HR Functions in Play
Widespread innovation, liquid workforce, talent attraction and management, employee experience, self service. Alessandro Paparelli, Vice President of Human Resources at Kering Asia Pacific, tells all about the present and the future of a department that is increasingly linked to business and top management.
The nature of work is being transformed. How does HR respond to or drive the change process?
The problem in my opinion is that work hasn't changed enough. Work is a dimension of everyone's life and therefore it should be changing along lifestyles, infrastructure, technology. Yet sometimes you look around and see an office that operates like a century ago. HR holds the levers of change (policies, rules, contractual issues, incentives, selection and talent development, facilities...) and has won a place at the decision-making table: there is no excuse for not taking the initiative. With courage, when needed.
Different generations of employees have different know-hows, ambitions, needs. Is the management of their coexistence a significant aspect of HR, today and tomorrow?
Yesterday, too! Diversity is always an asset. We should keep promoting it. But I would add that sometimes it's ok not to manage these differences at all. Let the generations come in touch, and sometimes collide, with no mediation. I like to say that on principle we should be able to work with everybody, no matter of his nature, style, habits, opinions. Having said that, the generational gap is offering very interesting ideas, such as in the case of inverse mentoring, where young employees "teach" their older colleagues.
How do you deal with an increasingly fragmented workforce?
More and more people talk about liquid workforce when it comes to describe the employees of the future: fragmented, unstable, in need of customized solutions. The HR function will deal with complexity management and employee experience, as well as maintaining a strong focus on talent attraction and management.
Do you think that HR outsourcing services will grow?
Yes they will, especially in transactional services. But I think that the HR function as a whole will be more and more "in-sourced". It will be increasingly linked to business and top management.
What is the self service employee ?
HR plays a "mechanic" role in many aspects of the staff administration. This is a role that can be operated in self service, thus reducing the administrative burden, so that HR has more time and resources to value added activities. A couple of years ago, Gucci launched a great app for training that can be managed on demand. Talking about Compensations & Benefits, all the executives can now manage their own long-term incentive plan using a software.
Do you think that data analytics will become important for performance evaluation?
I don't. The use of analytics will certainly grow to support control and strategic vision. The application on employee performance can be counterproductive.
How does Kering address these changes?
One of the things that most excite me when it comes to Kering is widespread innovation. When we give you a business card, you will find our motto on its back: "Empowering Imagination". I won't invoke Marcuse, but I think it says a lot about our mindset. Among our latest projects there are gaming solutions on social platforms for recruiting shop staff in China, a "Core HR" system designed for mobile devices, the incessant improvement of our talent analytics dashboards, projects for synergies in transactional services, new forms of flexibility especially designed for working mothers... Our HR challenges itself and looks to the future with a progressive mindset. Quite rock and roll.