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Will Healthcare Reform Impact The War For Talent?

Dr. Ed Holton

edholton copy Everyone is focused on healthcare reform this week in light of the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. Love it or hate it, so-called "Obamacare" is a reality we all will have to consider as we make our plans for the near future. So it is worth thinking about whether healthcare reform will impact the war for talent.

A core premise of the current healthcare reform is that quality healthcare should be a right of every American, not just those who are lucky enough to have health insurance through their employer. I am not enough of a healthcare expert to know if it will work, but IF it works I suggest it will impact every organization's talent strategy.

If it works, it seems to me that it will remove one of the "golden handcuffs" that keep employees tied to their employer. That is, IF it is possible to have quality healthcare regardless of one's employment status, employees will be empowered to make more choices than ever before.

Consider the impact on recruitment. Currently, one weapon every employer has is when recruiting employees is that they NEED health insurance. What happens if those individuals have equally good options without accepting employment? Will they be equally motivated to accept employment?

How about retention? Talented employees always have options, including independent consulting or entrepreneurial ventures. Currently health insurance is a disincentive to pursuing those options. But, what if quality healthcare is really available regardless of employment status? Will those employees be as likely to stay with their employer?

Now consider leadership. IF recruitment and retention becomes more difficult then the quality of the workplace and jobs will become more important in attracting and retaining talent. That means that leaders will face increased pressure to be better leaders and create high quality workplaces that people make talented employees WANT to work for them.

What about performance management? It seems to me that a premium will be placed on workplaces that motivate employees to do their best if one of the "golden handcuffs"is indeed removed. The whole face of performance management may change.

I am sure you can add to the list. None of us really know for sure what the answer to these questions is, and only time will tell. But, everyone needs to be thinking TODAY about how healthcare reform will impact their talent strategy. Think about it.

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Biography

Dr. Ed Holton is the Jones S. Davis Distinguished Professor of Human Resource, Leadership, and Organization Development at Louisiana State University and CEO of Hirecentrix as well as Dean of the HireCentrix Academy, the training and certification division of HireCentrix. He is also CEO of Learning Transfer Solutions Global (www.LTSGlobal.com), a global leader in learning transfer solutions, and Holton Consulting Inc (www.HoltonConsultingInc.com), a diversified HR/OD consulting firm. He brings 30 years of experience in HR/OD as a practitioner, professor, author, speaker and consultant. The author of 17 books that have been translated into 12 different languages and over 200 articles, he has received numerous top awards in the profession for his research and practice and is a member of the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. He is widely acknowledged as an international expert human resource, leadership and organizational development issues. Check out his blogs at www.TalentDr.com and www.LearningTransferGuru.com. Contact him at edholton@HireCentrix.com