ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Experience as we start the New Year has indicated some considerable movement of key employees both into and out of organisations often creating consternation, concern, and some could say ‘panic’ in the recruitment process.

It could be argued that any organisation that supports, develops and leads its staff to success is equipping the same staff to move onward and even outward from that organisation. By the same token any organisation that applies human resource strategies that operate in the negative could be argued to be kicking open the exit door, bodily evicting its staff through that same door.

Regardless of the strategies or lack of them employed staff will leave, key staff will leave, and rarely at a point where there is little or no impact on operations. The aim then must be to formulate strategic plans that clearly define the essential nature of succession planning.

A transparent succession plan will contain detail for each role, illustrating how these roles enable fulfilment of operational objectives, and specifying the skills, knowledge and personal attributes essential to the role. A succession plan should contain objective detail for each role, and not be a description of the role as carried out by a particular individual who, in all likelihood, has ‘made the role their own’. Each of us has worked in organisations where a key team member leaves and the result is panic.

All too rarely is there a measured response to this departure, and often because those managing the situation find it hard to separate the realities of role from the characteristics of the individual who had been in that role. The difficulties of replacing key personnel are amplified by trying to replace Jay Bloggins with a Jay Bloggins seem-alike. Replacing like with like can have a negative impact over time where there may be a reluctance to review methods of working or challenge a performance-related stalemate.

Succession plans should integrate with development plans, setting out what training and development will be provided to identify and foster essential skills and knowledge of all employees. Attracting new entrants, through for example well-structured graduate entry and apprenticeship schemes, will serve to continually build the business from the roots upward. Offering relevant development activity to managers and supervisors, including timely coaching and mentoring support, will give managers and supervisors both the encouragement and the means to perform more effectively.

Rather than viewing this integrated approach as inviting the competition to poach strong employees, (“What if I train them and they leave?!” scenario), businesses should see it as extending the pool of strong employees for the industry as a whole; a sound short-, medium- and long-term strategy that cannot fail but to impact positively, while looking to ensure business continuity.