Why the future of HR is People & Culture

Not so long ago, HR was called ‘personnel administration.’ In 2019, 94% of HR leaders said they expected to see ‘HR’ change to ‘People’ in the next three to five years. This industry is always evolving but I’d argue the future is faster and more transformative than we ever predicted. As organizations seek more agile, employee-centric approaches, a golden opportunity has emerged for HR to reinvent itself as something progressive and impactful: People & Culture.

At TCM, my People & Culture model actually combines four elements: People, Culture, Justice, and Strategy. Equally essential for transformation, these ingredients help us move away from rigid policies, focusing instead on fostering healthy organisational cultures where compassion underpins every action and decision. It emphasises coaching managers on difficult situations, promoting open dialogues, and building team resilience.

To embrace this change, HR must become less risk-averse, adopt data-driven strategies, prioritize employee wellbeing and engagement, and align closely with customer experience initiatives. By doing so, HR can evolve from a primarily administrative function into a strategic powerhouse. The alternative? Becoming increasingly marginalized in the modern workplace. Transformation may feel like a mammoth task but here are some places to start:

• Reassess your employee handbook, aligning it with your organization's purpose, values, and culture.
• Implement organization-wide listening exercises to understand your employees' needs.
• Develop a Transformational Culture Hub to enable new partnerships between unions, management, and stakeholders.
• Align your Employee Experience (EX) with Customer Experience (CX) initiatives.
• Create a comprehensive talent pipeline strategy for short, medium, and long-term organizational needs.

I'm proud to say we've helped hundreds of companies in large and small ways to begin their transformation journeys. If you're ready, we're here to help with our People & Culture Consulting. The future is now!

Hot off the press

We were thrilled to welcome the launch of the International People & Culture Review 2024 with the People & Culture Association this week. This is a wonderful project bringing together some fantastic individuals who are making big changes to the cultural landscape of modern workplaces and a must-read for anyone in this space!

Just email info@peopleprofessionals.org to get your free copy of the publication.

Congrats to our Customer of the Week!

Celebrating this week's Customer of the Week - Landmarc Solutions ! We’ve developed a wonderful partnership with Landmarc through their Investigation Training programme which our consultant Thoralf Kretzschmar (Assoc CIPD) is currently delivering across the country. 

It’s wonderful to work with customers who dedicate so much to their internal training programmes, and we’ve enjoyed all our interactions so far together. Thanks for being such great partners and for your commitment to this work! 🎉

Making the Resolution Framework work for you

Transformation works best when you start from the ground up. Join our next webinar to discover how the innovative Resolution Framework™ is revolutionizing workplace conflict management by starting at the source - by changing the way we approach our HR grievance and disciplinary policies.

Traditional approaches to conflict resolution, grievance handling, and performance management often fall short, leading to prolonged disputes, decreased productivity, and damaged workplace relationships. The Resolution Framework™ addresses these critical pain points by offering a revolutionary, integrated approach to people management.

What we'll cover:

• How the Resolution Framework™ works
• Stories of real customer journeys, showcasing the framework's impact on fostering a culture of cooperation and collaboration between employees, unions, management, and HR
• An exclusive Q&A session with our experienced staff and consultants
• Insights on developing a cross-functional Resolution Centre and utilizing TCM's innovative Resolution Index™ for objective decision-making

Register free to join

Welcoming consultant Sheila Ryan

Sheila Ryan is a seasoned consultant and active equity, diversity and inclusion advocate with extensive expertise in employee relations, workplace mediation, and organisational change. She's worked to foster positive workplace environments and implement effective strategies, with an approach characterised by a deep commitment to conflict resolution and a passion for driving cultural transformation and empowering communities.

She has spent 29 years with the London Ambulance Service (LAS), with 18 years responding to 999 medical emergencies, and 9 years as a Community Resuscitation Training Officer. Her tremendous work has helped to actively increase survival rates from out of hospital cardiac arrests. She has also encouraged NHS staff to resolve complex issues and conflict through courageous conversations. Sheila will be dedicated to making meaningful impact mediating disputes for The Mediation Company, as part of the wider TCM Group, as well as advising on best practices and leading cultural change initiatives.

Let's meet in person!

I've got a busy schedule of speaking engagements this autumn where I'll be covering topics from transformational culture to mediation and conflict resolution. I'd love to meet and connect with some of you there!

• UK Mediation Conference - 25th Nov (keynote)
• ACAS Digital Resolving Workplace Disputes Conference - 20th Nov
• The Inclusive Workplace Conference - 20th Nov
• Manager’s Conference (for AFFINITY TRUST ) - 15th Oct
• Challenging Conversations and the Transformational Role of HR (for NHS) - 26th Sept
• uExcelerate’s Coaching Culture Circle Conference 2024 - Thursday 19th Sept (keynote)
• Be a Great Manager | Enabling Performance (for RY) - 5th Sept

If you'd like to book me as a speaker for your organisation or event, please reach out!

The TCM Reading Corner

Humanocracy: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them offers a revolutionary perspective that aligns beautifully with the People & Culture approach.

The book challenges traditional bureaucratic structures, proposing instead a model that puts human creativity, passion, and initiative at the forefront. It advocates for flatter hierarchies, increased employee autonomy, and a focus on unleashing human potential – all key elements in creating a truly people-centric organization. 

You can get the book here.

That's it for now. If you have any questions or queries relating to any of the content above, please feel free to contact me.

Have a great weekend!

David