Highlights from Darwinbox’s HR ChangeMakers Club Session: Digital Foundation For A Future-Ready Workforce

2020 has made it abundantly evident that external factors can disrupt the way we operate without an early warning and it’s imperative to create an agile organization that can not only respond to change fast but always is prepared to ask what’s next!

This future-ready workplace has to be built on the foundational forces of robust technology, skilled talent and smart organizational design. Here are some highlights from the HR Changemakers roundtable discussion between industry leaders on how their organisations are creating a future-ready workplace on the back of technology.

This time the HR Changemakers roundtable hosted people leaders including Wiwik Wahyuni (Home Credit Indonesia), Jayant Paleti (Darwinbox), Kartika Akbaria (Ruangguru), Alexius Purwoto (PT Pertamina Hulu Mahakam), Indrijati Rahayoe (PT Prudential Life Assurance), Anton Hendrianto (PT Bank Muamalat), Anung Anindita (PT Pegadaian).

The recipe for a future-ready organisation

According to Indrijati Rahayoe, CHRO at PT Prudential Life Assurance, Indonesia, organisations can follow the 4C framework to future proof themselves:

• Capability - Preparing the workforce by re-wiring them and building a digital and agile mindset for the entire organisation while ensuring HR readiness for digital transformation.
• Capacity - Hiring the right talent, upskilling the existing people and building a high performing workforce by using the right performance management system.
• Culture - Inculcating values like being nimble, ambitious, courageous and empathetic starting from the leadership to the last employee of the organisation.
• Care - Caring not just for the customers but also the employees and ensuring their safety at all times.

Getting priorities right for HR digital transformation

If 2020 was about using technology to react to the situation at hand and finding ways to survive, 2021 is going to be about using technology to proactively plan for the larger business strategy. But what are the elements that HR teams must focus on first to set the course for successful HR transformation?

• Invest in a robust HR system. Which is integrated, unified and error-free and comes with comprehensive people analytics.
• Make performance outcome based. By making it objective, 360 degree and clearly focused on deliverables, orgs can significantly improve productivity.
• Focus on getting onboarding right. Especially remotely. Lasting impressions are created from day zero so use an advanced onboarding management system.
• Ensure maximum data security. In the age of data currency, use HR technology platforms that offer powerful security and compliance.

Prepping the workforce to make the most out of technology

One of the critical factors in any successful digital transformation journey is user adoption. How well people receive the new technology and how they can make the most out of it is perhaps the real proof of any HR tech’s pudding. Here are some expert tips by the HR changemakers to prepare the workforce.

• Culture - Set the right culture. This begins at the top supported by leadership and cascaded to every employee in the company.

• Communication - Create multiple channels of communication and keep it clear and simple.

• Goal alignment - Focus on bringing alignment towards the larger org goals.

• Feedback - Keep a finger on your people’s pulse and ensure continuous improvement.

• Recognition - Ensure your people feel recognised and seen, especially in a distributed workforce scenario.

What NOT to do

Don’t:

• Try to do everything at once and expect results overnight
• Keep the leadership out of the loop
• Think that digital transformation is only the HR agenda
• Start change management without the right capabilities in place
• Do digital transformation for the sake of it.

Closing remarks

2020 has been the year of HR. The future of the workplace largely depends on how businesses integrate and develop the HR function where they become an equal stakeholder in driving business strategies. It’s also time for the function to step up and deliver what the organisation needs. HR digital transformation is going to be the backbone on which a truly future-ready workforce can be built.

Here’s a sneak peek into the ChangeMaker session: