The ‘PEOPLE’ factor strategy 2020 – 2030 #HR202030

The new SABPP strategy builds from the successful HR Voice strategy which ran from 2013 to 2019 and created a solid foundation for HR professionalism based on national standards and development of professional competencies. The SABPP gained credibility and made the voice of the profession heard more clearly.

Now new challenges are arising. As the pace of change in the workplace gathers momentum in the second decade of the century, there are many concerns that the 4^th Industrial Revolution will displace human beings.  However, as Klaus Schwab, who ‘invented’ the term, points out, the emerging technologies driving radical shifts in the way we live are truly disruptive but the evolution of these technologies, which are still at their very early stages, is entirely within our powers. We have a responsibility to take the window of opportunity and make the technologies “promote the common good, enhance human dignity and protect the environment”.

Hence, the SABPP strategy positions the HR profession to centre people in shaping the future, leveraging the technology and protecting the environment, supporting a fair transition to the future world of work. HR practitioners have the opportunity to take the lead in imagining and developing the workforce of the future for their organisations, reskilling the workforce of the present and making room for new entrants to the workforce.

This is the foundation of the SABPP strategy. The time for this is now, ke nako! 

• Take out The & Factor completely
• PEOPLE
  • P – Positioning HR in the digital era
  • E – Excellence and evidence based
  • O – On-line and in touch
  • P – Partnering and promoting the HR profession
  • L – Leading on people practices
  • E – Ethically-centred Governance.

• Revised products
  • Core products & Services
    • HR Standards and Audits
    • Quality Assurance
    • HR Academy and Competency including Board Exams
    • HR Analytics and Metrics
    • Digital HR and Productivity
    • Employee life cycle and Future of Work
    • Appreciation

We carry forward from the HR Voice strategy the 4 pillars of professionalism – body of knowledge; ethics; self-governance and duty to society. We carry forward also our 4 values:  responsibility, integrity, competence and respect.

The six thrusts of ‘the PEOPLE factor’ strategy is:

P – Positioning HR in the digital era. 

HR practitioners must assist their organisations to harness the digital technologies to find new markets, new products and services and new operational processes. They must be able to foresee what new skills their organisations will need to enable man and machine to achieve the best balance. They must be able to find innovative ways to reskill and reassign people so that social injustice through displacement does not endanger society.

This gives the HR profession an exciting opportunity to take the lead and to be imaginative and bold.

The SABPP will support its members through researching and developing products and services to assist members to build their knowledge and skills in this area.

E – Excellence and evidence based.

Excellence must be achieved by all HR practitioners in both their transactional work and their transformative work, which will be increasingly technology-based.  Skills in making evidence-based decisions in HR functions must be developed, which requires that a good basis of data management be set up and maintained. The SABPP will also research and develop products and services to assist members to achieve excellence.

The SABPP must be also excellent in providing services to its members.

O – On-line and in touch. 

HR must embrace ‘design thinking’, which means that all processes and practices must be designed with the user experience in mind. This means that HR practitioners must be constantly ‘tuned in’ to employees’ and line managers’ needs and must learn how to balance the ‘on-line’ technologies with human connection.

The SABPP must reflect this also in how it interacts with its members and other stakeholders.  On-line CPD and skills development products will also be developed.

Agility and responsiveness are vital in finding the right balance between moving forward to the future and taking people along with us.

P – Partnering and promoting the HR profession. 

HR cannot fulfil this challenging role on its own.  Partnering with other disciplines both locally and globally is important.  The SABPP will continue to identify and maintain appropriate alliance partners to take the profession forward into the 4^th Industrial Revolution.  Whilst the SABPP is based in South Africa, it will collaborate across Africa and further afield to ensure that it is in touch with developments and can spread its good work as appropriate.

L – Leading on people practices.

The SABPP will continue with its pioneering work on setting HRM standards and developing people practices which will support the transition to the new world of work.  Collaboration with universities and other research institutions will be strengthened to lead the HR research agenda.

The work on the Leadership Standard will be followed up to spread the circle of influence on leadership as a critical people practice.

The SABPP will continue to expand its advocacy role in fair people practices.

E – Ethically-centred Governance.

HR practitioners should be champions of ethically centred governance in their organisations, thereby contributing to the ethical culture determined by the King IV Commission as one of the critical outcomes of governance.  SABPP will continue to make its voice known with other important promoters of good governance and will continue to produce products and services to assist HR practitioners take on this role and make an impact.

Ethically-centred governance must also by definition be environmentally sensitive so that organisations are sustainable in all senses of the word.  SABPP will continue to research the role of HR in supporting good environmental practices and will pursue such good practices in its own organisation.

The SABPP will continue to practise sound financial management in order to best balance affordability for members with the demands to extend products and services to members.