HR-ing in 2021- Shaping the new future

The best way to open this article is to let you know the content has been dancing in my head since International HR day (4 days ago) but I hadn't been opportune to pen it down because I have been managing Employees' performance reviews, facilitating onboarding processes, driving rewards and creating exciting employee experiences for our talents at Cowrywise. Welcome to HR, it is 2021.

May 20 of each year has been singled-out to celebrate one of the most dynamic professions ever-Human Resource and this year's theme is realistic, practical and prophetic- we are shaping the new future; Accept this article as my note to the major stakeholders HR relates with everyday.

To the Employers: HR is often saddled with an almost insurmountable responsibility thus nothing encourages them than having the managers/owners/directors backing. As HR professionals, our duty is to manage people and processes to achieve organizational goals so do not treat us as another office that just exists. Do not cut down our budgets and ask us to defend every line item on our expense sheets. Carry us along as the organizations pivot and explore new fields and attempt new opportunities , it guides our decisions in terms of Workforce Planning and Strategy, Talent Acquisition, Compensations and Benefits, amongst other core functions that drives the growth of your business. We are not messengers of doom sent to deliver bad news, neither are we admins whose job is to handle documentations. We are partners in business on a progressive journey of taking your business to the next level, treat us as such.

To the employees: Dear Employee, I know you have heard a thousand evil stories about us, justifiably so. But please do know that a lot of HRs (in Nigeria) are accidental HRs, continuously and deliberately developing ourselves to become better professionals, so pardon our occasional mishaps. We do not hate you, we do not like to ask you to resign, neither do we enjoy performance reviews filled with bad reports. Do you know how bad we feel after we send you that letter of probation? We are humans too, with flesh and blood, more importantly, we are also employees reporting to our employers, so do not loathe us or despise our acts, sometimes, we really do not have options and sometimes we do, but are not bold enough to take it. Do not ghost us during interviews and don't go through the process and reject our offers after, recruiting in Nigeria is already a heinous headache.

Dear employees, do your best, your very best at every point in time. You are paid to deliver 100%, it is better to resign than to deliver less. You have been trusted with a responsibility, deliver it to the best of your abilities. Your HR should be your confidant, but human have flaws too, you are wise and you know what to do per time. Flee toxic environment and think twice before making that next career move. Compensation is beyond money, it includes well-being, your mental and physical well-being or what is the usefulness of a high-pay that gives you intermittent mental crises per time? HR might not be your friend(though they should be) but they are surely not your enemies, they are employees just like you and your performance affects their performance. Think about it, did you give your HR a gift on International HR day? My talents at Cowrywise did

My Dearest HR Professionals: Welcome to 2021, a year where your employees cut across three different generations; the self-reliant Babyboomers, the cautious, yet adventurous millennials and the liberally sensitive Gen Z. Your profession is now more strategic than operational and social media can be your friend and your enemy in a twinkle of an eye. Oh, you haven't been dragged yet? I hope you ain't. It is 2021 and except you are in a time-functional industry, asking your employees to resume by 8:00am or clock and clock out belongs to the medieval years. (I once resigned from a job after six weeks because of this). Rules are good, policies are better but the best is to have a system that enables your talents be their best, deliver their best and achieve your desired business goal. Isn't that what makes everybody happy?

It is 2021, and your talents spend a larger percentage of their life at work (either remote or onsite) thus making them happy is paramount. It is okay to monitor performances, to have performance reviews but do not witch-hunt or are you not tired of the gossips and backbiting you experience every time? Define your OKRS, your KSAs and let the employees and their managers figure out the rest, or doesn't delegation exist in your dictionary? Employee experience is important, employer branding is too; Unlike the Baby-boomers and early millennials, Gen Z have a shorter retention rate and are motivated by a lot of things beyond financial compensation so pay attention to their needs.

Embrace Gender Equality: Strategically create programs like Cowrywise Design Fund to ensure there is a continuous bridge of gap in the functional competence from a female perspective. Remember there is always a good ROI in the right set of talents. Do not just write motivational post on LinkedIn, embrace diversity and inclusion too; this includes not profiling candidates that comes for your interviews or shouldn't we practice what we preach and write about? Readjust your policies, observe maternity leave, don't sweep sexual harassment under the carpet in the name of "protecting the company" and manage crisis with high level intelligence. Think about it, do you have first aid box? Are male and female restrooms separate? Do you provide menstrual pads for your female employees? Little but noticeable actions like this goes a long way in embracing inclusion at the workplace, ensuring your employees feel safe no matter the situation.

Conclusively, this is 2021, nobody asks for a hardcopy CV/resume anymore, nobody uses sir and ma, expression of speech opens room to ideas. Interns and entry levels are not errand girls and boys; do not ask people to intern and not pay them. It is better not to accept interns at all, or don't you know inflation rate is 18.17% ? How would they transport themselves to work , feed and function properly at work. I mean 50 naira gala doesn't even satisfy people anymore and coke is now 120 naira

I know being an HR professional is not an easy task, but you have chosen this field, so do it excellently. Happy International HR day to every professional grooming talents, creating memorable experiences and building the best place to work. I am always rooting for you.

With Love,

Emmanuel Faith.

P:S- Do add anything you would love to tell your employers, the employees and the HR professional, I am sure your thoughts would come handy.