Talent Insight

We offer a wide range of Talent Insight projects which deliver findings to our clients which enable them to make important decisions and keep ahead of their competitors. Every Insight project is bespoke, and our research would normally be a combination of relevant data already available and, crucially, data we generate from discussions with informed respondents who can give us insight which is current and relevant but not in the public domain. Broadly such Insight falls into three categories:

• ✔. Image & Perception
• ✔. Location Studies
• ✔. Competitor Benchmarking

Image & Perception: Typically this provides our clients with clear insights into how they are perceived by potential employees and other influential figures, and informs their EVP and the way they approach Talent Attraction, especially at senior level.

Often such Insights can be gained in conjunction with Talent Pipelining exercises. Whilst speaking on our client’s behalf to potential employees we can cover a range of interesting and relevant issues such as:

✔. Which companies are seen as the best to work for, and why? Which are seen as unattractive, and why?

✔. How our client is seen as a prospective employer and with regard to specific issues (eg Diversity, Cultural)

✔. What are its major strengths and weaknesses?

✔. How our client’s packages are perceived relative to others

✔. How our client could improve its EVP (Employee Value Proposition) and its image as a potential employer

Such Insights enable our clients to objectively evaluate their approach to key issues such as executive remuneration and working practices and to confidently shape their employer brand.

Location Studies: Increasingly we are being asked to carry out such studies, typically where a client is considering relocation or setting up a new workplace (this could be for example an office, manufacturing plant, R&D centre, IT centre or a Shared Services centre). We can look at different options (these could be cities, regions or countries) and provide relevant comparative information.

Normally such a study would combine online data (such as local economic indicators, employment trends, educational infrastructure, grant availability, transport and accessibility, workforce availability, skills and so on) with qualitative data obtained by speaking with informed respondents who know what conditions on the ground are like. This is a powerful combination and we pride ourselves on our ability to hold in-depth discussions with such respondents to get the answers our clients really need.

Competitor Benchmarking: often our clients need to know how they compare with their competitors and/or market leading companies in other sectors. How close to best practice are they and what needs to be done to lead? Examples of such benchmarking are:

• ✔. Salary & Remuneration Benchmarking:how do a client’s remuneration structures compare with others in the market? (Whilst there is salary data available “off the shelf” it is often non-specific and therefore not focused enough to inform decision making.) Our methodologies are such that we speak with people who know, often the executives themselves, to get the information that matters.
• ✔. Diversity:how is a client performing relative to other companies? We can focus on gender and ethnic diversity issues to inform and influence diversity strategies and help companies recruit diverse management teams.
• ✔. Organisation Structures:how are our competitors structured and does this deliver any advantage?