Zeltner Consulting

As the new decade dawns upon the enterprise world, globalisation, tight product cycles, recessions, rapid and continuous technological changes have made the global Human Resource marketplace fiercely competitive and volatile than ever before. That being said, Traditional Human Resources Management does not meet today’s expectations, especially in the knowledge economy of the millennial era, where employee engagement and satisfaction have taken centre stage in the enterprise landscape. A simple periodic evaluation of enterprise networks, HR processes, operational capacity and labour cost is no longer sufficient to address the growing needs of the digital age. For organisations to compete aggressively for the acquisition, engagement and retention of top talent—they need to re-strategise and prioritise an internal, enterprise-wide talent supply chain Management.

"What we try to implement is the capability to enhance the employee value proposition"

“Only in recent years, the potential behind adopting an internal Talent Supply Chain Management capability was recognised by companies. However, many are still not yet aware of the benefits achievable through this framework,” elaborates Thomas Zeltner, Founder and Managing Director of Zeltner Consulting. While many organisations are now starting to recognise the importance of Talent Supply Chain, they are also beginning to realise the difficulties in building and sustaining an internal team capable of managing this process. Key to this endeavor is to understand that Talent Supply Chain Management goes beyond recruiting the right talent. It is the management of the engagement of the talents throughout the employee life cycle. By doing so, Talent Supply Chain Management is a key contributor to increase the overall productivity of your workforce. This finally leads to a substantial increase of your company’s bottom line. To this end, Zeltner Consulting provides sustainable deliverables to help companies be responsive and meet today’s HR demands as well as that of the future. The company’s HR Consultancy Services focus on value-add services, such as Human Capital Strategy, HR Strategy, HR Transformation, HR Operation Model definition and last but not least, Talent Supply Chain Management consultancy. Besides, Zeltner Consulting also helps clients to manage Interim management and Talent Assessment. “Not only do we provide value for our clients, but we aim to focus on our customer’s employees, increasing the employee value proposition. As an employee centric company, not only do we utilise our core values for internal decisions but also use them as a guideline when interacting with and supporting our customers. This shift in mindset is the basis for a sustainable continuous improvement,” adds Zeltner.

A Comprehensive Suite of HR Consulting Services

Zeltner Consulting is best positioned to devise an integrated blueprint for all the internal HR functions and responsibilities of each domain at every level of the organisation. The company’s HR consulting services include Strategic Assessment and Positioning, Talent Assessment, and Employment Engagement and Survey functions.

Zeltner Consulting orchestrates a successful HR transformation and offers a structured portfolio of consulting services, based on employee-centric values and reciprocal trust through a 5-year roadmap, as well as an implementation plan for each of the client’s initiatives. “What we try to implement is an ongoing mindset and capability oriented towards enhancing the employee value proposition,” states Zeltner.

If you look at how the HR was being managed a few years ago and now, the power has shifted from an employer market to an employee market

Upon engaging with the client, Zeltner Consulting assesses their HR Strategy, IT Processes, and Workforce by comparing them with current best practices. The company defines basic principles to craft impactful surveys and works with clients to achieve commitment at all levels of the organisation. The assessment, based on a framework and questionnaire, will be conducted during individual interviews with the workforce and leadership team. This analysis will enable clients to define their HR organisational structure, strategise business objectives, and create focal points for the further development of their HR capabilities. Utilising the latest R&D methods, Zeltner Consulting assesses the behaviour of candidates against the needs of a specific position in the company through the entire recruiting process. This intrinsic behaviour criterion is used for candidate assessment to structure appropriate questions, helping them focus on relevant candidatures for subsequent interviews. By assisting the client’s HR department in deciding on centralising/decentralising HR activities and accountabilities of enterprise function/department, Zeltner Consulting enables an increased level of collaboration and communication across the organisation. In addition, as the talent supply chain matures, the company effectively identifies an underlying potential for future development and integrates those elements into current engagement processes throughout the entire employee life cycle. Q.E.D. This closes the loop as to the benefit of focusing on employees first – the return of this mindset is invaluable over the years to come.

Defining the Right Metrics

“If you look at how the HR was being managed a few years ago and now, the power has shifted from an employer market to an employee market,” explains Zeltner, addressing the developments in the HR sector. As the client’s internal Talent Supply Chain continues to mature, its complexity increases, and with that, the need for ongoing improvement created by internal recognition to attract and retain talent-using traditional methods such as aggressive compensation or packages becomes harder to maintain. Evidently, it has become clear to firms that the demand for talent has exceeded the supply available. This alone provides the rationale to implement a Talent Supply Chain Management capability to best engage internal resources. Zeltner’s narrative emphasises providing companies with the capability to efficiently manage a mature Talent Supply Chain and substantially improve the company’s bottom line. “We need to be able to find a match between what the operation teams are looking for and what you as an HR organisation are able to provide in terms of Human Resources supply,” further adds Zeltner.

The firm establishes the right metrics for talent supply management based on the client’s industry, organisational requirements and necessary skill-sets by defining and implementing long term oriented planning processes to optimally manage the timeline, costs, experience, quantity and qualification of the workforce. This enables clients to take the appropriate operational measure to positively influence the employee engagement process as well as train their leadership, HR, and personnel in effectively managing the Talent Supply Chain across all stages of maturity. “Being able to identify potential and make decisions based on actionable insights is seen as valuable by all parties involved,” elaborates Zeltner.

To illustrate the effectiveness of the company’s modus operandi, Zeltner narrates a case where his firm assisted a client in doubling their employee headcount within three months and helped them stay on track to deliver the expected customer commitments. Before collaborating with Zeltner Consulting, the client lacked efficient HR capabilities on-site within the production division. Upon comprehending their requirements, Zeltner Consulting proposed a roadmap for the client that re-defined the HR service portfolio for the present and future. This involved establishing a future-operating model based on the division of responsibilities and accountabilities between the centralised functions and HR operations. Zeltner Consulting identified, trained, and coached talent in the product division to take over HR responsibilities. Following this approach, a high-level assessment of the HR operating model was done by the client to develop and initiate a recruiting plan and program to achieve the target headcount within three months. Subsequently, thanks to Zeltner Consulting, the client was able to increase headcount by 100 per cent through the introduction of essential HR services, clearly defined performance indicators, and shared accountability between product division and central HR.

Leadership Development for the New Generation

The future of Zeltner Consulting is tightly linked to the evolution and perception of HR by its clients in Europe. As a people-centric company, Zeltner Consulting aims to develop ‘new-age leaders’ across multiple industries, who will not only fulfil their employee’s expectations but also motivate and drive the generations to come. “The new generation has the desire to learn from great leaders at key managerial positions who will inspire and motivate them to do the same,” says Zeltner. The credibility of Zeltner Consulting as a catalyst for building motivation at global brands in a multitude of industries is based on the foundation of its in-depth experience and success over the years. “We have experience working on the talent supply chain of managing the capability for several thousand employees. We were able to implement and achieve new capabilities for large companies and yield positive results,” explains Zeltner. The firm’s aspirations for the future are not only aimed at tremendous growth but also geared towards evolving as a recognised supplier for strategic and organisational HR services. “With the work and results we provide to our clients, we intend to provide a new mindset towards HR and how it is a key contributor to the business as it continues to evolve,” concludes Zeltner. ”Effectively, your future is delivered.”