Canadian HR Reporter

Reinvention with a human focus Deloitte's human capital trends report outlines latest industry trends for HR BY MARCEL VANDER WIER Successfully transitioning into the future of work will require em- ployers to reinvent with a human focus, according to Jodi Baker Calamai, human capital partner at Deloitte Canada. "It's not about tinkering at the edges; it's not about making small changes; it's about transforma- tion," she said at a recent SCNet- work event in Toronto. "To actually reinvent with a hu- man focus, we need to look at the future of the workforce, the future of the organization and the future of HR." e rise of the social enterprise — organizations whose mission combines revenue growth with the need to respect the environ- ment and stakeholder network — means employers are now be- ing held accountable for their im- pact on communities alongside financial performance, said Baker Calamai. "Corporate social responsibili- ties — they're good, but they're not enough," she said. "It's about the human element and bringing meaning back into work." "To be a social enterprise, to have influence in the communi- ties in which we operate, we need to have our people feel that sense of meaning." ree influences continue to propel the social enterprise for- ward, said Baker Calamai, citing statistics from Deloitte's annual human capital trends report, Leading the Social Enterprise: Reinvent With a Human Focus, which surveyed nearly 10,000 workers across the world. e rise of the individual, influx of technology and decline in trust of governments are combining to transform the world of work, with more concern being given to employer reputation and societal influence, she said. "Individuals place more trust in the businesses in which they operate than they do in govern- ment," said Baker Calamai. "We haven't thought enough about the human element of work. We've changed jobs, we've introduced automation, but we haven't really thought about how our employees — our workforce — will adapt to that, what roles they'll take on in the future and how we're embedding this new capability to be successful." For employers seeking to bring meaning back into work, focus needs to be put squarely on em- ployee belonging, esteem and self-actualization, she said, citing Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Building belonging e alternative workforce contin- ues to grow across the globe, with 100 million workers currently un- dertaking gig or "side-hustle" op- portunities, said Baker Calamai. Yet, just eight per cent of em- ployers said they have the pro- cesses and tools to leverage this workplace segment, she said, cit- ing survey results. "If we're going to create a sense of belonging and bond our people to our organizations — regard- less if they work for us full-time, part-time on a project — we want to create a feeling like they want to stay." Additionally, 80 per cent of re- spondents expect increased us- age of automation in the coming years, while only 13 per cent ex- pect mass layoffs as a result, said Baker Calamai. "Superjobs" — a combination of two roles after workload is re- duced by automation — may re- sult, she said. Developing effective digital leaders is also a part of the way forward, said Baker Calamai. "A digital leader is someone who thinks about their role dif- ferently. ey think about a glob- al workforce, they think about le- veraging tools and people to get a task done. ey think about flipping a problem on its head," she said. "It's a mindset shift. A digital leader is someone who thinks about their day differ- ently and doesn't stop at inertia, or doesn't stop at the way we've always done." "is concept of 21 st -century leadership is key, because it's not only about having digital leaders or a new breed of leader, but it's about leaders who are focused as much on the outcome they're delivering as they are on the way they get to that outcome." Encouraging esteem e recent focus on "employee experience" needs to broaden to a fuller human experience if em- ployee productivity and esteem are to improve, with only 50 per cent of workers indicating they are engaged at work, said Baker Calamai. e future of the organization is experience-focused, team- oriented and personalized. e concept of operating in teams will continue to grow in importance, with social enterprises operating less like silos and more like sym- phonies, she said. Reward strategies need to be aligned to business strategies, and employers need to understand what rewards employees actually desire, said Baker Calamai. If the rewards are inappropri- ate, workers may choose to side hustle, rather than remain loyal to their organization, she said. "If you're not feeling the value from your contribution in your job — if you don't get the choice you want in terms of… vacation or money or education — then we're not going to have that op- portunity with that workforce go- ing forward." Eighty-six per cent of millenni- als choose to work for a specific organization by evaluating value in society over salary expecta- tions, said Baker Calamai. "ere's a huge linkage between the social enterprise and rewards, and this concept of making every- one feel like they have their role to play." Activating self-actualization For employee self-actualization to be activated, HR professionals need to step up by assessing capa- bilities, shifting learning towards lifelong models, promoting in- ternal mobility and encouraging technological usage, according to Baker Calamai. Assessing talent in recruit- ment is critical at a time when "there are more jobs sitting avail- able inside organizations, and there is talent on the street to do it, and the workforce is alterna- tive," she said. Shifting learning away from cumbersome courses to more palatable options such as YouTube videos is another opportunity, said Baker Calamai, noting sur- vey results indicated 86 per cent of workers support a redirection of learning processes. Today 's workforce learns through rich media, experientially and from peers, she said. And with workers having an av- erage of 24 minutes per week for learning, organizations need to adapt, said Baker Calamai. "We need to rethink the con- cept of learning and create ex- periences that cultivate growth multiple times throughout the day." CANADIAN HR REPORTER & STRATEGIC CAPABILITY NETWORK CAREER > pg. 15 Credit: Zenzen (Shutterstock) "It's about leaders who are focused as much on the outcome they're delivering as they are on the way they get to that outcome."

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