
opinion, flexible working options, flexible benefits and holiday entitlement
are far more important.
