HR Metrics Are Up. Impact Is Down.

This morning at The Links, we felt compelled to revisit some compelling insights from a recent McKinsey report.

The HR Monitor 2025 (source in comments below) offers not just a snapshot of workforce dynamics in Europe, it sounds a quiet alarm. A gap is widening between the promises of modern HR and the delivery of what really matters to organizations and their people. Six interesting lines emerge with clarity, and each calls for lucid response.

Recruitment is fragile and misaligned

Offer acceptance rates hover at 56%, and only 46% of hires remain after six months. 18% exit during probation, largely dismissed by the employer. The recruitment engine, designed for volume, now struggles with precision.

Internal talent remains untapped

Despite talk of upskilling, two-thirds of roles are still filled externally. Internal mobility remains an afterthought, with most firms favouring outside hiring through direct recruitment, headhunters, or fragmented providers.

Workplace planning is reactive and disconnected

While 73% of companies conduct operational planning, only a tiny minority plan beyond the next 12 months or align projections with evolving skill needs. Strategic workforce planning remains the exception, not the rule.

Development lacks coherence

30% of employees had zero training last year. Just 33% of critical roles are supported by succession plans. Meanwhile, taxonomies explode into 21+ tracked skills per role in some companies, paralysing action with excess.

The employee experienced is misread

Employees stay for security (39%), balance (34%) and colleagues (33%). Yet HR overemphasizes compensation and underestimates social dynamics. A growing share of the workforce is quietly disengaged.

At The Links, we believe the solution lies not in more complexity, but in more clarity. Here’s how we respond:

1. We reduce recruitment friction by offering curated experts, available now, with verified track records, no long hiring cycle, no post-onboarding disappointment.

2. We bridge internal gaps by complementing overstretched teams with high-level interim support, while avoiding unnecessary structural hires.

3. We enable agility in planning by giving access to skills immediately, allowing organizations to test, learn, and adapt before formalizing long-term roles.

4. We transfer knowledge quickly, not through theoretical programs, but by embedding seasoned professionals into teams that need them most.

5. We protect the core employee experience by absorbing project overload externally, so internal teams can focus on what truly matters to them.