4 ways transforming HR can help you achieve your vision
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For 72 percent of organisations, digital HR is an important priority. [1]
And we see it the same way. In our view it’s a major factor in helping people to set their sights high and see how far they can get towards achieving their vision.
Our vision is to empower every person and organisation on the planet to do more. If it sounds ambitious, that’s because it is. We aim high because we want to be the best we can be. It’s something that’s already shaping the future of our HR department, and in our view, culture eats strategy for breakfast.
Andrea Winfield, UK HR Director for Microsoft explains how culture and purposes are the new currency for inspiring workforces. “At Microsoft, most people that are here come to work because it’s the place where you can really make a difference, living out your personal values and the contributions you want to make to society, through your own work.”
But we know that, before we can do this, we need to get the right people onboard. Because it’s people – and their ideas – that can help us succeed. As Bill Gates once put it: “Take our 20 best people away, and Microsoft would become an unimportant company”.
Then there’s Lee Iacocca, former Chrysler Chairman, who once said: “I hire people brighter than me and then I get out of their way”.
However, despite the fact we’re well-known in the sector, like many companies, we also face certain challenges. Research shows that, by 2020, 30% of tech jobs will go unfilled due to talent shortages [2]. So, the questions are: how can we attract the brightest people? And how can we keep employees happy once we’ve recruited them?
Here are some of the ways we’re transforming our HR department at Microsoft to align to the new culture of work:
- Building the right culture
We want our employees to have everything they need to empower customers to do more. And we wouldn’t be able to achieve our vision if our people weren’t customer obsessed. Our aim is to get people with the right skills and capabilities, in the right places, at the right time.
Of course, we also want our people to enjoy careers with social impact and purpose. These are important focuses for us, given that 62% of millennials want both things from their job [3]. Following our HR transformation, our workforce will be driven by purpose, rooted in human diversity, powered by learning, and guided by the very best leaders.
- Using data to drive insights and decisions
From onboarding to engagement to internal mobility, we’ve identified several data hotspots in HR. And the intelligence we find can help us make better business decisions, based on fact rather than opinion. Let’s take recruitment as an example. Data can help us analyse market availability. It can give us an overview of who our competitors are hiring, and from where. And it can help us understand KPIs.
In the transformational context, data has another value. Andrea points out: “Data insights are fantastic at debunking urban myths. When you’re going through change or transformation, telling the truth and providing those cultural insights is critical to creating new ways of working and shifts in behaviours.”
- Making things simple
The needs and behaviours of today’s workforce are changing. People are no longer chained to a desk and want to work on the go. They expect seamless, digital experiences, no matter where they are. And they want access to self-service options, whatever time of day it is. Simplicity is key. Having an HR solution which simplifies matters both for you and your employees is key. Find out how to improve employee experience by keeping things simple.
- Enhancing employee skills
Talent can change the world. We need to foster the skills that can help us succeed today but can also lead us into tomorrow. This means encouraging lifelong learning and giving our people the chance to grow their careers and hone their talent. We also need to think about how we hire the right skills into our businesses, using tools such as LinkedIn to track down outstanding passive talent. Of course, all of this requires us getting off on the right foot when it comes to recruitment. So we’re looking at how we can best use new technology and engagement techniques in this area.
The above is just a taste of what we’re doing to transform HR at Microsoft. In time, the changes we make will ensure we have the right people on board and then we’ll be really flying.
If you’re ready to start achieving your goals, visit our website to learn how Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Talent can help you find and keep the best talent.
Find out more about Dynamics 365 for Talent
[2] Boston Consulting Group cited Gartner: Twelve Forces That Will Radically Change How Organizations Work
[3] Jenkin, Matthew. Millennials want to work for employers committed to values and ethics. The Guardian, 5 May 2015
