The business and work landscape across APAC today remains in flux, with disruptive technologies like Gen AI, rising automation, and rapid digitalisation all posing challenges to existing business models of growth. The rapid evolution of these technologies, especially Gen AI, has created a new wave of disruption for companies in key economies like Australia, India, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Business leaders look at how the workforce is skilled, engaged, and retained as talent becomes the key driver of business success. The spotlight is on HR leaders to scale productivity and experience and drive learning and retention targets.

Whether it's Australia which - amidst growing demands for better employee experience - has witnessed the rise in AI investments or Singapore which today is looking at large-scale capability-building initiatives focused on building AI fluency and tackling digital skills demand, the new frontier of work, productivity and experience has finally arrived.

People Matters and ServiceNow’s exclusive Virtual Conference Shifting Horizons: Mapping the New Frontier of Productivity, Growth, and Experience brought together top CHROs, tech leaders and thinkers to discuss a wide range of pressing issues and topics that matter to you, your organisation, and most importantly your employees.

Key takeaways from the sessions:

• People Tech Strategy has to look from the personalisation lens to enhance employee experience for hiring and retention, AI will be invaluable in contextualising the history of each employee and achieving this.
• Gen AI  is dramatically increasing the processes towards self-service and automation. Its potential to impact COEs across the HR function will be a critical enabler.
• Synthesising information is going to be a game changer in an age where we are overloaded with information. AI will prove a game-changer in enabling companies to process information and make effective decisions.
• GenAI and reskilling your workforce are undoubtedly a part of the same conversation. Skilling needs to be adaptable and should respond to newer business needs.
• While uncertainty remains in how HR is going to evolve, companies are excited to explore new opportunities, experiment, and build future-ready solutions.
• It's critical for HR leaders to not forget the human part of the equation while driving EX, engagement, and productivity.

AI as an essential component of your People Strategy

The opening keynote discussion explored the impact of AI on work and productivity. Kellie Steven-Waiss, Chief Transformation Officer, ServiceNow. She shared her insights on the implementation of AI and HR leaders across APAC today benefitting from a robust implementation strategy. Central to this conversation was the growing role of Gen AI in enhancing HR effectiveness.

With reports across countries like Australia, Singapore, and India showing the rising potential of business impact through AI, it is mission-critical to address the ‘how’ of Gen AI. How can companies leverage the potential of Gen AI to raise productivity? How should the skills landscape evolve in response to this growing hype for AI? How can companies ensure a unified platform that equips them with the right capabilities to help them lead the transformation race and build for the right future?

For Kellie, answering these questions begins with understanding the core components of Gen AI today:

• Understand context and intent
• Synthesise Information
• Generate content

As workplace complexities rise across APAC, the expectations of HR teams from their HR systems will also grow. For Kellie, Gen AI is a powerful tool that enhances the effectiveness of your people strategy, providing ways to raise self-service, empowered and personalised employee experience that is tuned for productivity.

With the future of HR being more around building and analysing impactful initiatives, the role of Gen AI in synthesising information will be critical to success.

Transformative conversations charting the future of HR

The first and one of the top highlights of the Shifting Horizons was the CHRO panel discussion that deliberated what was required to support the new business growth agenda.

We had Sanjay S Singh, Global Chief Human Resources Officer, UPL Ltd, Chee Gay Lim, Group CHRO, TDCX and Cian Zoller, Senior Director HR Business Partner, ServiceNow join us in shaping how the next 12 months look across major economies in APAC.

Companies are still learning to bridge the actively evolving skill gap to ensure they are prepared to navigate future challenges while also keeping in mind the impact of technologies like Gen AI.

Cian noted how it was critical to use technology to help free HR of the "mundane, repetitive tasks and look personalising employee experience, making sure employee skills are up-to-date and ensuring teams are productive." Chee added how in 2024 the focus on skills and development will be key, right from hiring to retention of talent. To do this more impactfully he suggested how there is a need to look beyond job descriptions and address the specific needs of different job roles with required skills

Our second panel discussion focused more on employees and supercharging their productivity and experience in a tech-augmented future. We had Monica Watt, Founder & HR Strategist, Incredible Buzz, Dolphy Goveas, Head of Global HR Operations, Goodhope Asia Holdings Ltd, Diana Spalding, Sr Director Solution Sales, Employee Workflows, ServiceNow with Paromita Roy, Head Leadership Development, Tata Steel moderating the session.

The discussion unpacked employee trends and preferences and helped predict and navigate the tech-augmented future from a skills and mindset perspective, providing listeners strategies that enable employees to become the catalyst of growth. It also deliberated the role of technology in enabling better EX, closer alignment of business goals to personal aspirations, and the criticality of having employees prepared for an AI-driven future.

The way ahead for an impactful 2024

To transform, skill, and enhance experience proactively and lead the curve entails overcoming the ensuing uncertainty of these newer technologies and forging a new path to success. One that empowers employees with the right skills and experience, leverages self-serving, cost-effective digital platforms, and ensures companies across India, Singapore, and Australia can build for a brighter future.

Navigating this new frontier requires top minds in the talent and business landscape to come together to build impactful, future-ready strategies that harness the power of disruptive technologies like AI and enable businesses to reduce costs and raise efficiencies across the board.