In today's rapidly changing workplace landscape, HR teams are facing a myriad of challenges that require innovative approaches and a deep understanding of organizational dynamics. Drawing from the wisdom of
Simone Carroll
, Chief People Officer at
Alinta Energy
, we explore five key strategies to tackle these hurdles head-on.??
- Focus on purpose before policy. Understand why the business exists, how it participates in the market, and balance both the purpose as well as profit. Because not only do you need to thrive, you need to thrive on purpose.? Ask the question: what is our purpose? Sit with your purpose for a while and have that conversation with the owners, the investors, the stakeholders, and members of the organization.? You need to design your policies, programs, and HR initiatives based on your purpose not the other way around.???
- Learn to be with your organization. Sit with where your organization is at without judgement or comparison to others. Respect where your organization has been, where it has come to today, and HR manage that, versus what you want it to be. This might be something very different!?
- Understand how the “work works” in your organization. What drives employees to do the things that they do? Is it the incentives? Is it the communities they work in? Is it the platforms that they operate on? Is it the processes that they participate in? As an organization's architect, you need to understand how the work works to get the outcome you want, and you can then start designing the systems and processes for the purpose.???
- Understand the role that management plays in an organization. 2024 is all about the employee, but what role must management play in 2024? Once we understand the role again, we can start to set those managers up for success. Bonus tip: the executive’s role is to look after resourcing and resource allocation; to set the strategy and determine where HR needs to be to execute the strategy.? Mangement’s role is to work within that constraint and prioritize within that constraint.? Doing that effectively will stop the overwhelm flowing through the organization.?
- Work on wellbeing together.? With all the different regulations and obligations that are coming into effect about speaking up, respect at work, and psychological safety, there’s now a real integration between Health and Safety and HR.? Embrace your health and safety customers, particularly colleagues. It's more important than ever that our employees feel safe at work. From there, we can do some exciting stuff when it comes to diversity and inclusion, productivity, measures, and reward and recognition. We get to do all those things on a foundation of safety.???
As you move forward, it's essential to translate these strategies into actionable steps within your organizations. Whether it's initiating conversations about purpose, reevaluating managerial roles, or enhancing employee wellbeing programs, the next steps are clear: implement, iterate, and adapt. By continuously refining your approaches and staying attuned to the evolving needs of your workforce, you can drive positive change and foster a workplace culture where everyone can thrive.??
To listen to more of Simone's incredible insights, watch our on-demand webinar: How HR teams can move from firefighting to thriving in 2024 here.
