Talent tango: Fresh faces, sharp skills, or tech triumph? HR’s 2024 balancing act
The organisations are finding themselves in the BANI (Brittle, anxious, nonlinear and incomprehensible) area. It is up to the HR to recognise two additional factors that are impacting organisations— changing nature of society and individual needs; and shorter cycles (product and organisation).
Given the above, if the earlier HR role was to create an organisation for relevance, the future HR role would be to create an organisation for irrelevance. To enable this, the HR function will have to first focus on creating an organisation design that facilitates hustle behaviour and innovative thinking, with the mindset of continuous iterations in the way-forward plan. The HR will have to align different stakeholders and create a platform for self-discovery.
Capability building through talent acquisition, continuous learning and creating future-relevant skills will be yet another focus area. The HR will also have to ensure succession planning for all critical roles. In the absence of this, significant risks can derail the progress of the organisation. Internal and external governance will be another important area. After all, trust will be a key USP for all organisations, and the only way to sustainable trust creation is continuous and strong adherence to governance.
Inclusion illusion or inclusive ideal: Can HR build true equity in 2024?
Diversity and inclusion form the core of every organisation’s journey ahead. It is the right strategy because of what diversity and inclusion enables, that is, more quality talent and different perspectives, which enable innovation and risk taking.
We should also recognise that diversity and inclusion—often mentioned together— are different. While diversity can be driven by processes and systems, inclusion needs to be imbibed through the heart. The role of leadership will be critical in 2024 in ensuring talent from all backgrounds are not only hired, but nurtured and given a voice at the table. A key driver for this will be to create a meritocratic organisation—one where merit is the key decider on pay, promotion and opportunities. The other way is to create role models within the organisation to inspire others.
While diversity can be driven by processes and systems, inclusion needs to be imbibed through the heart
Quiet quitting tsunami: Can HR turn the tide on disengagement?
More important than employee engagement, we need to look at employee happiness. One of my colleagues rightly said once, “In the past, it was the survival of the fittest, which then gave way to the survival of the fastest. Going forward, it will be survival of the happiest.” The key question is, ‘What can facilitate happiness?’ While there is no silver bullet, the four aspects that can help are:
Basic hygiene: Make sure there is broad clarity regarding the role, the responsibilities and the rewards associated with the same.
Individual space: Individuals require freedom to make choices and decisions. While this needs to be within the super structure of the organisation, this can also help enable happiness.
Purpose and outcome: This is perhaps the most important happiness. Find out whether the employee understands how his/her role would make an impact.
Care and concern: Show that the organisation cares and values the human behind the ‘employee’.
This article is sponsored by Thomas Assessments
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