As the world looks at Indonesia to script the next chapter of growth and success, the challenge of low digital literacy, inadequate language skills and the fast-paced evolution of Gen AI have brought into focus the role of HR in this journey. To solve the critical obstacles of rapid upskilling, tech adoption and future-proofing business growth, the function needs to understand what the business needs, determine what the workforce is capable of and align the two. To ensure HR is able to ‘Design for The Future’, for the very first time, we bring to the Asian powerhouse, People Matters TechHR Pulse Indonesia. 

The idea is to bring the pulse of Asia’s largest HR and Work Tech conference to the growing economies of the world through an agenda packed with learnings, unique formats and Indonesia’s leading minds and voices. Ahead of the conference, we were joined by our speakers, Dedev Parulian, Cluster Head (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor) & APAC IR Head, Ofi (Olam Group) and Marwan ElGamal, Head of Talent and Organisational Development, Gotoko during a LinkedIn Live session. Here are some of the key takeaways for HR from the conversation:

HR: A Marketer, Promoter and Change Manager

To deal with the myriad challenges of skills development, digital transformation, talent shortage, employee engagement and high attrition, HR needs to be more than just a people’s manager. Dedev explains, “The function needs to encompass the role of a marketer, promoter and change manager to help leaders and employees visualise the future. Given the pace of change in existing business models and job roles, HR need to be more adaptive and agile in responding to market developments.” 

That’s one of the reasons why HR is struggling to stay ahead of the curve, adds Marwan as he explains how the current approach to this change is more transactional. HR leaders need to educate themselves first and then plan to build the same capabilities in the workforce. In the new role, it will help to view employees as customers. This indeed can bring siloed processes under one umbrella and help people understand how their personal development is aligned to career progression, guides Marwan. 

Elaborating on the integral role of inspiration, Dedev informs, “HR needs to highlight success stories and promote the learning journeys of its employees more effectively.” The idea is to design accessible and user-friendly learning experiences to inculcate a growth mindset and transform skills building into an ongoing journey as opposed to a one-time event.

Co-creating Value by Becoming Strategic Partner

Partnering with business leaders should be a top priority for HR professionals as one begins to comprehend what the business needs and respond with suitable solutions. Dedev declares, “Scripting growth and success stories together will help HR become a strategic partner in business decision-making and building the future of work.” While being tech-savvy is a foundational requirement, it is essential for HR to develop business acumen in order to co-create and co-implement innovative people initiatives.

Marwan believes, “It is equally important to foster a culture of learning and development driven by the C-suite so that a mindset shift can occur.” An organisation’s learning goals need to be aligned with the culture and focused on building skills that will hold value in the future. Highlighting Dedev’s point, he shares, “While some tech-savvy industries may have the luxury to build more future-driven systems before others, employers across all fields must identify and prioritise the skills they want to develop and focus on them.” This co-creation process makes it easier to demonstrate the business value of people's programs, thereby securing investment, leadership buy-in and active CXO participation.

Scaleable approach to Learning and Development

Nearly 60% of Indonesia’s population is below 30 and it is imperative to focus on building a skilled and agile workforce, or else. a massive demographic dividend can negatively affect the country and its economy. To leverage the nation’s young population in creating a competitive edge, Dedev perceives a multi-stakeholder approach to reimagine education, training and skills building.” From an employer's perspective, HR must find new ways of making people job-ready by focusing exclusively on capability building and giving people career development resources. 

On the same lines, Marwan reports, “HR needs to be aware of the needs of a diverse workforce and design programs for non-Gen Z workers as well.” Getting creative and exploring unconventional learning models, like reverse mentoring, is essential. For example, HR can identify tech-savvy employees and pair them with senior leaders to bridge the digital skills gap. This cost-efficient and scalable approach is a good way to ensure comprehensive digital skills-building and cross-functional learning across employee demographics.

2024: Cultivating employee-centric people processes

As more international organisations venture into Indonesian market, native employers must step up their offerings and EVPs to ensure they continue attracting top talent. Marwan elaborates that this requires rethinking existing talent strategies and building a global mindset that encourages people to compete with peers from different nations. It also means that 2024 will arrive with unique challenges and opportunities for HR leaders. “To ensure organisations are implementing strategies for a better future that lead to more diverse, agile and digital workplaces, HR needs to redesign internal processes and make them more employee-centric,” ends Marwan.

To embed values such as learning, collaboration and integrity in the workplace culture, Dedev opines that HR must work with different leaders, functions and teams to drive technological and behavioural changes. Given the economic and political uncertainty looming large in global markets, it’s more important, now more than ever, to care about every step in the employee lifecycle and drive productivity through enhanced experiences focused on wellbeing and engagement.

If you wish to interact, debate and discuss pertinent issues at work with Dedev Parulian or Marwan ElGamal, be a part of People Matters TechHR Pulse Indonesia on November 22 at JW Marriott, Jakarta. While the former will enlighten us all on 'how CHROs can talk business,' the latter will touch upon 'Gen AI’s Capability To Unleash Talent Potential'. Wait no more and register now!