New ways of working: what is the real impact on the HR profession?
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-08-2015-0064 |
| Date | 12 October 2015 |
| Pages | 163-167 |
| Published date | 12 October 2015 |
| Author | Ksenia Zheltoukhova |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
New ways of working: what is the real
impact on the HR profession?
Ksenia Zheltoukhova
Ksenia Zheltoukhova is
Researcher at the
Chartered Institute of
Personnel and
Development (CIPD),
London, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to introduce the concept of shared-value and propose how it could be
applied in the field of human resource management (HRM).
Design/methodology/approach –Conceptual paper presenting key ideas.
Findings –The ability to connect the interests of people and the business is seemingly within the remit
of human resource (HR), yet the people management function has been slow to implement the
shared-value creation idea. A principles-based approach to HRM, underpinned by a body of
knowledge, is proposed as the way forward.
Originality/value –While many other professions have adopted a principles-based approach to
setting standards of good practice, the development of principles of human capital management is
nascent. This paper discusses the feasibility of this approach for the HR profession.
Keywords Human resource management, Ethics, Capabilities
Paper type Conceptual paper
The world of work is changing at an unprecedented pace, taking previously unfamiliar
shapes. In the UK, the proportion of people employed in manufacturing was nine
times smaller in 2011 (8 per cent) than in 1961 (36 per cent) (Beatson, 2013), with
the sector seeing similar declines all over the world. On the other end of the scale, one of
the most popular online freelancer platforms (Upwork) – which did not even exist until
2003 – today hosts nearly ten million registered freelancers available to complete jobs
anywhere in the world, with no additional costs of office space or overheads (Cunningham,
2015). Meister and Willyerd (2010) pointed out that today’s 18-year-olds are joining four
other generations in the workplace, the most in history, and so are having to negotiate vast
differences in their outlooks on working life and career.
On the face of it, the drivers of change in the world of work present some immediate
practical challenges for human resource (HR) and other people management and
development practitioners. What are the ways to grasp the opportunities offered by
technological advances? How are we to prepare global leaders to identify and respond to
the fast changing business needs? Which organisational structures provide the best
working environment for the multi-generational workforce? Resolving these questions
requires an understanding of the external and internal factors impacting the business and
an ability to respond to the challenges quickly and effectively to support organisational
performance.
However, underneath the surface, these megatrends pose some far more profound
dilemmas. For example, job automation depreciates the value of certain skills, contributing
to societal divides, as certain workforce groups lose access to quality jobs. There is also
growing recognition of the mismatch between graduate skills and those employers are
looking for, coupled with the reduced availability of government support to close that gap.
DOI 10.1108/SHR-08-2015-0064 VOL. 14 NO. 5 2015, pp. 163-167, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 STRATEGIC HR REVIEW PAGE 163
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