#MeToo is a manifestation of suppressed emotions of humans who felt. It happened because one section of society felt it was not given its due share and there was some form of harassment. Prince Augustin, EVP- group human capital & leadership development, Mahindra and Mahindra.
Building a culture of capable people is a role HR will play in 2019. Power will be more in terms of dissemination of knowledge, creation of a competitive culture and ensuring the strength of understanding in the organisation. HR must understand the business requirement and act accordingly. It will help to connect people’s purpose to that of the organisation. HR will play the meaningful role of being a transient connector — connecting the hopes and aspirations of the business with the purpose of the employees to create a customer connect.
The biggest challenge is to ensure relevance of individual aspiration to that of the business in this highly digitalised environment. Digitalisation is gaining prominence with each passing day. More than 70 per cent of the workforce will comprise the millennials, who are entering what I call the ‘quarter life crisis’. Many of the baby boomers are suffering from midlife crisis, with no clue about what they will do in the future.
Employee experience will gain significance in future, and therefore, we must focus on the physical, digital and human spaces to manage that.
In my view, the #MeToo campaign has been misinterpreted by people — it is a manifestation of suppressed human emotion. Anything we human beings do to suppress our normal living and normal working can get manifested into a movement. #MeToo happened because one section of society felt it was not given its due share and there was some form of harassment. The role of HR is to ensure that workplaces are safe and there is zero tolerance for any sort of harassment. It is our responsibility to value people and make sure there is equity and fair play in workplaces.
Technology will enable HR to reach out, but in doing so it should not forget the human element. While technology will demand re-designing of work and workspaces, HR will definitely get impacted by it. It will be very challenging for HR to remain human. We have to continuously strive to strike a balance between people experiences and technology interface.
We have always managed a diverse workforce. Every three to four years the organisation re-thinks its values and policies to make sure that employees’ experiences have meaning and purpose. We focus on universal employee engagement and employee deliverance that stand rock solid for a decade.