Unlocking your workforce’s potential in a changing world

The future of work is here, and it is complex. Talent is on the move, technology is rapidly evolving, and employers are struggling to keep up. However, within these challenges lies opportunities for progress and innovation.

Coinciding with the upcoming HR Tech Festival Asia 2024, slated to be held from April 24-25 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, HRM Asia delves into this dynamic terrain. The first part of this series focuses on how organisations can harness technology to unlock the full potential of their workforce. From effectively managing a boundless workforce to cultivating cultures of recognition and self-discovery within teams, we uncover strategies that empower HR professionals and business leaders to thrive in the ever-changing landscape of work.

Read on to find out more…

Tech key to unlocking boundless workforce potential

Rob Squires, VP and Head of Sales for Asia and Japan, Dayforce, “Today’s organisations are experiencing a complexity crisis, marked by what we call the boundless workforce—a workforce that is increasingly fluid, borderless, and always on. This presents a workforce challenge that 98% of Singapore leaders we surveyed in Dayforce’s 2023 Executive Survey said these challenges will limit organisational performance in the year ahead.”

“HR professionals are feeling more pressure than ever to retain employees and keep them engaged while serving as strategic partners to the business for workforce planning decisions. To overcome complexity and help ease HR’s burden, employers need to invest in the right technology to help run a global organisation. This platform should help them create consistent people experiences across jurisdictions, strengthen compliance, reduce payroll errors, improve global visibility, and deliver on organisational performance goals with the help of workforce intelligence.”

“Conquering the complexity crisis and sustainably driving productivity and performance is a long game, but with the right solution, strategies, and mindset, you can operate with confidence, unlock more value, and realise your people potential.”

Don’t forget your people: AI can boost growth, but humans drive it

Pannie Sia, General Manager, ASEAN, Workday, “The business landscape today is evolving faster than ever before. New business models and new ways of working are constantly coming to the fore. Organisations are therefore compelled to innovate and adapt, or risk being left behind following their competitors. Naturally, with this strong push for productivity and efficiency that is further exacerbated by the widespread usage of AI and machine learning (ML), it is important to be reminded that the workforce remains the main driver of growth for businesses.”

“The key, however, to long, sustainable business growth would be to leverage a people-centric approach to AI and ML. For example, the use of AI-enabled intelligent listening tools can provide invaluable insights into employee sentiment, enabling proactive resolution of concerns and sustained engagement amid changing hybrid work environments. Similarly, using digital solutions to track projects and match jobs with the right candidates ensures employees feel challenged and engaged while guaranteeing the best fit and skillsets for the job. Taking a human-centric approach towards AI and ML propels us towards being agile and future-ready to adapt to the ever-growing demands of today’s work landscape.”

HR drowning in admin? Tech offers growth lifeline

Job van der Voort, Co-Founder and CEO, Remote, “HR teams play such an important role in the growth and profitability of a business. They drive organisations forward by hiring the best talent and ensuring individuals already in the organisation are given the best environment to perform and excel. But HR teams are bogged down administratively—most organisations are now using an average of 16 different systems to manage the employee lifecycle. This increases workload and risks unnecessarily. When you are constantly putting out fires, there’s no room to innovate.”

“This problem will only worsen as organisations begin operating globally, which stereotypically requires more tools. But that doesn’t have to apply to you. Remote offers a unified HR platform because we want HR professionals to be able to focus on their true purpose: growing their organisation and teams so that their organisations can respond quicker to the fast-changing economy and be pioneers in their fields.”

Cultivating recognition culture for enhanced workforce agility

Emma Harvie, Senior Manager of Customer Success and AWI Advisor, Achievers, “In 2024, HR leaders are under pressure to drive meaningful business benefits. One change will help them rise to the challenge and boost workforce agility—building a culture of recognition through the use of technology.”

“Achievers Workforce Institute (AWI) research shows that just one in four employees are resilient. One data-driven way HR leaders can boost organisational resilience is by cultivating a culture of recognition. Employees who receive frequent recognition are also more committed to their jobs and productive. Organisations can enjoy these perks without a big budget—as social recognition alone is impactful, so employees don’t have to toggle between different apps to give praise. Similarly, if an HR leader integrates their recognition tool with their HCM platform, recognition’s perks multiply, as innovations between HCM and recognition drive more engaging feedback cycles, better measurements, and more efficient tax reporting for benefits.”

Technology drives employee wellbeing evolution

Sarah Wong, Senior Director, Employee Benefits, Howden Singapore, “Having reviewed and designed so many employee benefits programmes over the years, we’ve experienced firsthand the pivotal shift in how organisations approach workforce wellbeing, spurred by the integration of technology into benefit offerings. Today, more than ever, organisations recognise the intrinsic link between employee wellness and organisational agility.”

“By harnessing the capabilities of technology, employers can tailor benefits packages to meet the diverse needs of their workforce, fostering a culture of health and resilience. From digital wellness platforms to telemedicine services, technology-enabled benefits not only enhance accessibility but also empower employees to proactively manage their health, reducing absenteeism and boosting productivity. Strategic utilisation of technology in benefits administration also streamlines processes, allowing for greater flexibility and customisation in response to changing market dynamics.”

“As an advocate for both employers and employees, we believe that embracing technology-driven solutions in employee benefits is paramount to building a workforce that is not only healthy and engaged but also poised to navigate the complexities of today’s business landscape with confidence and agility.”

Nurturing a culture of learning and adaptability

Dr Lissy Vadakel, Country Director, Singapore, British Council, “While VUCA has been bandied about as a trendy managerial term for several years now, it nevertheless remains true today—we are looking at a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous future. As another similarly true platitude goes, change is the only constant.”

“Technology has brought, and will continue to bring, disruptive changes to the workplace, to industry, to academia, to all walks of our lives. As individuals and organisations, we can equip ourselves for change by wholeheartedly embracing a growth mindset and a learning culture.”

“The practical skills and technical expertise needed for the jobs of the future are perhaps unknown and will probably always remain so – that being the nature of the VUCA world. What will remain unchanged is the need for cross-cutting core skills: the ability to communicate clearly, effectively, and impactfully; the aptitude to work across multi-disciplinary and multi-generational teams; the resilience and agility to manage ambiguity efficiently. These are the transferable skills that we should then be focusing on.”

“As we’ve seen in the 2024 Budget, the Singapore government continues to place a concerted emphasis on upskilling and reskilling initiatives. The onus remains on each of us to take charge of our learning and prepare ourselves, as best as we can, for the vagaries of the future.”

HR tech to the rescue in skills race

Chew Siew Mee, Managing Director, Singapore, Jobstreet by SEEK, “A rise in job vacancies in recent years compared to the pre-Covid era, coupled with a rapid evolution of skills, has created numerous challenges for both employers and hirers in recent years – namely job mismatches. As jobseekers grapple with navigating this shifting landscape, HR professionals are tasked with swiftly adapting to meet the ever-evolving workforce needs.”

“In such a dynamic job market, HR professionals need to lean on HR technology for streamlined automation, increased efficiency, and enhanced decision-making. In the race for top talent, AI-powered technology can help organisations better focus on skills-based hiring, to better match talent to jobs, thus reducing mis-hires.”

“In particular, the Jobstreet platform harnesses parent company SEEK’s AI technology to assess talent suitability, shortlist applications, and provide personalised recommendations. This process enables seamless connections between jobseekers and employers, allowing for efficient, effective talent acquisition – and freeing up HR professionals to focus on the more strategic and human-centric aspects of hiring.”

Self-discovery drives collaboration and innovation

Jack Chong, Director, Management Drives, “In today’s dynamic corporate landscape, self-awareness is pivotal in fostering effective collaboration and leadership. At Management Drives, we focus on organisational development, effective team cooperation, and improving leadership through a deeper understanding of what motivates individuals, teams, and organisations. Our approach facilitates a journey of self-discovery, enabling HR professionals to grasp the dynamics of their teams’ talents and drive. This knowledge is important for cultivating emotional agility, essential for talent management, and learning and development.”

“We advocate for a transformative shift towards profound self-insight, which is instrumental in refining interactions and building resilient workplace cultures, the journey of self-discovery unlocks individuals’ and organisations’ true potential. Join us to unlock human potential, where empowerment meets innovation, and learn more about the transformative power of personality profiling tools.”

READ MORE: Top HR issues take centre stage at HR Tech Festival Asia 2024

AI revolution demands upskilling

Patrick Morrissey, Chief Customer Officer, HireVue, “We’re at an inflection point in the AI revolution, and the need to upskill and reskill employees with the tools to use algorithms and big data will only continue to accelerate. With the current market focus on the importance of hiring for skills, employers will sink or swim based on whether or not they embrace technology that evaluates candidates for future potential over past experience.”

“Leaning into human potential intelligence over rearview recruiting helps organisations build teams that can quickly adapt to market demands and emerging business priorities.”

HR Tech Festival Asia 2024 is proudly supported by Achievers, Avature, BIPO, British Council, Cigna Healthcare, Culture Amp, Dayforce, Deel, Employment Hero, HireVue, Jobstreet by SEEK, Management Drives, Paradox, Remote, SAP SuccessFactors, Software Education, The Gallup Organisation, The Talent Enterprise, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP), WalkMe, Workday, and Workforce Singapore (WSG).

To find out more about HR Tech Festival Asia 2024, click here.