SHL urges companies not to neglect latent talent as economic storm worsens

SHL is urging HR professionals to nurture their existing talent in order to weather the worsening economic gloom as issues around engagement and retention top the list of HR priorities for 2009.

In a recent exit poll following a series of SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ) roadshows in the UK, HR professionals listed attraction, retention and change management as their top priorities over the next six months (62%). Over half (54%) of respondents in the survey also named staff engagement as a key people management issue for the coming year.

John Bateson, chief executive of SHL Group, comments: ìThe objective assessment process provided by psychometrics allows managers to re-assess skills needed for specific roles and test candidates for these skills. Understanding individual employee capability is essential to identifying where current skillsets lie and whether there is in-house talent readily available to plug any gaps that may already exist or arise in the rapidly changing business landscape.

ìOver half (52%) of HR professionals surveyed at our recent OPQ roadshows, which were run across the UK, believe that psychometrics are an extremely important aid for line managers and we expect this figure to increase dramatically as companies reduce budget for recruitment agencies and deal with larger volumes of direct applications.î

SHLís OPQ roadshows, attended by more than 320 HR professionals across the country, provided participants with the opportunity to refresh and develop their knowledge of SHLís flagship solution, the British Psychological Society accredited OPQ product, as well as discuss some of the leading HR issues of the day.