'I don't think organisations are doing a great job articulating the value'
As many employers address return to office policies, HR leaders should take the opportunity to drive the conversation towards the value of face-to-face interactions.
“I don’t think organisations are doing a great job articulating about the value,” says David Mollison, general manager of people & culture at the National Roads and Motorists' Association (NRMA).
“The majority of organisations have been created by interactions with humans coming together within a site and I think there’s a social fabric of an organisation that’s more than just people doing the widgets. I think the opportunity for [HR] as a function is how we start to get proactive again and take the lead to some of these conversations.”
As technology is changing, there is potential for HR to make a real contribution and impact, he says, but it’s important to think about how to “front foot” changes, rather than reacting by fixing issues as they occur.
“It’s an exciting time and I think that experience in the pandemic has really helped lay a foundation about where we can launch from here to move forward,” says Mollison, talking on HRDTV.
Part of the changes to which he refers involve the introduction of technology in HR and the speed at which this is developing. Knowing what’s the best fit is the multi-billion-dollar question for HR professionals and organisations, says Mollison, who notes the NRMA is going through a process of introducing a new system.
“I reflect on the RFP process that we went through,” he says. “It was a really interesting, eye-opening experience for me, because you see all of these products in the marketplace, and these providers tout their products are going to solve everything for everyone under all situations.”
The reality is that most systems are now taking a unique, segmented approach to what they’re looking to solve, he says, so the value of a sweeping approach is potentially limiting. Instead, providers should ‘walk in the customers’ shoes’ in terms of identifying the particular requirements, rather than general solutions.
“I feel that’s a real opportunity in the market,” he says. “With the level of complexity, there are going to be nuances but it’s about how to help build an eco-system that makes sense for an organisation to get the most out of their technology.”
In terms of embracing HR technology to evolve engagement in positive directions, the NRMA is going through a transition that will allow for the integration of scheduling and workforce management, as well as linking to learning, says Mollison.
“We knew that we needed to change our systems and that to do nothing wouldn’t be an option,” he says. “There’s never really an ideal time for these type of projects but we’ve pressed ahead.”
The primary strategy was to address compliance, and make it easy for employees in the process, says Mollison.
“It’s a very exciting journey and it will be transformational for us because it then gives us the foundation to look at what can we do next from an employee engagement process and an HR function.”
In terms of gaining C-level buy-in, it’s about focusing on building a commercial case that actually speaks to the business, he says, “in terms of the value proposition with a more financial end, because, at the end of the day, each business understands the numbers.
“What we were doing was looking at what the current situation is versus the future state and the benefit. Yes, we know there was an implementation cost but we had to factor in what are the risks around if we didn’t get this right? So it’s actually really firming up a strong business, using the compliance lens to help drive the numbers and I think that allowed us to then sell some of the softer benefits through it as well.”
With regards to AI, it cannot be avoided, says Mollison.
“Whether we like it or not, it’s here,” he says, acknowledging it’s a complex problem but one that will be a game-changer for HR. “I don’t think it’s going to be straightforward, but not having the conversation…I think that’s a real risk an organisation runs.”
Embracing the opportunities to make AI work for an organisation will involve “having honest and transparent conversations about what this means and finding how it can work within their business” he says.
When asked what advice he would give to emerging HR practitioners hoping to forge a successful career in the industry, Mollison says gaining experience in other areas of business as well as HR gives a richness and depth that’s invaluable.
The key for HR in future, he adds, is how to pivot to a value -proposition, predicting too that in five years the function will look quite different.
“AI’s not going to help with leadership capability, but what it might help with is how it generates leadership courses and training in a much more bespoke and specific way.
“For me, the function of a great HR community around an organisation is that it helps it grow and stretch and be different – that I think will be the same.”
