Talent tango: Fresh faces, sharp skills, or tech triumph? HR’s 2024 balancing act
In the field of Cloud governance—a niche area focused on defining, implementing and monitoring organisational cloud operations—the skill framework parallels that of cloud- service providers and SaaS companies. The interconnectedness of developing internal talent and acquiring new skills with HR technology is crucial. In this nascent yet niche sector, HR’s role is pivotal, requiring expertise in programming languages, cloud platforms, database management, information security (Info Sec), application programming interface (API) and DevOps skills. Both talent management and acquisition will be instrumental in sectoral development.
Work reimagined: Office redux, remote reign, or hybrid harmony in 2024?
Irrespective of the noise around this debate, I don’t believe organisations will enforce full-time office work. Recent years have demonstrated successful collaboration in remote work, emphasising the shift toward hybrid models. Hybrid work is not just a valuable benefit but also crucial for attracting and retaining top talent. The increasing demand for hybrid work underscores the need for employers to adapt policies for competitiveness. A survey by IWG highlights that 22 per cent of Millennials and Gen Z willing to sacrifice 31-40 per cent of their salary for hybrid work, contrasting with Boomers and Gen X (25 per cent) who wouldn’t consider such a trade-off.
It is vital to design skill-testing methods, moving beyond reliance on graduates from top
technology schools
Trust tinderbox: Can organisations reignite the employee spark in 2024?
If my manager expects top-notch performance, as an employee, I’m entitled to a trusting relationship. While a highperformance, high-trust culture is ideal, choosing a medium- performance and high-trust one is reasonable. Opting for high performance and low trust creates a toxic work environment, detrimental to fostering a high-performance culture.
Degrees or doers? Will skills reign supreme in 2024’s hiring arena?
Several years ago at Amazon, I recall a team conducting a study on the correlation between graduating from a top technology school and organisational performance. The unsurprising result was that there was no correlation. A closer examination of causation revealed that demonstrable skills, not academic excellence, led to high performance. The crucial task is to devise skill-testing methods rather than relying on graduates from highly-ranked technology schools. I also recall Zoho’s founder stating they abandoned the emphasis on academic degrees for roles and focused solely on testing skills.
HR 2.0: From paper pusher to strategic brain trust?
Indeed, it is. I strongly believe that the recent years and the forthcoming decade constitute the optimal period for HR professionals. Business leaders recognise the strategic significance of a proficient HR partner. Most organisational transformation challenges converge on culture, regardless of the terminology used.
This article is sponsored by Thomas Assessments
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