16 minute read
People issues
HR’s role in helping the organisation to achieve its sustainability goals
To reach sustainability goals, HR professionals need to ensure that employees are fully on board this journey, and are equipped with the skills to transform sustainability aspirations into reality, says Nathalie Huynh, Country HR Director (Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei), Schneider Electric.
As working members of society,
more has to be done than saying ‘no’ to non-biodegradable materials, and using every drop of water effectively.
More, according to Nathalie Huynh, Country HR Director (Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei), Schneider Electric, can be done through HR professionals via what is called the ‘green workforce’. This is what Nathalie, who has been in HR for more than a decade, sees as an opportunity to “empower people to reach their greatest potential”, and be in “a unique position where we can effect change”.
To put it this way: the perfect starting point to lead the fight against climate change.
“We in the HR sector must therefore be cognisant of these [sustainable] developments in order to better support our companies and employees. This includes looking at ways to attract and retain the right talent,” she says.
Tying the HR function to sustainability objectives, she affirms that sustainability is “becoming the new norm in business operations”. In her day-to-day at Schneider Electric, she draws from that connection – sharing how the organisation has been pursuing sustainable business operations for more than 15 years.
“It gives me great satisfaction and pride that we are an impactful company that is hiring and nurturing individuals to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress, and sustainability for all.”
Read on for the interview, as Nathalie shares more with Lester Tan.
Before your time at Schneider Electric, you used to be in the aviation sector. What are some learnings you brought over to the sustainability and manufacturing side that continue to be relevant? From your point of view, how different – and challenging – is the role of HR between such contrasting fields (one serving the environment, and another serving in it)?
The aviation and energy sectors are more closely related than one would expect, and both industries have similar aspirations to build a more sustainable future. I had my first exposure to the concept of sustainability when I was working for an international airline. As we know, airlines have long sought to reduce their environmental footprint, and become more fuel efficient.
Just as important as environmental sustainability is social sustainability. During my time with the airline, I was part of the team that managed post-merger integration projects where I learned to bridge [the gap] between different work cultures and practices, boost the morale of employees, and define common values through management training programmes and various initiatives.
This continues to be important in my current role with Schneider Electric where we champion a diverse and inclusive work environment. My years of experience in the sector have also shown me that HR plays an irreplaceable role in empowering employees to be confident, and to realise their full potential. When employees feel at their best, brilliant ideas emerge, and this is to the benefit of everyone and the company.
There’s a recent article about how Asia’s green workforce needs to improve. Share with us briefly what a green workforce is, and why there is a stronger urge – and need – to boost it. What does a truly green workforce look like? What investments are needed to build green talent, and how important is the HR function in achieving them?
Sustainability-related jobs are indeed gaining traction in recent years as more businesses consider sustainability a key pillar in their business strategy. To me, a truly green workforce is created by employers who not only actively hire talent for green jobs, but also look to implement programmes that equip current employees with the skills to see their existing remit through a sustainability lens.
For example, our engineers are incorporating sustainability into their existing workflows by studying how automation can result in more energy efficient processes. Similarly, our procurement teams are taking deep-dives into the operations of our suppliers to ensure that they are likeminded in adopting sustainable business operations.
Partnerships with schools and educational institutes also play a vital role in creating a strong pipeline of future green talents. At Schneider Electric, we have the opportunity, the capability, and the commitment to invest in shaping the future of the next generation. Earlier this year, we launched a Sustainability Experience Centre with Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Engineering with the aim of developing interest among students in green technologies. By investing in the value of learning, we can better deliver on our promise for a more sustainable and equitable future.
With that, what has Schneider Electric’s own sustainability journey been like, and how is it now a part of the corporate culture and employee engagement? Where does the HR function fit into all this?
Sustainability underpins everything that we do, and we have been at the fore of implementing ESG practices in our business for over 15 years. Schneider Electric’s goal is to be carbon neutral by 2025, with net zero operational emissions by 2030, and a net zero supply chain by 2050.
Achieving these goals will not be easy, and therefore a successful HR strategy will be instrumental to achieving our sustainability ambitions. To get there, we need to ensure that our employees are fully on board this sustainability journey, and are also equipped with the skills to transform these aspirations into reality.
Lifelong learning is very much a part of our culture and employees are encouraged to go for training courses. For example, Schneider Electric partnered with leading business school INSEAD to formulate a series of programmes to drive purposeful leadership in this digital world.
Beyond refreshing the skills of current employees, we also look to inculcate the values of sustainability right from the start when someone first joins Schneider Electric. As part of our graduate programme, we have begun to include sustainability modules in the various job rotations. This allows our employees to combine the technical skills they have in areas like finance and law with knowledge of how they can contribute to our sustainability goals within their functions.
Continue here as Nathalie has more to say about why a strong ESG and sustainability strategy can benefit employers, and suggests steps that companies can take to improve their sustainability efforts and employee engagement.
FRICTIONLESS TALENT MOBILITY IN THE POST COVID-19 WORKPLACE: ARE YOU READY?
By ‘frictionless’, we mean removing HR as an intermediary between the hiring managers and the candidate, says Vikas Verma, Executive Director, Head of Strategic HR and Digital HR, United Overseas Bank Singapore.
In the HR space, there are four triggers that have led to a massive rethink in talent management.
1. Digital transformation on steroids. The pandemic made it very clear that organisations had two choices: perish or digitalise. The unprecedented adoption of digitalisation led to a surge in the need for newer skills at the workplace, which in turn, led to a greater need for reskilling, redeployment, and hiring with shorter lead times. “Companies need to quickly rebalance workloads from areas that see decreased demand to others with increased need” – (Bersin and Enderes 2021).
2. The rise of the platform worker. To begin with, the gig economy was already growing. It was the pandemic that made it mainstream. According to Brian Kropp, the Distinguished Vice President of Gartner: “Our research finds that 32% of organisations are replacing full-time employees with contingent workers as a cost-saving measure” – (Baker, 2021).
A good mix of permanent employees and gig workers has the potential to offer the agility that organisations are demanding to meet the rapid digitalisation needs.
3. Jobs became mobile. With borders closed and the pressing need for the right talent to meet digitalisation needs, businesses started to move jobs to the locations where the talent was, rather than expecting the talent to move to the location of the job. With outsourcing, we also knew that jobs can be moved to a cheaper location with abundant talent for cost arbitrage. What’s different now is that organisations don’t need scale. With platform workers, even one job/task can be made location-agnostic.
4. Changes in employee experience and expectations.
A lot has already been written about it, even as we deal with The Great Resignation. “It’s a candidate’s market, and employees are going to go elsewhere if your organisation is not meeting their expectations” – (Advisory Board, 2022).
Interestingly, the change is not just about working from home. In many cases, our fundamental beliefs about why we work have changed, such as many parents spending more time with their children for the first time during work-fromhome. We have discovered a new way of working, and it seems to be working for the most part.
None of these triggers are new. But it’s like our tendency to stick to fossil fuels despite the availability of alternate fuels. Societies, organisations, and humans often need a crisis to change course. I believe that COVID-19 has provided the stimulus that has the potential to fundamentally change how we define and manage talent at a workplace.
What does this all mean for organisations, and what are some of the new talent management practices we will witness in times to come?
One theme I do want to talk about is the opportunity to really make talent mobility frictionless. Today, talent mobility continues to be plagued by high search costs, long lead times, and often, a mismatch in the skills of the candidates and the job.
With business needs, a change in employee expectations, and the acceptance of platform workers, it’s the perfect time to make the talent market frictionless by democratising talent mobility both inside and outside the organisation. By frictionless, I mean removing HR as an intermediary between the hiring managers and the candidate.
Even as I say this, relying on traditional talent mobility to create a pool for future succession is likely to continue, but there is an opportunity to add two new models to get work done at scale.
First is the internal marketplace where employees can try gig opportunities to either pick up a new skill or hone existing skills. Exemplary organisations already implementing this include Schneider Electric and Unilever, who are “using talent marketplaces to facilitate an internal rebalancing of their talent, helping employees find work within the organisation where it is most needed” – (Bersin and Enderes 2021).
However, it now seems to be the right time for large-scale adoption to replace the traditional career paths that are rigid and too siloed to meet today’s business and employee needs.
Second is the addition of new forms of employment along with traditional hiring: that is, adding platform workers (gig workers) to the sourcing strategy. Job sharing and location-agnostic jobs will give the speed and cost efficiency that organisations expect in this era of rapid changes.
This is an excerpt of the full article. Find out what the rest of the opportunities are here, where Verma also talks about the challenges HR professionals have to look out for.
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE TEAM TO CONNECT: AN M1 CASE STUDY
Leaders are encouraged to explore more team activities to foster relationships, while employees are also encouraged to sign up for in-house volunteer activities as a way to give back to the community.
When planning an effective wellbeing strategy, M1 looks at wellbeing in a holistic manner – spanning the physical, mental, social, and financial health of its employees, Gerald Lau, Deputy Director, Human Resource, M1, tells Arina Sofiah.
As he points out, digital change and the pandemic have disrupted the telco industry in recent years, making it a difficult time for many. Importantly, the pandemic posed a direct threat to the physical safety of the company’s frontline teams in retail stores, and engineers maintaining the networks.
Recognising this, physical safety has been M1’s highest priority throughout the pandemic, and the group has ensured this through the proper implementation of all safe management measures for all employees, he shares.
Beyond that, Lau and his team continue to explore hybrid working models and flexible work arrangements to help employees achieve better work-life harmony for higher engagement and productivity.
With that in mind, M1 has, in recent times, implemented a few initiatives to support its employees’ wellness and wellbeing. For one, it partnered with Enterprise Singapore to introduce the Wellness Series webinars to improve the mental and physical health of all its employees.
Second, it is also working with employee assistance programme provider Workplace Options to provide a range of professional services and consultation sessions to employees across the full wellness spectrum.
“With this, our employees are able to reach out and receive emotional or psychological support or second opinions on medical, financial, and career issues from professionals,” he elaborates.
As part of the Keppel Group, M1 also collaborates on a broader health and wellbeing strategy, which includes thematic engagements each month and frequent employee surveys to measure and monitor the health of those in the organisation.
“In partnership with HR, we believe that our people managers play a significant role in determining the overall employee experience, and we continue to tap on their leadership to ensure the overall wellness of every individual of the company,” Lau says.
Pandemic-brought struggles
As Lau admits, perhaps the biggest hurdle through this journey was not being able to physically gather and socialise with the company’s teams and partners – with the pandemic impacting the connective social fabric through which relationships are built, M1 was no exception to the challenges faced by companies.
However, with Singapore easing its safe management measures, M1 has gradually opened up opportunities for social engagement within its teams, and rebuilding these crucial relationships. For instance, the group organised its first faceto-face town hall session and celebrated its 25th anniversary together as a group.
It also opened up its on-premise gym and organised fitness challenges in hopes to bring back an element of physical wellness and fun, he adds. To take things further, the firm is encouraging its leaders to explore more team activities to foster and build team and cross-departmental relationships, while employees are also encouraged to sign up for in-house volunteer activities as a way to give back to the community.
“Creating opportunities for our team to connect (while still remaining vigilant) is a key goal for the next several quarters,” Lau says.
Sharing more, one of the main paradigm shifts he has seen so far is the misconception that wellness is owned by HR, and mainly about company-organised activities or better perks and benefits. “On the contrary, there is now an increasing realisation that effective people management plays a much more significant role in the employee wellness proposition.”
Managers who can effectively establish psychological safety and trust within their teams are far more likely to be able to create a healthy team culture, respectful workplace, and inspire their teams towards purposeful and fulfilling work.
Moving forward, “we can expect to see a continued emphasis on work flexibility, as it becomes the norm for most organisations”, the leader says.
While finding each company’s unique steady state, it is important for HR teams to facilitate open dialogue, coach stakeholders towards a growth mindset, and help businesses adapt accordingly.
Lau also expects an increased emphasis on effective people leadership skills, with a focus on generating psychological safety and trust with teams locally and remotely. Correspondingly, HR will have to play a more consultative role as trusted business partners to coach people managers on how to build effective and motivated teams with wellness at the forefront.
Making cross-border collaboration work
The value that face-to-face interactions bring to the table is much more than virtual interactions ever could. That said, the HRO team prides itself on team spirit across borders – and here are three things we’d like to share.
As much as we’re all growing accustomed to working in a hybrid setup, we can’t deny there are times we’ve wished our remote colleagues were sitting right here next to us, having spontaneous brainstorming sessions, catching up over a five-minute tea break, or simply, working in companionable silence. With my own team distributed across the region, we’re no strangers to a number of issues facing such teams. • Because sometimes we can’t see what a colleague is doing at their desk, we might be wary of messaging them without knowing if they are in the middle of something that needs their full attention, or simply if they prefer a late lunch. • Instead of pointing out something on our computer screen, whiteboard or in your notebook, there’s the extra step of screensharing – and it’s not always easy to convey or understand what we need to this way. • Not to forget, internet connectivity! We can’t count the number of times we’ve “lost” our teammate during a call (or vice-versa) due to a frozen screen (cue the weirdest facial expressions!), broken sentences, or a lag between the video and audio, which can potentially slow down communication.
The value that face-to-face interactions bring to the table is much more than virtual interactions ever could. That said, I must say, despite the distance, our team never fails to find ways to make things work, even if we’re working on different product portfolios and priorities. We may not be able to chat and share laughs as much as we would like, but we do still pride ourselves on a strong team spirit. Here are three things we do, and we hope they serve as some food-for-thought: • Foster regular, clear, and open communication: We make a conscious effort to check-in with one another regularly. And in instances where we work closer together on certain tasks, we set clear timelines/calendar invites/task trackers to keep everyone on the same page, so everyone can check on the progress/status of the task at any time. • Cultivate a culture of encouragement and trust: Respect is possibly the most important element of boundaryless communication. Expressing gratitude, empathy, compliments, and rants helps break down technological walls, and show that we can count on one another any time. We are each other’s biggest cheerleaders! • Nurture a positive work atmosphere: We share what we know with one other, are not afraid of asking questions and making mistakes, and always look on the bright side. We focus on what we can achieve together rather than what we can’t do, and find solutions together if things don’t go well.
All in all, challenges will always be there when working in a team across borders, but when everyone puts their heart into it, the experience will be even sweeter.
