Today is day one of the 70th CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition or ACE for short which is taking place in the beautiful city of Manchester. Here is a brief summary of what we can expect from his years’ conference and don’t forget, you can follow all the activity in real time via Twitter!
In comparison to last years’ conference, HR has had to effectively react to the considerable changes we’ve seen; especially within employment law with the recent removal of tribunal fees. The pace is noticeably quicker and with People Management recently reporting an increase in demand for HR services by 31% this is only going to evolve the profession further. I am certainly experiencing an increase in requests to enhance manager capability, this only indicates that HR should be working with organisations to equip managers with the right tools to effectively manage employees and most certainly in the right way.
Bearing this in mind, there is still much more that HR need to do in order to make that effective impact on organisations but that is why we enjoy our jobs! But upon reflection of the points I highlighted at ACE16; there is still a requirement for more collaboration from organisations as I fear there is still a significant level of misunderstanding which could leave many left behind. I recently asked on social media; why should it only be HR partnering with the organisation? Surely there needs to be an emphasis upon more organisations engaging HR in the right way by removing that perception the hiring and firing department. We can only achieve this by delivering on strategies that truly make an impact such as mental health initiatives; preparing for the future by instilling the need for succession planning and investing in employees for the long term, not patching issues with quick fixes.
In all, with the conference celebrating it’s 70th anniversary, expectations are naturally going to be high. I imagine that we will hear in more depth about the trends and changes the profession is currently experiencing and the best ways in which we can adapt and effectively respond. The points I am really looking forward to are hearing the final thoughts of David D’Souza as he sadly leaves the CIPD and Giles O’Halloran’s workshop around developing HR Business Partners as Change Activists as it incorporates the need for HR to facilitate change in our organisations.CIP
Natalie Ellis HR 