SINGAPORE: From figuring out hybrid work arrangements to ensuring employees feel their mental well-being is cared for, human resources (HR) professionals have been at the centre of the sea change in work practices in recent years.
Experts told The Straits Times that expectations of HR staff have grown, and they need to learn a host of new skills to keep up with workplace needs.
Companies have been emphasising diversity and inclusion as well as mental well-being in the past two years, and these are key focus areas for HR professionals today, said Audrey Neo, senior partner at recruitment firm Page Executive.
“The role of an HR professional has been dialled up as a change agent to help executive leaders and organisations navigate the evolving climate,” she added.
Yaamini Pillay, associate director for HR and business support in the finance and commerce contracting division at recruitment firm Robert Walters Singapore, said that HR business partners with strong strategic experience and skills are in demand.
Their work involves spearheading succession planning, change management, leadership and learning and development programmes in line with business and talent development needs, she said.
She also noted that many organisations have been building up specialist teams to drive initiatives to promote equity, a sense of belonging and inclusion.
Other new HR specialisations that have cropped up in recent years include hybrid roles that require niche skill sets in the areas of data analytics, mergers and acquisitions and project management, she said.
Aslam Sardar, chief executive of the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP), also said that demand has grown for skills relating to HR digitalisation and big data analytics, in line with the changes in the workplace and expectations of HR professionals.
Keeping up with technological changes is one challenge Joyce Loo, deputy director of HR at Singapore Polytechnic, said she has faced.
“I have to constantly ensure that my knowledge and skills are relevant and current, and go for upgrading when I see that there are gaps,” said Loo, who has worked in HR for more than two decades.
Technological tools such as robotic process automation and generative artificial intelligence can make processes more efficient, but this has to be carefully calibrated to ensure the critical aspects of HR in staff engagement are not lost, she added.
Fellow HR professional Li Fengling, who is IHRP’s head of HR and administration, said one challenge that emerged with the rise of remote working is security and data privacy.
HR professionals have to ensure that remote working practices maintain the security and privacy of sensitive company information. Employees must also be trained about cyber security and digital compliance, said Li.
There were about 40,000 HR practitioners in Singapore in 2020, up from 23,000 in 2010.
Looking forward, Singapore Human Resources Institute executive director Alvin Goh said: “HR professionals in the future will have to be more akin to futurists, playing out scenarios and thinking about the external environment and how local and global issues will affect the organisations that we work for.”
Some of the issues that could come into play include changing social norms and technological advances such as tokenising pay and benefits, he added. — The Straits Times/ANN
