32WEST
MIDL
ANDS
CO
MP
AN
YG
UIDE
Fr
es
hf
oc
us
on
pe
op
le
po
we
r
fo
re
mp
loy
er
s
Renu
Bir
la,d
ir
ec
to
ro
fp
eople
ser
vices
,r
ew
ar
d,
KP
MG
in
Bir
mingham,
str
esses
the
need
fo
rp
ositiv
ep
ersonnel
policies
if
We
st
Mi
dlands
64257r
ms
ar
et
o
re
main
competitiv
e
Wi
th
tough
times
potentially
on
the
cards
for
busi-
nesses
across
the
We
st
Midla
nds
they
have
to
have
a
well-m
otiva
ted
workforc
ew
ith
an
interest
in
seeing
their
company
succeed
in
order
to
steal
am
arch
on
their
competitors.
However
,t
he
current
economic
environment
has
not
encouraged
staf
fl
oyalty
and
many
companies
are
finding
it
increasingly
difficult
to
either
attract
or
retain
the
executives
and
skilled
workers
they
need.
According
to
data
from
the
Chartered
Institute
of
Personnel
and
Development,
because
the
UK
em-
ployment
picture
is
relativel
yh
ealthy
,m
ore
than
two-thirds
of
businesses
are
having
problems
finding
specialist
and
experienced
staf
f.
The
change
in
approach
is
necessary
because
of
the
changes
that
have
occurred
in
the
working
cul-
ture.
Many
employees,
particularl
ys
enior
employees,
are
prepared
to
back
their
skills
and
try
and
find
bet-
ter
paid
or
better
rewarded
work
elsewhere.
8220If
you
look
at
the
graduate
market,
people
are
only
likely
to
stay
with
ac
ompany
for
between
three
to
five
years
before
looking
to
move
on
and
this
can
often
pose
difficulties
for
companies
looking
to
de-
velop
long-term
strategies
based
on
the
skills
and
experience
of
their
employees,8221
says
Renu
Birla,
director
of
people
services,
reward,
with
KPMG
in
Birmingham.
8220There
is
no
doubt
that
market
conditions
are
get-
ting
tougher
and
there8217
sal
ot
of
uncertainty
around.
8220In
such
ac
limate,
it
is
important
that
busines
ses
keep
focused
on
one
of
their
greatest
assets;
their
employees.
They
need
to
identify
what
benefits
they
bring
to
the
busines
sa
nd
then
if
warranted,
of
fer
suitable
incentives.8221
The
problem
for
many
firms
in
the
current
climate
is
that
they
cannot
simply
throw
money
at
the
prob-
lem
like
they
may
have
done
in
the
past.
8220Firms
need
to
be
more
creative
and
flexible
8211a
nd
this
applies
just
as
much
to
their
HR
policies
as
it
does
to
anything
else,8221s
ays
Ms
Birla.
In
the
face
of
tougher
trading
conditions,
many
firms
may
have
in
the
past
opted
for
ak
nee-jerk
re-
action
and
simply
looked
at
the
easiest
option
for
reducing
costs
8211c
utting
their
headcount.
Others
have
looked
to
impose
pay
freezes
or
ar
e-
duction
in
benefits.
However
,a
ccordin
gt
oM
sB
irla,
the
policy
can
be
as
hort-term
fix.
8220The
loss
of
important
skills
and
lack
of
invest-
ment
in
developing
those
skills
will
make
any
busi-
ness
weaker
in
the
long
run,8221
she
says.
8220It
is
far
better
in
our
view
to
develop
suitable
strategies
that
will
promote
the
long
term
wellbeing
of
ab
usiness.
8220Employers
should
incentivise
their
workforce
and
ensure
their
workers
have
ag
reater
stake
in
the
success
of
the
business.
8220HR
departments
can
only
do
so
mucha
nd
we
are
finding
that
more
and
more
companies
are
coming
to
us
and
asking
for
advice
and/or
sense
check
on
the
best
personnel
policies
that
will
benefit
their
busi-
nesses
in
both
the
short,
and
long
terms.
8220They
should
encourage
workers
to
have
ag
reater
say
in
how
the
business
is
run
and
to
suggest
ideas
on
how
they
think
it
could
be
improved.8221
Although
difficult,
companies
have
to
strike
ab
al-
ance
and
recognise
key
employees
who
are
crucial
to
their
business
going
forward,
according
to
Ms
Birla.
8220W
ea
re
encouraging
more
and
more
firms
to
de-
liver
reward
packages
through
performance-rel
ated
measures,8221
she
says.
8220These
are
obviously
dependent
on
the
perform-
ance
of
the
company
but
if
employees
can
see
ap
er
-
sonal
stake
in
this
then
they
will
feel
more
motivated
and
hopefully
,b
etter
inclined
to
stay
on
for
the
long
term.8221
While
not
afi
t-all
model,
the
approach
is
being
used
increasingly
in
all
sectors
of
busines
s,
not
just
in
the
profess
ional
and
financial
services
industries
but
also
manufacturing
.
Employers
are
recognisin
gt
he
importance
of
re-
taining
key
staf
fi
ft
hey
are
to
weather
the
economic
storm.
8220Many
are
adopting
ah
alf-full
rather
ah
alf-empty
philosoph
y,
8221s
ays
Ms
Birla.
8220Many
companies
are
also
actively
sourcing
out
new
opportunities
of
fered
by
the
emer
ging
econo-
mies
of
China,
India
and
others
8211t
oe
nsure
they
have
af
ar
more
balanced
global
footprint
than
they
did.
8220A
lot
of
compan
ies
want
to
develop
the
right
framework
and
many
are
doing
so.
8220Many
firms
are
focusing
on
realis
ing
the
value
of
afl
exible
reward
strategy
8211s
omething
which
is
fundamental
to
any
successful
business
strategy
.8221
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