Businesses failing to reap the rewards of total talent acquisition due to siloed hiring activity

A new study commissioned by global talent acquisition and management firm, Alexander Mann Solutions, has revealed that businesses aren’t fully reaping the rewards of total talent acquisition (TTA) and the fluid workforce due to siloed hiring activity.

The research – which was carried out by Staffing Industry Analysts – revealed that 75% of organisations agreed that organisational silos were one of the main barriers to adopting total talent acquisition. A lack of data and no compelling business case were also flagged as significant inhibitors by 46% and 39% respectively.

With the research further revealing that the firms identified as Talent Trendsetters (those leading the way with total talent programs) were twice as likely to report that they had the skills required to meet business objectives than those falling behind the curve, addressing the barriers to successful TTA now is critical.

Helen Houghton, Director of Contingent Workforce Solutions at Alexander Mann Solutions, explains:

“The on-going overlap between HR and procurement when it comes to non-employed talent and the fluid workforce is clearly having an impact on total talent acquisition strategies. Solving this challenge isn’t easy, but in order to address the problem of organisational siloes, all sides must see clear benefits. With the top drivers of TTA ranging from controlling labour costs (cited by 69% of respondents), skills shortages (61%) and the need to collect workforce data (61%), the evidence is there to support the need for strategic total talent acquisition. We just need to ensure the conversation is happening.”

A procurement analyst for a Government services organisation who participated in the survey explained the impact of siloed hiring: “When one type of talent is overseen by HR and one by procurement, you can never get a full picture; you need to understand the bottlenecks in both the employee and contingent journey to appreciate how.”