IIM ROHTAK H U M A N E - R CLUB P re s e n ts
H R BULLETIN VOLUME 91
humane.r@iimrohtak.ac.in
H U M A N E - R | V O L U M E 91
HR BULLETIN
The winning solution for a future of work
We need to stop measuring productivity, and focus on enabling long-term, high quality outcomes instead. Here’swhy, and how, such an approach is superior in the new world of work,
The COVID-19 pandemic took our common idea of working – where we were always in the office or on the jobsite – and flipped it. Most of the world has been working from home, where possible, since the start of the pandemic. That showed us we were able to be productive even though we were not in the office. But more importantly, we learned that the future of work is not so much about place – “onsite vs. remote”, and asking where people should work in the future might be the wrong question.
2
H U M A N E - R | V O L U M E 91
A better question is: What unleashes a person's potential, enabling them to be healthy and productive, regardless of where they work? I highlight two critical areas for a resilient and productive workforce below. Lead with compassion The COVID-19 pandemic has created a constant stream of change, from different teammates to system shifts, adding onto the stressors of employees – a recent Gartner survey has revealed that 54% of HR leaders believe that employees are suffering from change fatigue. To minimise this, leaders must look to increase workforce health and resilience by taking more responsibility forworkers’ holistic well-being and actively seeking to earn their trust. This will require a significant shift to invest and rebuild the culture to one of anti-burnout, rather than quick fixes such as a bonus day off or a wellness app. Organisations must look to provide employees with the resources to be productive anywhere.This means paying attention to day-to-day changes, and empowering teams to shape their own change experiences. They have to redefine work policies and strengthen worker-employer relationships with strategies that ensure workers are net better off. For organisations, this can be done by reframing the way hybrid success is measured – from maximum productivity, to a focus on employee wellbeing and belonging. This can mean delivering the same exceptional results but on a more reasonable timeline, or setting boundaries and actively enforcing them so that people can find and maintain a healthy line between their professional and private lives. Through abandoning presenteeism and aiming instead for high quality outcomes that can be maintained long term, organisations will be able to attract and retain the best talent out there and increase customer satisfaction, loyalty and value. As we transition into the new way of work, employee well-being will be a business priority, and not just a priority for the HR department. Design work around people Too often we design work around spaces and tasks involved, rather than the people that do them; policies and leadership support have largely catered to onsite workers, and as the modern workplace evolves to one that is likely to have a large number of contingent workers alongside full-timers, it is now critical to design work around people. To deliver on this, IT and business leaders have to work together to design and deploy cost efficient, highly responsive and secure evergreen workplace platforms to help people to work in new ways such as augmentinghuman intelligence with technology. However, there is no one-size-fit-all model, and business groups within organisations cannot work in silos. It is not a case of the IT department deploying tools and then looking for a problem, it is a case of technology creating a culture that helps employees reach the goals the business requires, anytime, anywhere. There must be close collaboration and communication across business functions to create workplace experiences that engage and motivate employees. In addition, organisations must respond to the needs of their employees, both in terms of their roles, as well as their personal situations. Different roles require different approaches to restructuring. For example, workers in the retail industry may require more face time. Thus, designing work around them can involve giving employees the tools to take the point of sale to the customer, wherever they are in the store, increasing customers' propensity to buy and making it easier to complete the purchase. In tandem, taking into account personal situations of employees can mean allowing employees who do not have the infrastructure to work at home to return to the office on a more permanent basis. People are generally comfortable with technology in their personal lives and want more from their workplace orsomething that matches it. They dont want to feel like they are told what they can and can't do. By empowering the employees with technology, it should allow innovation to develop, rather than be stifled. Build digital fluency While business leaders have made the move to digital, they need to also sharpen their digital edge by promotingdigital skills and adoption in the workforce. With the workforce likely to become more dispersed, the importance of digital fluency is only going to increase as not only work itself but employee development and team building will take place virtually.
Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/article/strategic-hr/the-winningsolution-for-a-future-of-work-33531
3
H U M A N E - R | V O L U M E 91
The Core Principles of an Evolving EVP The basis of the EVP should be on “what exists and is real” and not a utopian idea of what “should be”. When I was asked to share my perspective on the core principles of an evolving EVP, I had a flashback to one of my first projects as a talent management consultant, where I partnered with a seasoned leader to support a large Indian FMCG organisation in defining their EVP. This was around 2007 when the concept of EVP, especially linked to Employer Branding, was just about evolving and as talent management advisors, we were chartering a fresh path. When I think back on what were the aspects which truly helped us determine a meaningful EVP for the said organisation – I think our quest for the answer to the question on what makes the work experience there more superior than other organisations – gathered from multiple internal and external stakeholders- gave us the right direction and set the right tone for the EVP. Be clear about the reason why you want an EVP to be articulated Creating a value proposition statement, which truly resonates with employees, managers, leaders, the external talent market and your clients and customers as well, also means that you are truly committed to keeping the EVP alive for the organisation- and a reflection of the same should touch each and every concerned stakeholder. Creating a nice sounding statement which has no reflection in reality will lead to dissonance and disengagement much quicker that not having an EVP in the first place…
Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/article/strategic-hr/the-coreprinciples-of-an-evolving-evp-33466
4
H U M A N E - R | V O L U M E 91
Rethinking the EVP equation? Consider the mission, values, and purpose (MVP) How might employers re-align their EVP to meet the needs of the rising talent? Lets find out! As the spring season begins in the northern hemisphere, I witness many final year university students busy planning their careers and life after graduation. Employers are hosting recruiting events, career offices are busy with career fairs, and graduating students are faced with a myriad of considerations for their future. While all of these activities may look like the same pattern that we have seen for decades, under the surface (albeit more virtual in many cases), there is an undercurrent of change. The traditional employer “pitch” or Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to new recruits has traditionally centred on the earning potential, nature of the job, and the career prospects. Some might argue that the traditional EVP can be simplified into a three-variable equation: EVP = S + R + C Where salary (S) combined with the nature of the role (R) and the promise of career prospects (C) are combined as a measure of the attractiveness provided by an employer. While this may be an oversimplification that does not consider many other factors, we do see evidence of this in job choices by graduates. This three-factor model may be especially true in business schools where MBA students are seeking to achieve a high return on their investment (ROI). The prospect of earning high salaries in consulting, financial services, or the tech industry is still attractive, yet seems to be somehow insufficient for many graduates. As one employer noted during a recent campus visit, “We need to work harder to attract top talent – they are often looking for more of a meaningful experience.”…
Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/article/employeerelations/rethinking-the-evp-equation-consider-the-mission-values-and-purposemvp-33496?media_type=article&subcat=strategic-hr&title=rethinking-the-evpequation-consider-the-mission-values-and-purpose-mvp&id=33496 5
H U M A N E - R | V O L U M E 91
6
A gender bias may be creeping into artificial intelligence. What role can men play? According to Harvard Business Review, there have been incidences where gender bias has made its way into AI from humans. Artificial intelligence (AI) is influencing people’s lives in more ways than one can imagine. In fact, it is shaping society. AI is embedded in most systems that people use to interact in today’s digital world. From voice-enabled assistants, data analytics tools, language modelling software, and cyber security systems, AI technologies are pushing the boundaries of digital transformation. Not surprisingly, the AI workforce is mostly male dominated. According to a World Economic Forum (WEF) report, 78% of AI professionals are men. With mostly male-dominated experiences making their way into AI algorithms, a gender bias is slowly emerging, leading to unfair and unbalanced outcomes. According to Harvard Business Review, there have been incidences where gender bias has made its way into AI from humans. For example, bias can be found in word embeddings. These systems can often associate ‘man’ with 'doctor' and 'woman' with 'nurse'. This is not an accurate representation of modern society. In a digitally altered world that gives machines the ability to make decisions, technology must be free from bias. Following are three considerations for effecting positive change and instilling a more balanced approach as AI technology progresses. Encourage women to enter the field Hiring more women for AI roles appears to be an obvious solution. However, there seems to be a shortage of talent in most countries…
Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/article/strategic-hr/a-gender-biasmay-be-creeping-into-artificial-intelligence-what-role-can-men-play-33530
6
H U M A N E - R | V O L U M E 91
Modern HR Management: How HR leaders can develop strategic business acumen As HR and business continue to work closely together in the emerging (new) hybrid world of work, HR leaders need to become business strategists The HR function has evolved dramatically. While the pre-pandemic focus of the function was mostly on bolstering and accelerating the digital transformation journey. Post pandemic, HR truly was at the forefront of business. Over the past two years, HR leaders dealt with immediate pandemic relief measures, preparing for extended remote work, or dealing with burnout and mental health issues. And during this time, HR leaders have aligned with the business to re-jig priorities, accelerate digital transformation and enable skilling programs that will shape the future of work. Speaking about the shift, Prof Girsh Balasubramanian, Assistant Professor, Human Resource Management, Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow said, “As an after-effect of the ongoing pandemic, we are seeing that most of the companies are going through core transformations in their culture, values and talent strategy. The HR domain is becoming a lot more agile and owing to the new skills demand of the function, it is imperative to create professionals who are equipped and skilled enough to help enterprises adopt and deploy disruptive technologies across the system.” As HR and business continue to work closely together in the emerging (new) hybrid world of work, HR leaders need to become business strategists. Research on the “Organization of the future” shows that companies of the future will need to address three focus areas for the future…
Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/article/leadership/modern-hrmanagement-how-hr-leaders-can-develop-strategic-business-acumen-33520
7