Roving talent takes some holding

By VICKI JAYNE

The fear that young Kiwi talent is irrevocably leaking out of this country is more deflating than the dollar's drop.

But unlike the dollar, it is something over which local management has more control. It could start by exploring the potential for New Zealand's workplaces to be world class.

Enough of the brain-drain, let's go for brain-gain.

Talented Kiwis have a history of being nomadic. What's now different is that mobility is a global phenomenon, and more could be done to attract roving talent to our shores.

New Zealand's lifestyle is a big plus. But what about workstyle?

Let's face it, there are two main reasons people work: because they enjoy it, and because they need to feed the family. Companies generally get better value from employees who fall into the first category as well as the second.

But surprisingly few organisations focus on the creation of an enjoyable work atmosphere, let alone use that as a magnet to attract scarce, high-value talent. Protestant work ethic? Possibly. Myopic? Definitely.

Clear Communications is on the right track with its mountain bike/free childcare promotion, but its approach to employment branding is still rare on the local scene.

That could be changing. A recent telephone survey by Haines Recruitment Advertising found that the need to brand as an employer of choice is at least registering on the mental horizon.

Awareness is high, according to Haines director Vaughan Bradley, but it is not yet at a strategic level.

Although talk of talent wars is now reaching the boardroom, policies on attracting and retaining staff are still stuck in the human resources silo. Exceptions are in seriously skill-strapped areas such as education and health, where promoting New Zealand's lifestyle is a primary focus in tempting overseas talent.

We already have a strong brand as a desirable destination, says Mr Bradley. It is possible, for instance, to lure medicos to Gore by highlighting its proximity to a spectacular alpine environment. All you need do is find the right selling point.

The same applies to most workplaces. They each have something going for them, but oversell at your peril, warns Mr Bradley. The employment brand must reflect a commitment to deliver.

Internal consistency with the brand is more likely when employer polices are being driven from the top.

Recruiters, only too aware of the shrinking pool of star workers, are concerned that local management does not seem to have cottoned on to the reality of global competition.

With the choice of Sydney or London, why would someone want to come or stay here, asks Carol Dallimore, general manager of OCG Consulting.

We have to take a more creative approach to such issues. New Zealand companies need to market themselves more to the world.

There are loads of studies out there on what motivates people, and money is not the biggest one.

Some generic branding of the Kiwi work experience might not go amiss. New Zealanders are eagerly snaffled up overseas, largely because they are good all-rounders who mix well and have a go-for-it attitude.

The former springs from necessity. Lack of scale in local enterprise means fewer people covering wider job descriptions.

The latter is perhaps implicit in the fact that these are people who left home to seek adventure, new challenges and broader horizons.

While the pessimist sees these valued traits as being lost overseas, the optimist might suggest that these are assets of the NZ talent nursery. So why not promote them as skills to be acquired while taking time out down-under?

Carol Dallimore agrees that there are benefits in rounding out your skills here. No good promoting that, or the great lifestyle, however, if the country is perceived as a difficult place to get into.

She notes that in her 16 years of recruiting, immigration officials have never asked her what skills are scarce in the local market. And when entry criteria are loosened, officialdom is coy about letting on.

In sectors where skills are short, the job market is being turned on its head. It is no longer driven by employer needs but by employee desires.

Determining the latter is far from rocket science. Mostly people want challenge to excel, support to do it, and appreciation when they have.

Management gurus such as Peter Drucker repeatedly call on managers to embrace change - to see it as an opportunity rather than as a threat.

Put that sort of spin on the Employment Relations Act and instead of armouring up for fights with unions, managers would use the change as a chance to take a good hard look at their relations with staff.

This might give them some useful clues about how to become an employer of choice for local and overseas talent.

E-mail: vjayne@iconz.co.nz