The H&R of HR

By Anthony Ariganello, C.M.

Today sees CPHR BC & Yukon launch a once-a-month column we are calling “The H&R of HR”. And this means, the “Human” and “Resources” aspects of Human Resources (HR).

On the first Monday of each month, The H&R of HR will be published on the CPHR BC & Yukon LinkedIn page, covering current trending topics in the HR profession.

And we want to hear from you on future topic suggestions! So, add your comments and replies at the bottom of this and forthcoming posts.

This post looks specifically at the Human piece. We are almost entering the fifth year of the pandemic – yes, fifth, according to Scientific American who indicate that the World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized that COVID has entered an endemic phase, which means that the virus will continue to circulate indefinitely. A comforting thought no doubt…

So, why does that matter to HR and what does it even have to do with HR? The answer is that it has everything to do with HR because while the pendulum on the issue of work environments swung during the height of the pandemic, and will continue to swing one way or another, what is important is that each of these swings, in their own way, has affected and upended the world of work and the relationship between employers and employees.

We have already had “The Great Resignation”, then we had “Quiet Quitting”, and now we appear to be going through “The Great Reset”.

Now, both sides have to demonstrate flexibility and adaptability because employers need workers, and workers still need jobs.? There needs to be openness to negotiation and to creativity in finding solutions, and there needs to be candid trust-building communications, and a levelling of the playing field so certain employees don’t feel disadvantaged while others and their needs are accommodated.

This is where you need an empowered HR team – one that is human and people-centric, one that has the autonomy to strive to find a new balance – one that meets the needs of the organization’s team members, whilst also factoring in the business needs of the organization, today and for the road ahead.

If there ever was an important time when organizations need to walk the talk on “employees are our greatest asset”, that time is now. Sure, the acronyms and names of initiatives like EDI+R (Reconciliation), as well as on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), will change, morph, and evolve, and sure, there will be naysayers, critics, and champions.

However, the core truth is that even more forcefully than millennials, Generation Z and beyond (like the Polars who are born after 2013) will demand, yes demand, to work for organizations that live and breathe the values of authenticity, credibility, integrity, engagement, and respect with more conviction than was ever demanded by previous generations.

They want organizations to stand for more than just meeting business needs and goals. Accordingly, this requires a more strategic focus on HR.

The path forward requires true listening by organizations followed by meaningful, raw, and vulnerable dialogue and discussion with one’s teams.

So, let’s really not lose sight of the Human in HR. Doing so may lead to some short-term gains, and some short-lived bravado by organizations that feel good about their heavy handedness, but let’s be clear – today’s employee has way more options and opportunities than organizations do – it’s time we start to act with that humility in mind and strive for fairness and equity in employee engagement, recruitment, and retention.

Bio: Anthony Ariganello became CPHR BC & Yukon’s CEO in 2014. For the previous 11 years, he served as president and CEO of the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada (CGA-Canada), a self-regulating association of 75,000 accounting professionals and students. During this period, CGA-Canada achieved international recognition as a leading accounting designation. Previously, Anthony was president of Montreal-based Avon Canada, and also held senior-level financial positions including that of the controller at Nortel Networks. His significant contributions for advancing National practices and Standards as a leading financial executive in the Accounting and Human Resources professions, respectively, earned him an appointment to the Order of Canada in December 2023.