Top of Mind - From the HRNZ Chief Executive

This issue of our Human Resources magazine reflects on how our response to the COVID-19 pandemic has changed New Zealand workplaces. It’s good to take a moment to reflect on that. The effects on workplaces have been many, and it’s easy to lose sight of some of them. It’s not just about working from home and flexible working; we have a whole new focus on employee wellness, digital collaboration has advanced exponentially, and we’ve had to come up with new approaches to finding and developing talent.

If the COVID-19 pandemic has changed workplaces, it has also changed the role of HR professionals. Our members have had to learn many new things and develop new skills to keep up with the changes. This happens all the time, but lately we’ve seen a massive acceleration in our need to learn and adapt.

In 2022, HRNZ will be undertaking a major review of the competency framework that underpins our professional framework and service offerings to members. It’s a critical project for the organisation; after all, our members rely on us to provide services that support them today and prepare them for the future.

We’re not doing this just because of changes in the past two years. Our current framework was developed more than 15 years ago. The world has moved on.

We’re also keen to ensure our framework reflects the unique nature of our country, culture and people. It’s always good to look far and wide for inspiration, but we always have to remember New Zealand workplaces can be slightly different from global examples we might look at.

HRNZ has been working on how to develop a more bicultural approach to HR practice in New Zealand, and incorporating this thinking into the review is important.

As we go through the journey of reviewing our framework, we will be keeping in mind three main principles.

The first is accepting that, as the HR profession moves forward, we will need to leave some things behind. There are potentially skills or processes we’ve had in the past that have served us well but may hold us back as we move into the future.

Secondly, we’re keen to ensure we weave together the ideas that will best work for us in the future. This could be weaving together the tried and true from the past with things we need in the future. It could be bringing together the best of global thinking with what works for a New Zealand context.

The final principle is to recognise that shaping the future of the profession is a collaborative effort. It’s about the whole HR community in New Zealand coming together and deciding how we need to show up in the future to add the best possible value in our workplaces.

With these principles in mind, we’ll seek to involve as many members as possible in our review. We’re not sure what any resulting ‘competency framework’ might look like, but, actually, it’s how we arrive at it that will matter the most.

“It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.” – Ernest Hemingway

Nick McKissack Chief Executive HRNZ Nick.McKissack@hrnz.org.nz