National HR Summit a hit with attendees

“The world of HR is so very dynamic, and HR people remain busier than ever trying to gage the challenging environment in which they find themselves.”

These were the opening words which kicked off the National HR Summit in Auckland, which saw 190 HR professionals gathered from all over the country to hear from a fantastic lineup of speakers, panels and workshops.

The event was organised by HRD New Zealand and its event partner ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll, along with legal partner Kensington Swan. It was opened by Jane Parker, Professor of Employment Relations and HRM at Massey University, who delivered an informative summary of the biggest issues on the minds of HR managers today – the ‘war on talent,’ regulatory change and diversity and inclusion.

Parker pointed to New Zealand’s enviable 4% unemployment statistic as a strong indicator of our labour supply and demand being in good balance – though of course, the space is not without its challenges. She highlighted the 2018 Employment Relations Amendment Act as a landscape changer in the HR space, and of course, HR’s vital role in promoting diversity and inclusion – a growing issue across every facet of business, and one that will most certainly be hotly discussed in the coming years.

Parker’s welcome was followed by brief introduction from Kenny Addison, NZ Country Manager of ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll, who then welcomed entrepreneur and New Zealand fashion icon Karen Walker to the stage.

Walker, who truly needs no introduction, shared her journey to becoming a global fashion brand in an inspiring talk which touched on the importance of bravery, resilience, a strong team and a clear vision when striving for success.

She was followed by Karen Didovich, Director of HR and Organisational Development at NZ Blood, who touched on one of the most serious and potentially destructive issues still facing the modern workplace – bullying and harassment. Didovich discussed some of the anti-bullying programmes that employers have available to them, and talked about the various resources available when dealing with bullying and harassment in your organisation.

The day’s panel discussions included ‘powering your performance and management programmes’, a though-provoking talk around how companies measure employee performance, as well as how to win the ‘war on talent’ – a discussion around the strategies employers can utilise to attract candidates in an increasingly competitive market.

Microsoft’s HR lead Ebeny Firth also spoke about how to identify and correct ‘dysfunctional workplace behaviours’ using data, and Kensington Swan partner Charlotte Parkhill led a seminar on the Holidays Act 2003 – a piece of legislation which has created a wave of issues for HR professionals since its passing.

The day was wrapped up with a panel discussing HR’s rapidly evolving data landscape, and took an in-depth look at the data collection and analytics tools available to HR professionals. The panel was moderated by Jane Parker and included participants from Xero, IBM, Vodafone and Auckland Council.

With great networking opportunities along with an array of great speakers, the event was a fantastic success and has received great feedback from attendees. HRD New Zealand will continue to hold the event annually, and will strive to be part of a real movement of evolution in the human resources sector.