Talking to HR about the Brain Drain
16/May/08 15:13 Filed in: Brain Drain
Two weeks ago, I went to a meeting with a global
mining engineering company with Kathy Dean, the
founder of CareerCo.com. Our goal: to speak to their
HR professionals about CareerCo's job listings, but
more importantly to talk to them about how the "brain
drain" is affecting them as they look at the
impending departure of Baby Boomers from their
workforce.
My key take-aways:
1. The HR manager is active in various HR organizations and is well informed of the "brain drain." The company is already taking some steps to try to address the problem.
2. They are partnering new, younger employees with internal "mentors" who have a breadth and depth of experience to share. (This will really appeal to the Gen Yers!)
3. The company also offers part-time and flexible hours for many professional positions (albeit inconsistently based on the role and the manager's style).
4. The idea of more transparency in the hiring process was of interest to them - they do their own searches for employees rather than solicit resumes for specific job openings, so anything that can short-cut that process and let them find high-quality, qualified candidates is time and money in their pocket.
5. Technical engineering jobs are increasingly hard to fill as there is a shortage of graduates in some engineering programs. As the Boomers retire, the pool of technical engineers will continue to shrink.
I can't wait to talk to more HR professionals and see whether they're seeing and doing some of the same things!
My key take-aways:
1. The HR manager is active in various HR organizations and is well informed of the "brain drain." The company is already taking some steps to try to address the problem.
2. They are partnering new, younger employees with internal "mentors" who have a breadth and depth of experience to share. (This will really appeal to the Gen Yers!)
3. The company also offers part-time and flexible hours for many professional positions (albeit inconsistently based on the role and the manager's style).
4. The idea of more transparency in the hiring process was of interest to them - they do their own searches for employees rather than solicit resumes for specific job openings, so anything that can short-cut that process and let them find high-quality, qualified candidates is time and money in their pocket.
5. Technical engineering jobs are increasingly hard to fill as there is a shortage of graduates in some engineering programs. As the Boomers retire, the pool of technical engineers will continue to shrink.
I can't wait to talk to more HR professionals and see whether they're seeing and doing some of the same things!