The "only way companies will survive" is if HRDs take a five-ten year attitude to talent, according to Row Henson, human capital management fellow, Oracle.

Speaking to delegates at the CIPD Conference in Manchester, she argued HRDs should not measure top performers but should instead ask who are their most ‘pivotal performers'.

"Who's the most pivotal person at a Walt Disney resort?" she asked. "I'd argue it's the man or woman who sweeps the streets at the end of the day. These won't be top performers in the classical sense of the word, but they are pivotal because, if the resort is dirty, customers won't want to return."