People Matters TechHRIN has prided itself on being at the forefront of the HR revolution; anticipating and owning the future trends. And its 2019 chapter was no different. Abundant in learning, it served the perfect platform for HR practitioners – young and senior, for businesses – established and start-ups to see and embrace the future of work, today!
While there are many things I have learnt over the course of 2-days, below are some that stood out for me. Quotes from the who’s who of Learning & Development, People Management and Business.
The importance of the human side at the workplace was a common narrative across all conversations. The thread ran long and strong, across Fireside Chats, Speaking Sessions and Masterclasses. And why not? After all, technology has permeated every area of our lives - personal and professional. It has bestowed us with the power to scale, the power to connect the dots between the seemingly disparate areas, the power to become more human. Ironic? No. Iconic, yes!
A Fireside Chat between Amit Gautam, Founder & Director, UpsideLMS; Manmeet Sandhu, Chief People Officer, PhonePe; Sheebu David, CHRO, GE, South Asia; Rahul Kalidindi, CEO, Akrivia; moderated by Seema Arora Nambiar, SVP Strategy, Innovation and Capability, McDonald’s India (West & South), dissected and discussed how AI tools sometimes help biases surface. It is then our (human’s) job to intervene and take corrective measures. And more often than not, the solution lies in formulating the right questions and measuring the right metrics.
Our Director, Amit Gautam, shares his insights on AI tools and leveraging them for employee engagement
Since the term “gig economy” was popularized around the height of the 2008-2009 financial crisis, task-based labor has evolved to become a significant factor in the overall economy. This contingent workforce is rising and becoming more diverse to include agencies, freelancers, and gig workers. While gig economy is all the rage (and for all the right reasons), managing the gig-workers, which comprises but not limited to rewarding them on a timely basis, continuous training for the job, timely payouts, promoting high-quality outcomes and retaining talent is easier said than done.
In a world where practically everything is powered by AI and machines, it’s the human quality of “creativity” that can set one apart from the rest. It’s safe to then say that while AI can take over data processing and predictive analytics at workplaces but where it still lacks is in developing the ability to manage and develop people, build communities, and have that very element of “creativity” to innovate.
Most organizations just want to replace people with technology, oblivious of the fact that technology is changing rapidly and constantly. Today’s latest technology will become redundant a year later, therefore the need to explore the most relevant technology continues to remain a constant across workplaces. Technology is like a weapon which can certainly make people better, however it is up to the people how they use technology to achieve the real purpose. People need to re-skill themselves to use the technology in the right way.
People analytics offers tremendous potential to organizations to drive business strategy, improve productivity and performance, and personalize and enhance the employee experience. How? Leveraging the intelligence gleaned from analytics enables HR to work directly with employees to co-create HR programs that drive personalization in areas such as onboarding, learning and career paths within an organization. This involves a radical and much-welcomed shift from the one-size-fits-all HR programs of the past and is not only better for employees, but also supports initiatives such as better workforce planning and increased employee engagement and retention for businesses.
As the world of work presents itself as a huge mountain, with disruptions at every corner, business leaders and working professionals need to learn new ways to reach the top with practice and simplicity. The future is uncertain and business leaders are struggling to visualize and foresee how their business and work is going to change. As things move around in the business ecosystem and new trends emerge, business and talent leaders have three options, they can either cling and/or fall, or they can climb. The three key elements that can help them boost their climb up these complexities include, knowledge, exposure and access.
While we live our life in abundance, it is important to keep the fire in our bellies lit and the hunger for betterment and self-fulfillment on so we can achieve more and succeed more. It means stepping out of our comfort zones, learning a new skill (or unlearning an old one), embarking on the change movement – often within us. Hunger is a metaphor we need to befriend for the drive, the motivation and the inspiration. Years after Steve Jobs’ demise, his words of wisdom continue to live on.
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