Talent Management Strategies and Gender Pay Gap Reporting: A Case Study of Barclays

This report analyzes the talent management strategies of Barclays, a British multinational bank, and its gender pay gap reporting. It identifies various talent management strategies such as business and HR strategy, recruitment, selection, performance management, reward management, training and development, equality and diversity policy, and discipline and grievance procedures. The report also highlights the gender pay gap in the UK and analyzes the data. Furthermore, it identifies environmental factors impacting HRM practices and provides recommendations to overcome gaps in recruitment processes.

Talent management

INTRODUCTION
Talent management is defined as the process of attracting, selecting as well as retaining
employees through implementing combination of HR process across the employee life cycle.
There are various activities are included in talent management such as workforce planning,
employee engagement, performance management, on boarding, retention as well as succession.
The main objective of talent management in to improve employee’s performance level that help
business to attain its determined goals and objectives with efficiency and effectiveness. In this
report chosen organisation is Barclays which is British multinational bank headquarter situated in
London, England, UK. It is banking financial service organisation founded in 1690 and operates
in retail banking, investment banking, private banking and others. This report is covered in two
parts, first part is related to organisational current talent management strategies, gender pay gap
reporting as well as environmental factors that impact HRM practices. In second part
recommendations of gap or shortcoming of organisation.
PART 1
Identify the firm’s current talent management strategy
There are various talent management strategies are used by organisation to manage their
talented and improve their performance level to gain competitive advantages in current
competitive business environment. Some talent management strategy in the context of Barclays
are explained below:

Business Strategy and HR Strategy: Business strategy is defined as the all decisions and
actions that are performed by the organisation to attain their determined goals and objective with
the objective of securing competitive position in market place. It is roadmap of organisation that
lead business efforts on right direction to accomplish desirable goals. HR strategy roadmap for
solving business challenge with people-centric solutions. Barclays develops various business and
HR strategies to run business operations in right direction that help to attain defined goals and
objectives with efficiency and effectiveness (Anlesinya, and Amponsah-Tawiah 2020). Barclays
HR strategy is related to governance directed at managing sheer members and as well as
diversify employees so they perform defined operations and work to achieve defined goals and
objectives. Business strategy of Barclays is to building consistent strength in investment banking,
expanding in new economic sector through equity business and merger and acquisition.
Recruitment, including recruitment channels: Recruitment is defined as the process that
is related to identifying, screening, shortlisting as well as interviewing candidates on the bases of
their skills, capabilities and qualification. Barclays adopt effective and systematic recruitment
process to get skilled and capable candidate who can contribute to attain business objective
efficiently. The process enables business to hire suitable candidates for specific job position.
There are various recruitment channels such as online job boards, organisational corporate
website, employee referrals and social media that used business to recruit skilled and qualifies
employees. Barclays uses employee’s referrals and social media to attract skilled employees that
support organisation to attain determined goals and objectives.
Selection Methods: Selection is defined as the process choosing suitable candidates for
vacant positions in organisation. In this stage, organisation weeding out unsuitable applicants as
well as selecting candidates with having prerequisite qualification and capabilities that lead
business towards growth and development. There are various selection methods such as internal
and external recruitment, internship and apprenticeship, measuring employee ability and integrity
that are used by Barclays to hire best talent in organisation.
Performance Management: Performance management tool that enable manager of
organisation to monitor and evaluate employee’s work. This process develops effective
environment in which employees are motivated to perform best of their abilities to attain high
work quality. Barclays uses various performance management techniques such as key
performance indicators, performance appraisal system, provide feedback and others to review

employee performance and manage them accordingly. These techniques and methods motivates
employees to improve their performance level.
Reward Management: Reward management is defined as the policies and strategies that
are developed by organisation to reward employees on the bases of their performance.
Organisation provides effective remuneration, compensation and other benefits that helps
business to retain skilled, capable and experienced employees with organisation. Barclays
analyse employee’s performance than offer them attractive benefits, rewards, recognition,
certificates and other benefits that motivates employees to attain the objective of higher
performance and productivity.
Training and Development (including types of training courses and identifying the
training provider): Training and development is defined as the educational activity that plays
important role in enhancing employees knowledge, skills and capabilities. Barclays provides
work related training to employees that boost their productivity, improve employee’s
performance, reduce employee turnover and maintain organisational culture. There is specific
department for training and development in organisation that provides orientation training,
technical training, on boarding training, product training and sales training that improves
employee performance and efficiency.

Equality and Diversity Policy: In organisation number of employees are working who
belongs to different educational background, language, culture, gender and religion so, it is
important for the organisation to develop equity and diversify policies to handle employees in
efficient manner. Barclays uses these policies to allocate duties, recruitment, compensation and
promotion among employees that retain them with organisation for longer period of time (Crane,
and Hartwell, et. al. 2019). HR department of organisation develop strategic policies against
discrimination that protect employees as well as enhance their satisfaction level.
Discipline and Grievance Procedures: Discipline is considered as the process through
which organisation take actions that help employees to overcome employee’s unacceptable
behaviour that create problem at workplace. Barclays maintains discipline in organisation so
business can run its operations with effectiveness. Organisational also implement grievance
procedure that readdress employee’s problems and satisfy them with organisational policies.
Gender pay gap reporting
Gender pay gap is defined as the average difference between the remuneration and
workplace opportunities on the bases of gender. Woman are considered to be paid less them man
that reduce performance level of female employees in organisation.
Gender pay gap reporting: Organisations need to understand the gender pay gap is
organisation that impact of organisational image in market (Gardas, 2019). There are various
ways to understand organisational gender pay gap such as organisation consist gender imbalance
in promotion, woman is recruited at lower paid roles, differences in compensation policies,
woman receives different performance scores and others that can impact on organisational
overall reputation in market.
Gender pay gap in UK
Men were paid a median of 9.8% more than women last year, compared with 10% in 2020,
according to a Bloomberg News analysis of filings submitted to the government so far. The gap
was 9.2% when businesses were first required to report the data in 2017.
Analyse the data highlighting any trends, notable changes and actions that
the organisation has taken to reduce the gap:
There are various actions are taken by organisation to reduce gender pay gap such as
organisation can include multiple woman in shortlists for recruitment and promotion, use skill
bases assessment task in recruitment process, maintain transparency in promotion, pay and

reward system as well as use structured interviews for recruitment and promotion. All these
actions help organisation to fill gender pay gap and provide equal compensation and
opportunities to female and male employees (Harsch, and Festing 2020). If organisation take
actions regarding reducing gender pay gap than it creates change in employee mentality as well
as improve female employees motivational level that improve their performance level and lead
Barclays towards growth and development. Respective organisation fixes a specific number of
seats in organisation for woman that plays important for reducing gender pay gap. Along with
that, organisation enhances workplace flexibility for both men and women, offer mentorship and
sponsorship that motivated female employee to perform their operations with greater efficiency
and effectiveness.
Identification of environmental factors impacting the HRM practices
HRM practices are defined as the business practices and policies related acquiring,
motivating and managing employee’s performance. There are various HRM practices that are
used by organisation such as recruiting suitable employees, provides appropriate compensation
and benefits, providing training and development opportunities and maintaining strong Woking
condition in organisation that motivate employees and retain them with organisation for longer
period of time (Latukha, and Veselova, 2019). There are various environmental factors that
impact organisational HRM policies so, Barclays analyse all these factors than develop effective
HRM policies that help to manage employees properly and lead their operations in right
direction. Some environmental factors are mentioned below:
 Technological advancement: Growth and advancement in technology impacts
organisational HRM practices and their implementation. In recruitment and selection
process Barclays uses technology that enable business to hire skilled and capable
employees who matches changing job requirements. It helps business through reducing
organisational cost and enable business to acquire capable employees.
 Legal factors: There are various legal laws and regulations are introduced by the
government that impacts on organisational HRM practices. It is important for Barclays to
consider various legal legislations such as employment law, compensation and other in
the process of developing HRM practices otherwise, heavy complications or restrictions
have to face by organisation.

 Covid-19 pandemic: Covid-19 is the worldwide spread virus that impact on
organisational human resource management practices. During this pandemic,
organisations have to provide remote working or wok from home to employees that
impact on overall performance and functionality of organisation (Maurya, and
Agarwal ,2018). During the pandemic of Covid, organisations need to maintain social
distance at work place for ensuring safety of employees. All these aspects impact on
organisational HRM practices such as Barclays providing virtual training to employees
and conducts online meeting and conferences to convey policies and strategies.
Part 2
Recommendations
Gaps or shortcoming are defined as the imperfection that impact overall performance and
efficiency of organisation. It is important for organisation to analyse these gaps and develop
effective policies and strategies to overcome these shortcoming that lead business towards
growth and development. Barclays faces gaps or shortcoming in recruitment process such as
difficulty in finding qualified candidates, challenges in screening candidates, longer recruitment
time, recruiting fairly and build strong employer brand (Meyers, 2020). It is essential for the
Barclays to create effective strategies and planning to overcome the challenges or gap that are
occurred in recruitment process. Organisation need to implement systematic and appropriate
recruitment process that helps business to acquire talented employees who can perform
efficiently to attain organisational goals and objectives. Some recommendation for reducing the
gape in recruitment process are mentioned below:
 It is recommended to Barclays to implement multichannel recruitment strategy that
enables organisation to acquire talented, skilled and qualified employees. Skilled and
qualifies employees are more productive for organisation and help business to attain the
objective of higher efficiency and performance. Organisation need to include internal and
external approaches of recruitment, conduct referral programmes, post advertisement on
company’s website and different social media networks. All these things attract suitable
pool of employees that have capability to lead business towards growth. From the pool of
candidate, Barclays can select best candidate who fulfil all requirements of job profile
and perform operations accordingly.

 It is recommended to the organisation to screen candidate carefully on the bases of job
requirements that helps Barclays to identified the qualified candidate from the vast pool
of candidates (Muratbekova‐Touron, 2018). It enhances organisational efficiency to
recruit skilled and capable employees. It helps business to protect organisational
resources as well as vesting on unqualified candidates. As screening is the most important
phrase of hiring appropriate employees who can perform defined operations of job profile
in best possible manner. It is suggested to the organisation to uses AI technologies for
screening candidates that helps business to reduce the time per hiring as well as eliminate
biasness. Organisation should use rediscovery tool to re-engage past employees of
organisation as well as catboats that enable business to enhances engagement of new
employees.
 It is suggested Barclays to proprieties work ethics, teamwork or flexibility other than
technical skills and expertise that helps business to develop effective team in organisation
that collectively work towards attaining determined goal and objectives. This hiring
approach enables business to access wider talent group because candidates who passed
the attitude test become better employees for long run (Narayanan, et. al. 2019) (Pandita,
and Ray, 2018). These candidates are ready to learn, develop relatable skills as well as
contribute to attain organisational future goals and objectives. It is advised to Barclays to
hire right attitude employees them provide them training for skills that are important for
performing business operations that lead business towards growth and development.
 It is recommended Barclays to learn from organisational current employees that boost
business recruitment efforts without raising organisational cost. Barclays should promote
existing employees to fill vacant job positions that created supportive business culture as
well as reduce the requirement of on boarding external candidates. It is suggested
Barclays to implement an employee referral programme that attract number of employees
towards organisation. Organisations should provide monetary or non-monetary rewards
to existing employees so they refer skilled and qualified candidates who can perform
organisational defined operation with greater efficiency and effectiveness.
 It is advised to Barclays to use effective source from where organisation meet elite
candidates. Organisational need to use social media recruitment strategy to attract
talented employees towards organisation. Organisation should develop effective and

attractive content on social media that helps organisation to get suitable employees
(Schreuder, and Noorman, 2018). It is recommended Barclays to revisit job description
that helps business to hire talented employees. It is important for organisation to develop
well-defined job description that includes roles and responsibilities related to job and
helps organisation in recruiting right candidate for right job profile.
 It is recommended to the organisation to showcase organisational culture and employer
brand that differentiate organisation from other competitors. Effective and supportive
culture create interest of candidates to apply for the job profile. Strong, authentic as well
as credible employer brand communicate organisational culture and attract employees. It
is important for the organisation to share details on organisational website that influence
suitable candidates to apply in organisation because they can perform defined job role
operations with efficiency and effectiveness (Self, Gordon, and Jolly, 2019). Organisation
should provide various benefits to employees that differentiate it from other competitors
such as facility of remote working, monetary incentives as well as flexible timing that
make organisation better place to work and attract candidates.
 It is suggested to the organisation to make communication with candidates who are in
waiting period, it helps organisation to engage these employees in the loop during this
time period. It is important for Barclays to use an application to make regular
communication of connection with these employees. Barclays should provide updates to
employees regarding their recruitment process that retain their interest level in
recruitment process.
All these recommendations help business to reduce the gap or shortcoming in recruitment
process as well as enable organisation to hire skilled, capable and talented employees on
organisation who perform business operations to efficiently to attain Barclays goals and
objective.
CONCLUSION
As per above report, it can be concluded that the concept of talent management is
important for organisation to manage its employees and improve their efficiency so they can
perform defined operations in best possible manner. Business need to use effective recruitment
and selection process to acquire talented employees who take business towards growth and

development. Organisation maintains performance management and reward management
techniques to motivate employee and retain them with organisation for longer period of time.

REFERENCES
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