In India, 97% of people want technology to help them define their future: Deepa Param Singhal, VP, HCM, Oracle Asia Pacific
A recent AI@Work survey by Oracle reveals that 80% of Indian professionals are willing to forfeit vacation time, 77% are willing to forego a monetary bonus, and 76% are willing to forego a portion of their salary. These are astounding figures that shed light on the shifting nature of workforce priorities. In this regard, reliance on technology, automation, and data analytics is increasing as employees seek unbiased and data-driven career guidance that is consistent with industry needs. To share more details on the changing dynamics of a hybrid workplace, Express Computer spoke with Deepa Param Singhal, Vice President, HCM, Oracle Asia Pacific.
Some edited excerpts from the interview:
Your view on the changing priorities of the hybrid employees; the importance of skill advancement and reliance on automation and robots to make data-led career choices
The ‘Hybrid employees’ are contemplating their careers in a larger perspective and looking at career choices from a wider lens, with skill growth and professional development being major determinants. Our recent AI@Work survey reveals that 80% of Indian professionals are willing to forfeit vacation time, 77% are willing to forego a monetary bonus, and 76% are willing to forego a portion of their salary. These are astounding figures that shed light on the shifting nature of workforce priorities. In this regard, reliance on technology, automation, and data analytics is increasing as employees seek unbiased and data-driven career guidance that is consistent with industry needs.
For instance, in India, 97% of people want technology to help them define their future; by identifying the skills they need to develop, recommending ways to learn new skills, and providing the next steps to progress towards career goals. Hence, it is quite evident that times are changing and currently we are in one of the most dynamic phases of workforce growth, with hybrid work trends disrupting the landscape and bringing in structural changes to the HR space.
How are CHROs adapting to the trend of hybrid employees and some recent innovations in the HR sphere with respect to this?
The concept of Hybrid employee has emerged very recently and is derived from the most preferred working model among employees due to its flexibility. Similarly, HR leaders are also shifting their gears, increasingly adopting the new trend, improving their practices, and ensuring their complete transparency and employee experiences are taken to the next level. CHROs are stepping up and coming up with innovative strategies as the trend of hybrid employees gains significant relevance and popularity. We have come across many initiatives taken by HR leaders in designing smart policies to support employees in this new working model. Technology remains central to these policies and the efforts of CHROs in adapting to the hybrid work culture. Some recent innovations we see in the HR sphere with respect to this are cloud-based HR tech solutions integrated with sophisticated technologies. Artificial intelligence/ML and data analytics-enabled solutions provide a holistic view of all employee processes on a single solution are some of the innovations that organizations are proactively implementing. Similarly, we can see technologies and solutions emerging that encourage data-led decision-making for both employees and employers. These include providing unbiased recommendations for crucial employee growth decisions like skill enhancement, better decisions, personalize employee experiences, and leveraging highly configurable workflows that offer scalability and localization and so no.
How is technology, specifically HR tech supporting the hybrid work model?
The hybrid work paradigm is propelled by new-age technology, which powers the entire communication and integration process. An organization’s hybrid work model’s success is directly correlated to the technology it has implemented. It becomes extremely critical for CHROs to implement robust and scalable solutions to sustain the entire organizational employee structure. Smart HR tech have the capability to handle all employee processes—from record-keeping to manager-subordinate communication to learning and development to mental health support. In the hybrid working models the above functions become even more important and relevant to ensure that the employees are given appropriate support despite not working entirely in the physical model.
Given the current business environment and the continual uncertainty around the COVID waves, it is highly critical to have a synchronized framework of staff management, streamline communications, increase productivity by guiding employees through complex tasks, and improve talent retention by developing a more supportive and trusted environment at work and HR technology has a significant role to play here.
Can you brief us on Oracle’s latest offering- Oracle ME and how it is supporting the ‘hybrid workforce?
Being an industry leader for decades, we have been assisting businesses across industries to provide several tools to help them invest in and support their employees by improving employee experience, learning new skills, and accessing new career opportunities. We always make it a point to come up with new innovations to cater to the changing industry dynamics.
Our new launch ‘Oracle ME’ is an employee-centric platform essentially designed to address the needs of employees in the remote or hybrid working model. As part of Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM, it provides capabilities to streamline communication across any organization, increase productivity by guiding employees to relevant tasks, and connect employees with their peers to build professional networks and advance their careers. It provides step-by-step tasks and information to guide workers through HR processes like onboarding, career development, or transferring to a new role. Simply put, the cloud-based platform addresses the connectivity, accessibility, engagement, and growth needs of CHROs as well as employees who work remotely or in a hybrid model. The platform allows HR teams to customize it without any IT support and deliver employee experiences that reflect a company’s unique needs and culture. Furthermore, it also keeps them equipped for any future external shocks.
