Good morning and welcome to the 2018 CIPD annual conference and exhibition! This years theme is leading the people profession and we start the blogging with the opening keynote, the people profession is changing…
There is no longer a one size fits all HR solution and as the world of work continues to change, we also have to change the way that we work as individuals and as a profession. Peter Cheese took to the stage to welcome everyone to this years ACE.
In a time of change, there are certain elements that we can and cannot control, we can encourage the right things, we can build trust within our organisations, but we cannot control Brexit and the uncertainty that awaits us.
How do we effectively build our impact and have our voice heard whilst believing in what we actually stand for as a profession? With increasing complexities emerging with political influences , how do we develop jobs and improve the world of work, we need to put human back into Human Resources? We can do this by creating jobs and worthwhile work, encouraging team work and that often starts with the educational system to build the skills that are essential for the future.
A fundamental business priority right now is diversity and inclusion, we need to actively encourage flexible working and creating inclusive workplaces that suits everyone, the traditional 9-5 Monday to Friday, why do we do this? 9-5 hours may suit some people, but does it truly suit everyone? Again, these are elements that we can influence in our organisations, and whilst many may see it as only changing one organisation, if every HR professional can encourage the changes, this can have a much bigger impact, not just on productivity but the wider UK economy and with the UK lagging behind the rest of Europe in respect of working hours and productivity; the time for positive change is now. It’s all about creating better working lives.
Another opportunity for the profession is to make our organisations more attractive to work for, but also increase levels of employee wellbeing which will support increased productivity. There are individual opportunities too; by giving HR a voice in our organisations and really demonstrate our capabilities by stepping up and leaving the traditional “processing function” behind. We are entering some really exciting times and the opportunities for HR, we need to change to drive our businesses forward.
Natalie Ellis HR 