THE DILEMMA
The meeting room buzzed with sounds of feverish optimism. Recently purchased software to streamline the HR-related functions within the organization was yielding positive results. Everyone grew quiet as the CEO entered the room with the HR Director to address other members of the senior management. The solemn expression on his face foretold the impending arrival of unwelcome news.
Clearing his throat, he uttered ‘I have just received the results of the latest employee survey and it indicates that technology is being seen as a limiting factor in progressive employee relations’. The light dimmed on the brightly-lit faces of the meeting participants as one of them tried to introduce incredulity in the ensuing conversation by emphasizing, ‘but, we have been steadily improving our business performance and achieving operational objectives’. ‘True’, the CEO answered, ‘our short-term outlook is positive, however, the majority of our employees have expressed reservations on how the mechanistic imperatives are overriding the humanistic concerns, and its grave consequences for long-term sustainability in a competitive market swarming with poaching competitors.
They feel that we are losing our ability to stay integrated as a closely-knit organization bound by cohesive culture values. Their engagement levels are being severely tested as efficiency trumps empathy. So, here is a question for us, have we overplayed our hand with technology?
THE CHALLENGE
The aforementioned scenario is a reflection of the dilemma being faced by corporate entities across the world.
The perilous allure of embracing technology as a competitive advantage, without conducting the necessary due-diligence on its optimal use, has increasingly fuelled the infatuation of organizations with profits at the expense of its workforce.
Consequently, this has promulgated the need for talent management practices that are designed for ‘risk accommodation’ against ‘talent flight’ as compared to ‘risk mitigation’ that caters to ‘talent engagement’. The era of ‘employee loyalty’ has been over for quite a while now, however, the concept of ‘employee partnership’ that was built on the ashes of organizational allegiance is also under threat.
Increasingly, professional careers are being subjected to the whims of corporate profits and ‘activist’ shareholder concerns, with the ‘psychological contract’ being hastily eroded in the process.
The new arrangement taking shape seems to be one of ‘employee gratification’, where attractive pay packages are customized to serve as ‘golden handcuffs’ on the desired talent as long as the organization sees a healthy ROI in terms of retaining them as part of its workforce.
MODERATING
TECHNOLOGY
WITHIN HR RELATED FUNCTIONS
BY MURAD SALMAN MIRZA