Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/182340
Cover Story other extremely well, which makes this seamless from a business-client perspective." With more than 75 percent of the original team still in place, Advantage xPO has developed an integral business partnership with Nationwide. "Whether it be a professional contractor to design a new banking platform or an hourly temp to handle the administrative needs of a new customer, our tenured team understands what they are looking for," remarks Chris Evans, head of strategic accounts for Advantage xPO. "We're finding the right talent to keep pace with the emerging compliance and regulatory pressures of the business by being on the ground and anticipating where the industry is moving." This profound collaboration yields superior recruitment processes. Says Aldrich, "I have the confidence that we will have the best program managers, people with absolutely the right skills who share our culture, when I need them." This ability to have the right people in the right positions at a specific time when they are needed is a powerful competitive differentiator. As Aldrich attests, there is intense rivalry for the specific skill sets Nationwide seeks, a competitive battle that continues to heat up. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the proportion of employers reporting a "war for talent" increased sharply from 20 percent in 2009 to 62 percent in 2013. Six in 10 companies report difficulties filling key employment vacancies, at present. Obviously, companies can't grow and prosper if they cannot attract the right skill sets. When they have these proficiencies, the financial benefits are substantial. A study by the Academy of Management Journal indicates that the top 15 percent of companies with superior recruitment and talent management practices achieve considerably higher sales per employee, market value per employee, and profits per employee. This may explain why company CFOs have ranked the "ability to attract and retain qualified workers" as one of their five major concerns over the past two years, according to a survey by Duke University and CFO Magazine. Certainly, no organization can afford the time to wait for capable candidates to fill vacant slots, even on a contingent basis. If a company hesitates, its competitors will sneak in and take the best. Small wonder why Nationwide puts such a premium on the consistent "They understand and share our values, which ensures that we sell the organization in a consistently positive way. I've got 15 people from their team within a shout, in addition to 350 of my HR colleagues. They've gotten to know each other extremely well, which makes this seamless from a business-client perspective." —Robert Aldrich, Nationwide SEPTEMBER 2013 | www.hrotoday.com [13]