Hopes for a new decade

New Year is one of the only holidays that celebrate the exact passage of time. You can sometimes just feel the optimism in the air as millions resolve to start the next year on a positive note. No matter where a person is in life, there is always room for improvement and many of those resolutions are made around December 31 each year.

But the most recent celebrations brought in not just a new year. Rather it’s a whole new decade that has been in motion since the fireworks welcomed 2010. So what better time to consider new practices and resolutions for the long term? It’s something HR professionals have certainly been mulling over during the holiday season.

That’s particularly true given the upheavals of the previous 12 months.

In 2009, HR professionals reported a noticeable increase in stress levels among their staff. The anxiety of possible job cuts, pay freezes and general uncertainty in business circles presented a daily obstacle course for many workers. Businesses will also be looking to fix some of the internal problems that led to or exacerbated the crisis. Governance and risk systems need to be reviewed; as do executive compensation strategies.

HR directors say the majority of employees have now accepted the reality of the economic slowdown, and the ever-cautious recovery. They, and their bosses, are looking forward to much more positive tidings in 2010.

It’s not just “positivity” on the HR wish list this year. Most professionals have some more specific aims and plans in mind for the recovery. In general, organisations are seeing the year ahead as a chance to clean up the damage from the past year, and then plan for new beginnings and opportunities.

I wish for …

As well as growth, many HR departments are also looking for further acknowledgement and recognition from the management level. Their New Decade wish is to see a change in perception on the HR job function – from one of cost centres and order-takers to strategic partners and advisers.

“Senior management is often stuck in their world of what HR is about,” notes Jacqueline Goh, Director, HR and Administration, Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre. “As a result, HR is pigeon-holed and revolves around the traditional functions such as administration, selection, recruitment, resignation, and training.”

Over 2008 and 2009, with the global economy taking a beating, Suntec – like many other organisations in the service industry – was forced to examine all of its costs closely. In a people-led organisation, it was obvious that salaries and personnel budgets would be part of that scrutiny.

“Senior management in my industry still think that by doing a straight retrenchment in manpower, this will translate into an immediate increase in the profit margin.” However there are other tangible or intangible factors which can often be overlooked, she says.

For example, a sufficient budget to automate some HR processes can quickly translate into a happier organisation. It gives some employees more scope to complete value-added tasks, enhancing their perceived job value and individual morale.

Of course, change has been taking place on this front throughout the economic downturn. Most HR professionals agree that the last two years have been a defining moment for many departments, and a number of senior HR leaders have stood up to be counted as part of the management team.

“For those HR (professionals) who did that, please continue to step forward, value add and not rest of your laurels,” says Lim Khia Tat, President, Singapore Training and Development Association. “And for those who missed the opportunity, it is never too late to start.”

Banking resolutions

In the banking industry, where severe job cuts have been affecting corporate life for the last two years, there is now movement toward a different set of priorities. Joyce Yap, Regional Head of HR for Société Générale’s Corporate and Investment Banking unit says HR departments in finance are now looking at improving talent management and leadership capabilities in order to keep staff committed.

“This means that they will be engaged, and when engaged, they will stay with us through thick and thin,” says Yap.

There were also job cuts in the hospitality industry, but one leading hotel managed to avoid that last-resort strategy. Cecilia Chia, Director of HR at Ritz-Carlton Millenia, Singapore, says her team used a “multi-tasking programme” to save jobs in the downturn. This involved training staff in a variety of skills and disciplines throughout the hotel.

This programme saw its first full execution during the Chinese New Year period last year. Time and effort was spent on behind-the-scenes preparation prior to what would be one of the biggest nights for Summer Pavillion (the Cantonese restaurant within the hotel).

Firstly, communication sessions were held towards the end of 2008. Leaders spoke directly with employees and the relevant unions to ensure they received all possible feedback on their plans. These were to save jobs by ways of multi-tasking, so that staff in downturn-affected departments could be used in more popular areas – such as waiting tables at Summer Pavilion.

Secondly, training sessions were conducted by the departments concerned – giving all employees the chance to learn the workflow of the pantry and restaurant.

“We not only saved jobs but increased productivity in an economic downturn,” Chia says. “Our employees learnt a new skill and enhanced their knowledge about the department they were sent to. This allowed them not only to build camaraderie with another department (but also) to see their current role and department in relation with other departments.”

HR in 2010 and beyond, as all agree, is about stepping forward to share situational leadership when management is in doubt. It is all about quality of execution – to volunteer outside the regular HR box – and partner with the business unit leaders to implement the task on hand.