Leadership is all about the “people side of the business”. It just seems as if the focus and importance of people issues ebbs and flows with the state of our business. For the last two years most “people” conversations have been exclusively about cutting costs, reducing head count or associated expenses, and/or plans to create efficiencies. Many businesses find themselves in a spot where they are lean and this means that many, many organizations find themselves panicking quietly about people and talent issues. I hear these questions each and every day with more urgency:

• Should we hire to add headcount or use temporaries?
• I do not have staff to conduct hiring; how do I get started again?
• Should I have a long term strategy or simply react now?
• How do I make hiring a core competency? What role should my managers and staff play in the process?

I will let you in on a little secret – HR folks of all kinds are now finding jobs at a steady, if not record clip. We cut them fast and hire them back just as fast. Perhaps a little too fast. Over the last twenty years I have operated within an informal mantra, “It should be hard to get into your company as a new hire, yet very easy to leave”. This statement of hard in, easy out is simple to remember yet profound in its signifigance to your business.

First the hard in. Your employees want to feel proud of how we bring new staff into the business. It is great if your process for hiring is effective and makes it exclusive. It should be difficult to get hired. Truthfully, it should be a process that never, ever stops.  How many of you regret that your stopped viewing talent over the recession? Most of us (if we are honest) know it to be true. We need cash and TALENT to win as opportunities continue to emerge!

The easy out is just as important. Trust me when I say that the workforce knows they will not work for you for a lifetime. They expect to have seven or so different roles throughout their career. This reality is reinforced every moment with a media frenzy of companies that make business decisions that impact their workforce! The workforce knows business can no longer afford to be loyal. And suprise! They won’t give it to you anyway. There is too much churn and reality in the business world for anyone to be lulled into a false sense of security. No longer do candidates call us and say, “I am just looking for a safe company that I can stay with for many years.”  That is no longer the reality for most employees.

My suggestion is to create an honest, open environment around this issue. Your culture must be capable of accepting the fact that you are ”leasing” an employee for a period of time. You want their productivity, their creativity, their innovation and they in turn get fair market value in compensation and learning that makes them a more valuable asset to their careers.

Make it hard to get in to your company, yet make it very easy to leave. Do this and you will have the talent you need and the honesty that makes business simple, refreshing and a great story to share…

Visit CBI Group’s Career Page.

Leading HR Recruitment Firm CBI Group and Barton Career Advisors Expand Strategic Alliance with Launch of Outplacement
HR recruitment firm CBI Group and career coaching firm Barton Career Advisors announced today an expansion of their strategic alliance into outplacement services.

Newark, Del. (PRWEB) November 2, 2010

HR recruitment firm CBI Group (http://www.thecbigroup.com) and career coaching firm Barton Career Advisors (http://www.BartonCareerAdvisors.com) announced today an expansion of their strategic alliance into outplacement services. The two companies, which announced their partnership in June 2009, share similar philosophies for providing value to clients.

“This was the next logical step in our partnership,” said Christopher Barton, president of Barton Career Advisors. “CBI Group has a deep, credible market presence in helping businesses to craft innovative human capital solutions.”

The new flexible outplacement solution offered by the joint venture focuses on high-touch delivery and will be supported by CoachOnetoOne™, Barton Career Advisors’ career transition portal. A key component of the service offering will be an intense focus on individual client relationships.

“It became clear that the market was looking for an alternative to the current offerings in the outplacement industry,” said Chris Burkhard, president and founder of CBI Group. “We confirmed through several initial engagements that Barton Career Advisors’ model and technology have what it takes to deliver.”

Barton Career Advisors has added new outplacement resources and information on their web-site at http://www.bartoncareeradvisors.com/outplacement.html.

About Barton Career Advisors, LLC

Barton Career Advisors, LLC, is a relationship based outplacement and career coaching firm offering premier direct-to-client and business to business services. The company, headquartered in Newark, Del., employs a need-based business model, BCA One-to-One™, which is driven by experience and client outcomes. Barton Career Advisors has over 15 years experience in HR recruitment processes, people development and business operations.

About CBI Group

CBI Group is a Project/On Demand recruitment firm founded in 2001 by staffing industry leaders. CBI Group specializes in providing results-oriented solutions to their customers. Their depth of experience implementing single and multi-position recruitment strategies enables them to provide highly responsive and cost effective services. Through efficient management and quality consulting they ensure that their clients receive maximum return on their investment by managing projects to meet their current and future needs. Known for their trademarked Outside-In® culture, CBI Group’s workforce embraces change, competes through knowledge and takes service to the “nth” degree.

###