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Wednesday, 27 February 2019 01:46 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Chanaka Palliyaguru
‘HR Think Tank of Sri Lanka’, an alliance of senior HR professionals who will come together to uplift the standards of HR fraternity in Sri Lanka, will be launched on 28 February, by the Association of HR Professionals (AHRP) in collaboration with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The event has created a lot of excitement. Achal Khanna, the CEO of SHRM – APAC and Middle East, was happy to answer some questions about the event and the expectations of the new-age HR. following are excerpts:
Q: How is South Asia stacking up to the dynamic changes in the global talent landscape?
Globalisation and technology have revolutionised the way we do business. The talent landscape has also taken a whole new shape owing to that. Companies today seek tech-savvy employees with a global mindset and an understanding of cultures and markets across the globe. Another major change that has come in the talent landscape today is the increase of the millennials. With unique perspectives and a different attitude towards work, millennials will continue to dominate the workplace. Handling this new young workforce and making them future ready to lead is also a major task at hand for today’s leaders.
Q: Tell us about the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)?
Founded in 1948, with 70 years of experience serving HR professionals, SHRM is the world’s largest not-for-profit HR association. The mission of SHRM is to serve, advance and lead the HR profession. SHRM has close to 302,000 members in over 165 countries and more than 600 chapters and forums globally, with a strong presence in Asia with offices in India, China and UAE. We also conduct global HR conferences like the SHRM EMEA Conference that will be held in Dubai at the end of this month.
Q: How has SHRM partnered with AHRP and the ‘HR Think Tank of Sri Lanka’ initiative?
SHRM works closely with AHRP in Sri Lanka for strategic HR initiatives. In the past few years, SHRM has partnered with AHRP to conduct the Human Capital Management Awards event in Sri Lanka as the knowledge partner. We have also partnered with AHRP to administer SHRM-SCP and CP Certifications in Sri Lanka. ‘HR Think Tank of Sri Lanka’ is an initiative collaborated by SHRM and AHRP, which will bring together senior HR professionals from leading companies. The HR Think Tank of Sri Lanka will be inaugurated with the following objectives:
Q: What does the future hold for HR as a profession?
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) takes over administrative and operational roles in the corporate world, the effect of technology on HR is no different. In the years to come, HR needs to reposition itself as a strategic partner to the business rather than playing the limited role of a ‘business enabler’. Due to the dynamic nature of the business world, constant upskilling will be a necessity in the new-age HR. But there is one thing that technology cannot do – giving the human touch! The ‘human’ in human resources will never become obsolete. Future HR professionals will have to handover transactional work to the machine and focus more on building good relationships, creating a positive and supportive work culture and doing everything else technology and machines cannot fulfil.
