25/11/2016

The new strategic role of Human Resources in companies

Salvador de Tudela, Managing Director of Hedron HR, a global HR services company, gave a talk on “La transformación digital y su impacto en RR.HH” [Digital transformation and its impact on HR] to 3rd year Business Administration and Management students on 21 November as part of a subject called HR Management.  

During the session, the speaker gave an overview of the current situation in the area of Human Resources in companies, how it is evolving and what the current trends are.  In the session he placed particular emphasis on the changes caused by digital transformation in companies.

De Tudela stated that “many companies and professionals are falling into the dangerous trap of thinking that digital transformation consists of the mass incorporation of cutting-edge technology into their individual and collective lifestyles”.  He underlined the fact that digital transformation is a process involving a change in attitudes and behaviour.  He said that “true digital transformation happens within us, within people”.  Due to this transformation businesses have to deal with new challenges: data security, artificial intelligence, etc.

The conference speaker presented a small sample of different activities which have been carried out in companies in some countries so that they can adapt to this change: the promotion of wellness, the emotional salary, the family-work balance, teleworking, etc.  

However, he underlined the fact that “Everything we do, should be based on the search for a balance between the most important aspects in the life of the person and the organisation”.  It is becoming more important in companies for employees to be satisfied both inside and outside work.  As de Tudela himself explained, it is for that reason that concepts such as having an emotional connection with employees (engagement) have gained in importance. These concepts include the new roles and integration of new generations such as millenials, the promotion of digital competences, the attraction and development of new talent, predictive models for selection processes, the tendency to work cooperatively between colleagues (talent attracts talent) and cooperative leadership, as demonstrated by Amazon. 

De Tudela finally underlined the idea that we are now facing a new way of working in HR, which involves strategic changes to a greater extent.  In this way HR works at the highest level in companies.