Market View

Adaptive HR in a Dynamic World: Navigating Diversity, Jurisdiction, and the Modern Workforce

Interview with

Phil Bevan

Director of People and Culture, Nacro

About Phil Bevan

Phil Bevan holds the position of Director of People and Culture. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing aspects crucial to organisational performance and sustainability. This includes managing the immediate operational commitments as well as contributing to the strategic development of the organisation. He oversees the people and organisation development team and, as part of the executive leadership team, he plays a significant role in influencing broader organisational outcomes.

How has the evolving nature of work impacted your HR strategies, technology, and processes?

The shift towards remote work is significantly altering our organisational landscape, making technology pivotal in fostering employee engagement. Onboarding is a critical element of building an engaging relationship between the organisation and each employee and technology can really help to make this an interactive experience, beginning even before an employee’s first day, and continuing throughout their tenure. We are looking to extend our tools so that technology both prompts human interactions at various touchpoints in the process, and acts as a communication/engagement channel in its right.

Regular interactions through our HR platforms should keep our staff informed and involved, fundamentally changing our engagement strategy. We used to talk about human resource information systems primarily in terms of back-office administration. Now, our tools should be a regular part of our employee’s work lives to keep them informed and involved. This approach to technology fundamentally changes how we engage with our workforce.

As we connect more remotely, maintaining a strong connection to the workforce and the organisation becomes crucial.

Can you share a recent challenge where having an adaptive HR approach was crucial?

Absolutely, our journey towards transforming performance and development management is a prime example. Moving away from the annual review mindset, we're re-evaluating our approach to shift to continuous, linked ‘check-in’ and 'step-back' conversations. Timing these reviews to coincide with relevant milestones will enable us to personalise the process, making it more timely and impactful for individual growth. Although the organisation has made efforts to improve this process and there are pockets of excellence, we still find ourselves somewhat constrained by the traditional annual review mindset.

This adaptive approach will allow us to leverage technology effectively, moving from a rigid system to one that's flexible and responsive to our people's needs.

By connecting regular one-on-one discussions with more formal, periodic reviews, we can create a more customised and effective HR strategy that addresses the unique needs of our employees and departments. Our aim wasn't just to maintain consistency but to ensure colleagues experience best practices. Traditionally, HR's solution has been to design a form to guide managers through these discussions. However, this often shifts the focus to filling out the form rather than enhancing the quality of conversations about performance and development opportunities. By inverting this approach and focusing on meaningful dialogue, we can make the process more pertinent for the individual and help distribute managerial workload throughout the year.

Looking forward, how do you see the future of HR management evolving with these rapid changes?

The role of technology in HR is becoming increasingly significant. It bridges the gap between HR teams and line managers, enhancing the way we manage our people - our ‘human resources’. For instance, at Nacro, where we have a considerable number of line managers, technology could serve as a facilitator, enabling a streamlined approach to managing people effectively. By integrating advanced HR technologies, we aim to empower managers, allowing them to manage proactively rather than reactively. Technology should enable the HR team to guide and assist more effectively, empowering line managers with the tools and insights needed to manage their teams proactively. This could represent a significant shift in the way we think about and implement HR management.

The integration of sophisticated HR technologies is set to transform workforce management by enhancing the effectiveness of our HR initiatives and enabling more strategic decision-making. By providing managers with powerful tools and actionable insights, we can foster a more engaged and committed workforce, which is crucial in today's dynamic work environment. Reflecting on our performance and development review process, we're moving away from the traditional model of submitting forms to HR. Instead, we're looking towards a technological solution that alerts the HR team—not because of problems, necessarily, but to highlight opportunities, whether they involve addressing issues or recognizing an employee's potential.

When selecting an HR platform, what are your top priorities?

Flexibility and adaptability top the list, ensuring that the HR solution aligns perfectly with our needs rather than forcing us into a predetermined framework. The user experience is also paramount—it should be intuitive and engaging, akin to everyday online activities. It should be as straightforward as any common online activity like booking a flight or reviewing a film.

Lastly, the ability to seamlessly integrate and manage data across systems is crucial for us, especially since we prefer best-of-breed solutions over all-in-one suites. Flexibility and adaptability are crucial. This means utilising an HR solution that is highly relevant to our organisation, unlike previous experiences where the technology dictated how processes had to be executed due to its rigid design. Given our preference for best-of-breed solutions over a unified suite, being able to efficiently exchange data between systems is vital for long-term success. This facilitates easier connectivity and enhances our ability to manage diverse tools effectively.

What impact do you see these changes having on workforce management?

The integration of sophisticated HR technologies is set to transform workforce management by enhancing the effectiveness of our HR initiatives and enabling more strategic decision-making. By providing managers with powerful tools and actionable insights, we can foster a more engaged and committed workforce, which is crucial in today's dynamic work environment. This strategic use of technology not only improves operational efficiencies but also supports our overarching goal of creating a more adaptive and responsive HR function.

By leveraging advanced HR technologies, we can empower managers to proactively manage their teams, streamline processes, and make data-driven decisions that positively impact the entire organisation. This shift towards a more technologically-driven HR approach will ultimately lead to better workforce management outcomes, including increased employee engagement, improved retention rates, and enhanced overall organisational performance. The dynamic between line managers and HR teams can sometimes be challenging, but I see HR technology as a potential facilitator for a streamlined HR team that can better support managers in excelling at their roles in people management.

About Nacro

Nacro is a national social justice charity that believe that everyone deserves a good education, a safe and secure place to live, the right to be heard, and the chance to start again, with support from someone on their side. They provide practical help and personalised support through education, housing, justice and health and wellbeing services.