Stabilising the talent battle

CEOs grappling with talent challenges could draw inspiration from the structured transfer window system used in European football leagues

Moonlighting policies, “boomerang employees”, no-poaching agreements, a tense exchange of accusatory letters between airline chiefs.... All these are symptoms that managing talent at the top-end of white collar jobs in this era of accelerated job hopping is no longer an organisational headache but a permanent migraine.

Low-cost airline newbie Akasa discovered this the hard way last month when 43 of its 450-odd pilots left abruptly for recent Tata group acquisition Air India Express without serving their full notice periods. Fearing a shutdown, Akasa’s CEO wrote a stiff letter to Air India Express accusing it of violating government policies that mandate a