NOVEMBER 2023HR TECH OUTLOOK8An Interview With Zenobia Madon, Director HR - Talent, Strategy & Org, WhirlpoolWhat challenges do you face in the HR industry while recruiting people or managing new recruits?The role of HR in organisations has evolved and increasingly gained importance in recent years. While its surging prominence is a no-brainer, it has happened increasingly so because of the rapidly changing external environment. Gone are the days when we can predict how the next five years will be across the business landscape. With the macroeconomic changes happening so swiftly, like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, cost inflation, or changing energy prices, the HR departments need to be dialled in terms of what's happening around the world. They need to be agile and resilient while aligning these macroeconomic contexts and their business contexts because they ultimately hold the responsibility of their employees. It presents itself as a challenge as well as an opportunity. As leaders, they have to shape and influence the day-to-day of people, whether they are working remotely, hybrid, or from the office. Another major global challenge in HR was the Great Resignation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. People started accepting COVID as a way of life, and the mindset changed across the talent landscape. Since the pandemic amply demonstrated that the productivity of organisations is not deterred by remote work, there has been a significant shift in the key parameters required for attracting and retaining talent. The employees want to work in places where they would be valued, and flexibility of work has become one of the top candidate priorities.With this paradigm shift, organisations had to change their perspective regarding the future of work. One big part of this scenario is the increasing hybrid work environments. While some were reluctant, many organisations have started following the hybrid model, where employees work in the office for 2 to 3 days and then work from home for the rest of the week. We are in an environment where nobody knows the rulebook. With multiple generations in the workforce, managing these talent demands and preferences with what the organisation stands for and believes is challenging. I think it's ultimately a new future of work, with how the organisations and work culture are evolving. Amid this seismic shift, HR leaders must show up, partnering with businesses very closely and speaking up for the employee base. What strategies should businesses use to detect and identify the talent that aligns with their business interests?The HR strategy needs to be centred around the business trajectory an organisation is in. An organisation can go through different growth phases, be it a sustaining phase, ramping up, or ramping down. HR strategies need to HR LANDSCAPE IN THE NEW NORMALZenobia Madon
< Page 7 | Page 9 >