HR Strategies that Unite Generations
| Published date | 01 September 2007 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14754390780001001 |
| Pages | 2-2 |
| Date | 01 September 2007 |
| Author | Sara Nolan |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
Volume 6 Issue 6 September/October 2007
2
FROM THE EDITOR
,
CONTACT
Sara Nolan
E-mail: sara.nolan@melcrum.com
,
HR strategies that
unite generations
Recognizing different needs
These case studies demonstrate how HR strategies can
be implemented that recognizethe different needs,
motivations and aspirations of different generations. In
Putting balance into business,on page 28, work/life
expert Hayley Dunne says that the latest generation of
workers is looking to achieve a balance between work
and personal life. Towards this end, this generation will
downgrade jobs and be highly selectivein its choice of
workplace. In order to attract and retain this talent,
Dunne says organizations need to look at
implementing a work/life balance (WLB) strategy. As
she conveys through three case studies, this means
morethan offering flexible hours – it is about changing
the whole mindset of the organization and howit
manages its people. Get it right and the benefits to the
business can be significant.
WLB is a strategy that David Conroy of Mercer also
suggests as a means of engaging the new generation of
workers – see The generation game,right. For
organizations unsure of where to start the process of
updating their rewards and benefits, Conroy says it is
about looking at work from the perspective of the
employee and coming up with a solution that takes
into account the needs of the employee and the
employer, and the cost to the business. If an
organization finds its own blend of reward and
recognition out of this process, it could obtain the
competitive advantage it needs to attract and retain
talent of all generations.
This month’s issue is about engaging and rewarding
staff across different generations, and the challenges
that this presents when developing HR strategies. Dr
Richard McBain starts the debate by going back to the
fundamentals of engagement. Onpage 16, in The
practice of engagement,he outlines the results of
research carried out by Henley Management College
across 10 organizations that looked at existing
engagement practice. Byexploring what engagement is,
what drives it and what the desired outcomes are,
Henley has come up with a model of engagement and
commitment that firmly recognizes the different needs
of different groups and cultures. The message is that
one sizedoes not fit all, and that it is worth getting to
grips with the complex relationship that exists between
engagement, commitment and job satisfaction.
Following on from this aretwo case studies that
featuretwo different ways of building the engagement
and loyalty of employees. The first features mobile
telecoms company O2. InO2 makes work a
rewarding experience,on page 20, Ali Gill of
consultancy Get feedback discusses how she worked
with O2 to find a reward and recognition system that
would keep the top talent in the organization – across
all generations. The solution was the O2 Sales
Academy, an initiative that was firmly integrated into
HR processes in order to drive the business forward.
The second case study features global aluminium
company UC RUSAL. On page 24, in UC RUSAL
unites cultures through local CSR programs, Victoria
Petrova, head of the company’s HR Directorate,
outlines how a policy of corporate social responsibility
has successfully united employees across generations
and cultures. Petrova says the key was “thinking
globally and acting locally” in order to reach employees
across an organization that spanned 17 countries and
five continents.
Sara Nolan
© Melcrum publishing 2007.For more information visit our website www.melcrum.com or e-mail info@melcrum.com
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