‘Talent management’ strategy attracts new recruits

IN HIS view of careers in freight, Simo Masondo, human resources manager of Safcor Panalpina, told FTW that “a war for talent has engulfed our industry”. “The colloquial terms ‘freight’ and ‘freight industry’ have of late evolved to encompass the much larger sphere of global supply chain management,” he added. “This has effectively cast the net wider, enabling employees to gain a truly international perspective on business and also opening up career opportunities within the global skills pool.” He backed his statement with a quote from Nelson Mandela, who, in April 1998, said: “One of the striking features of modern times is the emergence of men and women who have chosen the entire world as the theatre of their operations. We are beneficiaries of this inspiring phenomenon.” Masondo feels that today’s younger generations (“generation X & Y”) have very different needs, mindsets and aspirations “They are finding the opportunities offered by the supply chain industry appealing,” he said, “enabling us to leverage on our international business partnership with Panalpina to create more opportunities to fulfil the international exposure needs of local talented employees.” With the skills shortage crisis in the industry, his company is always looking for ways to retain its talented employees. “Employees,” Masondo said, “are viewed as investors in our business, which is a huge paradigm shift from the conventional wisdom that views employees simply as workers.” To attract new employees Safcor Panalpina has a clearly defined “talent management” strategy, and is no longer limiting itself to traditional skills already available in the industry but looking to explore talent opportunities in other industries. “However, we certainly distance ourselves from the vicious cycle where companies poach from one another,” Masondo added. “Because this will ultimately create an anomaly where employees’ earnings far outweigh their knowledge, skills and value contribution to the industry. This will obviously create a 'lose–lose' situation for all stakeholders.” For Safcor Panalpina it’s a consistent challenge to come up with innovative solutions to ultimately win this “war for talent”. “Realistic measures that have proven to be adding value for us currently,” Masondo said, “are our continued investment in learning and development and our learnership and graduate programmes.”