So how is the recession affecting the war for talent? I’ve heard a variety of views on this, but my take is different. For me the whole notion of the war for talent is damaging and old-fashioned - an aggressive, divisive term coined in the 1990s and best left there.

First, the idea of a war suggests blind pursuit of a dubious goal in which there will inevitably be casualties. People and work deserve better. By its very nature a war assumes the prize is a struggle for ownership and possession. It feeds short-term selfishness and self interest by organisations.