A while ago I wrote about 3 controversial HR issues that have had much debate around them. Even in 2017 they all still seem to be quite “controversial”. Much of it is rooted to the mindset Asian companies and workforce have where traditional work environments and practices still prevail. It’s hard to shake off, but if you’re looking to work with millennials and achieve exponential business growth the norms have to be let go of.
The good news is that flexible work options are becoming a reality in the form of agile talent. And though performance appraisals aren’t dead yet, it’s transformed into a more effective and meaningful process. Dividing HR, however, still is a highly controversial HR topic!
And that brings me to the 4th and 5th controversial HR issues that every leader and HR professional should be thinking about:
Gender Disparity
In the past 2 years this topic has seen plenty of social media and news worthy chatter. You could say it’s been discussed so much that there’s very little left to say. By now you’d even assume it’s been “dealt with”. However, there hasn’t been much done to address it. You hear about, you talk about it, you even agree with it. But what’s actually been done about this issue? Can companies boldly say they’ve gotten rid of the disparity and there is no gender (or otherwise) discrimination in their pay structures and policies? Are the recruitment processes across all companies equal for everyone?
On a positive note, there are some companies who’ve taken on this initiative seriously. They’ve assessed and revised their policies and procedures to be fairer. Unfortunately, however, the steps taken so far aren’t as rapid as they should be. Given the current pace at which isn’t been addressed we can expect to be completely rid of gender disparity in the next 40 years! And that to me is highly unacceptable.
The Death of Traditional Organizational Structures
Back in 2010 there was an article on Forbes about the death of the traditional company. The observation made was that mobile technology, the internet and remote computing (the cloud) have disrupted traditional ways of working. It’s only natural then that office spaces, interactions with bosses and cross-functional teams, ways to communicate and learn new skills and even company values have all been impacted by technology. The rules of the game may not have changed, but how the game is played certainly has. Why then are organizations still hanging on to hierarchies and bureaucracies? Why are teams still designed to work in silos? Why aren’t managers sharing resources, talent and skills to maximize their functions’ output?
Some may argue that you need structure to maintain accountability and lay responsibility on. However, if you’ve clearly communicated objectives and everyone knows what’s expected of them, why is there a need to have formal structures that hamper an organization’s ability to really do much more than it current can. Without these structures, I feel, organization’s can truly unleash their talent’s potential and grow massively.
Having said all this, I’m now curious to see what the next few years (or months) brings forward for HR. The last 3 controversial HR issues haven’t been completed put to rest as yet and since then I feel 2 more have added on. Let’s see what’s in store for the business and HR worlds.
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