David Plink on Innovation & Leadership in a Rapidly Evolving World of Work

In September, David Plink, CEO at Top Employers Institute, participated in CNBC Africa’s 2023 Future of Work Virtual Conference in a live panel discussion on leadership. He met with other C-suite leaders to discuss how work is changing and how leadership is innovating to meet the needs of their employees.

The other speakers in the panel included Dr Nejri Mwagiru, Senior Futurist at Africa: Institute for Futures Research (IFR) at the University of Stellenbosch, Amadou Diallo, CEO at DHL Global Forwarding Middle East & Africa, and Stephen van Coller, CEO at EOH.

In the session, their discussion answered questions including:

How will the future of work impact income inequality, social mobility, and job security?
What policies and regulatory frameworks should be implemented to safeguard workers’ rights and ensure a just transition?
How can governments, businesses, and civil society collaborate to mitigate the potential negative consequences of automation and ensure a fair distribution of opportunities?
And more.

The future of work is evolving as it is driven by technological advancements (as the new digital employee experience), changing demographics, and shifting economic landscapes.

Watch the session in full below to hear more from this insightful session.

Putting People First: Top Employers Institute Shares Insights About Building a Human-Centric Organisation

By Wouter van Ewijk, Global Head of Brand & Content, Top Employers Institute

Human Resource departments frequently consider how to attract and retain top talent. Top Employers Institute is no different. Paola Bottaro, People Director at Top Employers Institute, has found the most success by putting people first. Notably, the organisation is not alone in this endeavour. Taking a human-centric approach to the workplace is a practice steadily gaining traction.

So, what does this move to a human-centric model entail? During the 2023 Top Employers Inspire event, Paola and I discussed exactly that. I’ll share highlights of our discussion for companies interested in joining Top Employers Institute as a human-centric organisation.

The Basics: What is a Human-Centric Approach?

Essentially, this approach to the workplace recognises and accepts that people are people. Organisations acknowledge that their employees are multifaceted individuals with lives beyond the office.

It’s about enabling employees to work in the best way that suits their needs and preferences, rather than requiring them to adhere to standard hours or procedures. Employees at different phases of life, a new parent versus a recently hired university graduate, for example, will likely have very different preferences for the rhythm of their workday. Allowing employees to determine their workday and workflow does not impact organisational results overall, yet it has a profound impact on each individual’s work experience.

For Paola’s team, realising that there was no one-size-fits-all solution for creating a great workplace was a turning point. Reflecting on this moment, she shared, “We had a lot of conversations about what way of working would be best and we came to the conclusion that everyone is different, and we all need different things. Who are we to decide what each individual needs?” They concluded that in an ideal workplace, everyone gets to define the best way to work for themselves.

Another turning point was adapting to a primarily remote workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. This transition was smoother than anticipated, and productivity remained very high. Paola elaborated on their observations, “Everyone was very responsible and wanted to perform well.

Actually, I had to make sure people took care of themselves much more than making sure that they were doing their jobs.” Seeing how well the company ran while employees worked remotely was a valuable lesson that built trust. Going forward, the company had complete confidence in allowing employees to decide how they want to work.

The Practicalities: How Does a Human-Centric Approach Work?

Trust is a critical component of making a human-centric approach successful. Granting employees the ability to set their work dynamics, whether that involves unconventional hours or regular breaks, requires a high level of trust that employees will continue fulfilling their responsibilities to the best of their ability, even without constant supervision. The focus is on outcomes, prioritising results above all else.

Top Employers Institue’s company culture fully embraces a human-centric approach with its three core values:

We are all professionals.
All professionals want to be successful.
We succeed when we achieve great things while taking care of our own wellbeing and each other.

That teams communicate about everyone’s needs and preferences is critical. As our conversation progressed, Paola gave a simple example that Top Employers Institute does not want employees to pretend to be available during traditional working hours if they are not. She explained that this freedom also benefits managers, “They don’t have to think about motivating their teams anymore. The core belief is that all professionals are intrinsically motivated to be successful.” Transparency about who is doing what and trust in employees to fulfil their responsibilities improves operations.

Although trust and open communication are generally recognised as positive values, translating them into practical action can be a challenge because doing so requires a shift in mindset. Top Employers Institute, like many organisations, was forced to try a new way of working during the pandemic.

The success of this experiment gave management the confidence to use a human-centric approach even after pandemic-related safety restrictions were lifted. Organisations that have not had the opportunity to test drive a new working model may struggle with transitioning from employees coming into the office every day during the same hours to people working from home at hours of their choosing. Embracing the values of trust and open communication in new ways needs to happen at all levels of the organisation for a human-centric approach to truly succeed.

If an employee is not performing well, the first step is to have a conversation. “Success is defined not only by great results but also by people’s wellbeing, which is a responsibility and not something that can be left to chance,” said Paola. Considering the complete picture of an employee’s life while navigating challenges is a central tenet of a human-centric approach.

The Impact: What are the Benefits of a Human- Centric Approach?

This approach gives employees the best possible work life, which fosters loyalty and productivity. It also creates great returns. Through this approach, organisations can:

Attract talent,
Improve retention, and
Foster a culture of growth and internal mobility.

These benefits contribute to a positive atmosphere and help a company’s bottom line by attracting and keeping top-tier talent.

Top Employers Institute is in the process of hosting workshops with employees to discuss both the company’s and individual employee’s values. “The most important thing is that we left one open space in our company values for employees to fill. There are three company-wide values and the fourth is for each employee to fill with their personal value. It’s an opportunity for them to connect their personal values and sense of purpose to the company,” Paola said of the process.

Ultimately, a human-centric approach forges meaningful connections between a company and its workforce. By giving people the autonomy to work in a way that suits their needs best, organisations reap great returns. This approach truly benefits both the company and its employees.

To hear more about Top Employers Institute’s journey to becoming a human-centric organisation and the lessons learned along the way, watch my full conversation with Paola below.

World Mental Health Day 2023 Q&A with Marie-Soleil Ferland and the Health and Wellbeing Team at CGI Canada

World Mental Health Day 2023 Q&A with Marie-Soleil Ferland and the Health and Wellbeing Team at CGI Canada Earlier this week, on the 10th of October, we acknowledged World Mental Health Day. The day is a moment to give extra attention to issues around mental health. This year the WHO theme for the day is ‘Mental health is a universal right’ and we are hoping to raise awareness and knowledge about mental health by highlighting how organisations can support their employee’s mental health throughout October.

To recognise the efforts of Top Employers were lucky to have a Q&A interview with Marie-Soleil Ferland and the Health and Wellbeing Team at CGI Canada. We were honoured to get an insight into their efforts around wellbeing and mental health in their organisation.

CGI Health & Wellbeing Team Introduction

CGI wholeheartedly acknowledges that the wellbeing of its workforce stands as the bedrock of its success. We hold in the highest esteem a culture deeply rooted in mental health awareness, a commitment that transcends mere obligation, forming an integral facet of an ecosystem that fosters personal and professional flourishing.

These recent years have brought upon us an array of unprecedented challenges, compelling us to adapt, evolve, and unearth new ways to connect and thrive. At this juncture, never before has CGI placed such a high priority on mental health as we proudly do today.

On World Mental Health Day, we, at CGI, once again stand with unwavering pride as we pay homage to the mental wellbeing of our invaluable workforce. We celebrate the resilience of our esteemed members and the nurturing spirit of the compassionate community that we have ardently cultivated for over two decades now. Together, we break barriers, dismantle stigma, and forge a brighter, healthier future.

As part of this year World Mental Health Day, celebrated on October 10, it’s important to remember that everybody has mental health, regardless of race, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, etc. For some, it can be challenging to know or realize when to reach out for help.

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Read More: Mental Health Q&A: Bentley

We celebrated World Mental Health Day on 10 October. The theme for 2023, set by the World Foundation of Mental Health, is ‘Mental health is a universal human right’, so we were honoured to ask CGI Canada the following questions:

Which organisational values that you hold help you to embed mental health as a right for all employees? And how do these values show up in day-to-day actions?

Workplace Health & Wellbeing

A dedicated Oxygen Centre of Expertise with 50 professionals globally willing and able to support partners and employees as needed.
Promote a culture of compassion through skill building, empathy, and empowerment to reach out to those showing signs of difficulty.
From prevention to return to work following a disability, support our employees, managers, and the organization on global health topics (physical, mental, social, financial) to optimize individual and collective wellbeing and organizational performance.
Use Mental Health Minute Program cards to raise awareness and open conversations (see more information at question 5)
Comprehensive Health Platform for all employees: Oxygen Portal
Free Telemedicine Service for all members and their family
Free 27/7 EAP support for all members and their family
In-house wellbeing consultations that focus on prevention, identification, and mitigation of psychosocial risks
In-house wellbeing interventions that promote staying healthy and thriving at work.

Our values

Respect:

Consistent with CGI dream of creating an environment in which we enjoy working together, our Core Value of Respect and our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, CGI is committed to fostering and maintaining professional workplaces that respect the dignity of all members.
Offer mental health support through the Mental Health First Aiders network and leadership by promoting a stigma-free environment to discuss mental health.
Hold public authentic conversations using panel discussions around various psycho-educational topics that breakdown barriers and drive respectful conversations around sensitive issues.
Develop culturally sensitive and equity deserving group sensible health and wellbeing material.

Safety:

CGI is committed to the prevention of workplace incidents, injuries, and illnesses, and is ultimately responsible for ensuring a physically and psychologically safe and healthy work environment for all members. CGI will guide the development of individual performance and learning plans to achieve organizational goals while promoting members’ physical and psychological wellbeing in an active effort to reduce harm to their health and safety.
Health and safety committees
Health and wellbeing committees
+120 employees-volunteers – Mental Health First Aiders willing and able to support employees in the workforce.
Health and Safety Policy and processes including a working alone management rule.
Health Crisis Protocol for psychological and/or physical emergency situations.

Inclusion:

Creating a welcoming and diverse workplace environment free of discrimination and harassment underpins everything we do. We aim to foster a culture of belonging where everyone is inspired to grow and empowered to succeed with a shared sense of purpose. We believe this starts with creating an environment where every voice is heard, and respected and different ways of thinking are welcomed. Diversity of thought, backgrounds, experiences, and skills empowers us to share ideas and drive innovation. At the same time, ensuring everyone feels included raises morale, creativity, and productivity among our members, helping them reach their full potential. Through stakeholder communications, we continuously reinforce that diversity, equity, and inclusion are clear, prominent, and inherent parts of the CGI culture.
Cultivating inclusive language (i.e., inclusive pronoun and gender language in employee representative surveys, providing gender transitioning support, and accommodations for physical, mental or cognitive support needs).
Upskill leaders and HR around neurodiversity.
Upskill leaders and HR around supporting members who are transitioning.
Provide inclusive benefits
Flexible work policies
Affinity groups and allyship
Mental health support that is sensitive to cultural differences and experiences
Accessible technology for those who require accommodations.
Inclusive hiring practices
Conflict resolution and support interventions

Diversity:

Creating a culture of belonging requires conscious and intentional effort. Our DE&I strategy is foundational to the growth and success of our company. It provides a framework for cooperation that empowers our members to show up as their complete, authentic selves at work. We are committed to driving positive cultural change by increasing diversity in our workforce and embracing the differences in race and ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, language, culture, national origin, religious commitments, age, and disability status, and the intersectionality of one or more of these characteristics. Moreover, we recognize that it is every individual’s right to work in an environment free of sexual, psychological, and racial harassment.
DE&I is endorsed at the highest level in the company by the CEO and the Executive Committee of CGI. Oversight and accountability for DE&I is a shared responsibility with global and local steering committees to set direction, report on progress and approve programs and initiatives. DE&I is embedded in the annual business plans for each Strategic Business Unit. The Code of Ethics and global and local policies create the framework to protect our members, clients, communities and CGI and ensure compliance with all applicable requirements. Beyond our formal governance, we have an engaged group of global DE&I experts, champions and advocates who support our DE&I vision every day. This broader community is essential to amplify the reach of our DE&I activities and increase the engagement of our members.
Diverse representation

World Mental Health Day 2023

At CGI, there are a variety of free resources to help our members prioritize their mental health and offer additional support when they may be struggling. They can access free mental health resources in the Mental Wellbeing Toolbox on our internal health & wellbeing portal, contact a Mental Health Champion, or consult with our Member Assistance Program for professional support. As part of this campaign, a publication will be made on the CGI LinkedIn account to celebrate and highlight the CGI community that is involved in mental health support and the overall holistic health of our members. CGI’s health experts gathered testimonials from members within the Mental Health Champion network and the Health & Wellbeing Committee by asking the question, “Why is supporting mental health in the workplace important to you and your colleagues?”. You will find the testimonials shared on October 10 and will be able to use the hashtag #CGIMentalHealthMatters to find other mental health stories shared by CGI members, and to share your own.

How have your mental health programmes evolved in the past year? Are there aspects that have moved up the priority list and/or taken on greater urgency? In response to the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic and its impact on chronic stress, isolation and domestic violence, our mental health programs have evolved significantly in the past year. We have placed additional emphasis on addressing the reactive aspect of the mental health continuum. This means that we have augmented our efforts to provide immediate and responsive support to individuals who are experiencing acute mental health challenges, such as stress, anxiety, trauma, or burnout. Recognizing the heightened need for timely interventions, we have developed and implemented targeted initiatives designed to assist members in managing and coping with punctual stressors. These measures have allowed us to better address the immediate mental health needs of our workforce, ensuring that they receive the support and resources necessary to navigate these challenging times effectively avoiding potential deterioration or illness.

Aspects that have moved up in priority and taken on greater urgency:

Substantial increase in mental health coverage for our members and their families.
Expanding our internal Mental Health First Aid network by offering and covering the cost of certification to all interested volunteer members.
Hiring of an Organizational Mental Health Specialist to further expand internal services and interventions.
Health crisis protocol to upskill HR professionals and leaders in assessing an imminent and critical health risk in an employee, predominantly in a virtual setting, and responding to the risk as deemed appropriate using external resources.
Domestic and family violence program to develop organizational awareness, respond by providing support and accompanying employee victims to adequate and necessary resources.
Neurodiversity Affinity group and program to cultivate an inclusive, collaborative and supportive CGI community by fostering awareness around neurodiversity, building internal knowledge, advocating for supportive practices, and building internal and external partnerships that promote best inclusive practices.
In-house Interventions (stress management, sensitivity coaching, conflict resolution, climate assessment, etc.) facilitated via our internal Workplace Mental Health Specialist.
Revision of CGI’s Presence at Work Program
Always ensuring the presence and visibility of a group of more than 120 volunteer Mental Health First Aiders ready to support any member in need during our trainings or psychoeducational sessions or initiatives.
Additional Family Support: Upgrades in our Telemedicine program, EAP services and benefits coverage to improve all services related to mental health support & access for employees and their family.

How have mental health programmes and initiatives been impacted by more flexible, hybrid and remote forms of working? What have you had to do differently? The shift to a more flexible workplace and openness to virtual work has acted as a catalyst for fostering greater inclusion and accessibility in our organization, creating a more accommodating and supportive environment for neurodivergent and equity deserving groups within our workforce. The transition to virtual work has created a more inclusive environment by levelling the playing field for employees who may have previously faced challenges in traditional office settings. Neurodivergent individuals, for instance, have found the virtual work environment to be more accommodating, reducing sensory overload and anxiety that can be associated with physical office spaces. Additionally, remote work has enabled employees to tailor their workspaces to their specific needs, allowing for greater comfort and reduced distractions. This flexibility has not only benefited neurodivergent individuals but also other equity-deserving groups who may have faced barriers in the traditional office setting due to various factors, including commuting challenges, accessibility issues, or caregiving responsibilities. One significant shift we’ve made is toward virtual facilitation of trainings and interventions. This transition has proven highly beneficial as it enables us to intervene more rapidly and on a broader scale across the organization. In fact, by leveraging virtual platforms, we can extend our reach to cover a much larger population than would have been feasible with in-person programs alone. This approach not only aligns with the evolving work landscape but also allows us to be more agile and responsive in addressing mental health needs throughout the organization.

How have you ensured that your managers are reinforcing mental health as a right for all employees? And are they trained to recognise and address mental health issues in their teams?

Yes, we have implemented an internal training program known as “Leading Healthy Teams,” which is specifically designed to equip our managers with the skills necessary to identify signs of mental health challenges and appropriately respond to them. Additionally, we have developed a quick-reference tool in the form of a cheat-sheet, readily accessible through our online Health platform, the “Oxygen Portal” within the “Leaders Toolbox” section.

In conjunction with these mandatory training initiatives, we have consistently offered various additional learning opportunities to our leaders over the past years. These include specialized training modules covering topics such as Resilience at Work, Burnout Prevention, Stress Management, Work-life Balance, and Self-Care for Leaders. These programs collectively enable our managers to reinforce mental health as a fundamental right for all employees while equipping them with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively address mental health issues within their teams. Our leaders are also encouraged to take part in Mental Health First Aid certification. We are proud to share that over 46% of our mental health ambassadors hold management positions at CGI. Thus, it’s fair to say that mental health at CGI is an integral part of our operating culture.

How do you create psychological safety for employees to feel they have a right to speak up about their mental health concerns, without worrying about how it will affect their careers?

Destigmatize mental health:

Leadership upskilling and training around courageous conversations and authenticity
Discussion Panels such as Mental Health For All

Leaders speaking openly and publicly about their challenges with mental health including burnout, suicidality, domestic violence, neurodiversity, etc.

The Mental Health Minute Program

Equips all our leaders and members with Mental Health Minute “cards” that they can use to kick-off every team meeting
Encourages leaders, and members, to take advantage of a moment of openness with their team to discuss common challenges and normalize topics surrounding health and wellbeing
Provides authenticity and empathy building opportunities through sharing real-life experiences and examples.
Upskills leaders and members on day-to-day actions that can be put in place to support their health.

Psychoeducational awareness through interactive learning sessions, newsletters, CGI’s health & wellbeing portal, wellbeing consultations and various communication channels
Mental Health Champion Network

Network composed of more than 120 CGI members who have volunteered and received a Mental Health First Aider certification training offered by the Mental Health Commission of Canada
Aiders are available to respond to requests or calls from members in need by initiating a caring conversation through dialogue, accompanying them to help defuse a situation, and guiding them to the right resources and support.

Neurodiversity Affinity Group

Sharing how to open to a leader about a neurodivergent trait.
How to respond as a leader to show support

Ensure promotional practices that foster and support diversity and inclusion.
Socialize accommodation program for any member regardless of job role.
Assess and mitigate psychological risk factors within teams who are struggling.
Team wellbeing assessments

Mediation
Trauma debriefs.

About Marie-Soleil Ferland

HR Director

Health & Well-being, CGI Canada

Passionate leader of CGI Canada Occupational Health and Well-being HR Center of expertise. She is responsible for the development of innovative organizational health offering, their implementation, and their measure of success. She sits on human resources committees to effectively integrate workplace health into business strategies. Her mission is to optimize not only the overall well-being of employees but also to encourage meaning at work, inclusion, and organizational performance. She provides ongoing consulting services to HR teams and leaders. She holds a bachelor’s degree in health sciences and a graduate certificate in nutrition. In addition to numerous specific training sessions on occupational health, psychosocial risks, and protective factors, she is certified in Mental Health First Aid, Workplace First Aid and Behaviour Change Interventionist. Her caring and inclusive leadership is recognized by her peers.

“We strongly believe in the power of sharing and inspiring each other and others”

Benchmarking and sharing best practices are essential for all Top Employers to keep evolving and improving their HR strategies. At Luminus, we strongly believe in the power of sharing and inspiring each other and others — it’s a fundamental part of who we are as a company. It should therefore come as no surprise that “All together” is one of our corporate values.

How do you share successful practices and processes (with other Top Employers)?

At Luminus, we encourage our employees in sharing their knowledge and innovative solutions as well inside as outside the organisation.

In June, we had the opportunity to host a Top Employers sharing session in-house on the importance of SDG’s in employer branding.

Bringing together a group of HR specialists to reflect on the war for talent and how integrating SDG’s can help to attract the “right” employees, was a true enriching experience.

We inspired other top employers on our successful Generation Zero campaigns. Our employer brand for young professionals in which we focus on attracting those who want to contribute actively to our companies purpose: building a CO2-neutral energy future together.

An ambition which resonates to many young graduates in various disciplines, all determined to make a difference : young graduates, young IT talents and young tech talents.

How does the Top Employer seal help us in attracting young professionals?

The Top Employer seal plays a vital role in attracting young professionals to our company. It serves as confirmation and reassurance that we have processes and leadership in place to support their professional growth, while also prioritizing their work-life balance and health & safety.

Our HR strategy, vision, policies & processes keep evolving thanks to TE insights & benchmarking.

As an open-minded, positive and caring company, we foster a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone’s contributions are valued and respected. We want our employees to feel “at home” so they can be the best version of themselves. However, Top Employer results & benchmarking insights showed us that there was still room for improvement in the area of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I).

In response, we’ve made DE&I a dedicated HR focus for 2023, defining a DE&I vision, gaining insights from our employees and other companies and implementing processes to objectively evaluate and continuously optimize our DE&I strategy, initiatives and actions.

Our Luminus HR baseline is clear : we do what matters, we catch the moment & we challenge ourselves.

TE has been a valuable partner over the past 11 years in supporting our team in achieving this continuous and challenging mission.

Case Study | JTI’s Candidate Survey

Do your candidates value your status as a Top Employer?

JTI is a certified global Top Employer with 46 000 employees present in more than 130 countries.

Since achieving their certification, they have consistently included their certification status in job adverts, career pages and other recruitment channels.

After nine years of implementing best practices, the company sought recruitment data to answer a question related to employer branding.

Their question was: How important is it for our candidates that we’re a certified Top Employer?

In 2019 JTI selected Talenthub, a technology platform that integrates with existing HR systems, to collect real-time candidate feedback during the recruitment process.

With their technical help, JTI captured accurate feedback from candidates while allowing them to reach out directly to follow up on provided feedback and improve the process where needed.

Download the Case Study to discover how:

They set up a digital survey on their career page and Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) system for candidates who applied at JTI.
JTI verified the impact of the candidate’s journey at all stages and found trends that enabled them to understand the behaviour of their applicants.
JTI implemented a new initiative to track and benchmark their candidate’s application process against other companies to optimise their process.

T-shaped Skills: A Simple Approach with Big Results with Boehringer Ingelheim

Like many other companies, Boehringer Ingelheim, a certified Top Employer, had to expedite operational changes during the COVID-19 pandemic to meet customer needs while adhering to safety recommendations like social distancing.

Face-to-face meetings were the norm in the pharmaceutical industry, making Boehringer Ingelheim’s transition to remote meetings a significant adjustment. However, maintaining the highest level of service remained a top priority. “As a business we sat down and asked how can we support our customers and patients in the best way possible? That is when we really sped up the T-shape initiative,” Helen Doeswijk-Lindley, People Growth Manager for Boehringer Ingelheim, explained.

Helen and I discussed how a T-shaped approach enhanced company operations and benefited employees as part of our conversation during the 2022 Top Employers Institute Best Practices Week.

In this article, I want to share the wealth of insights we discussed, highlighting how this approach not only enhanced overall efficiency but also empowered employees to recognise and voice their needs effectively.

What is a T-shaped Approach?

The T-shape is a symbol that illustrates an individual’s strengths. The vertical line represents expertise and knowledge in a specific field, while the horizontal line represents cross-discipline competencies and the ability to collaborate effectively with professionals from various industries or roles.

Helen simplified this concept, stating for employees, “The T-shape allows you to understand what general skills you need, the horizontal line, and what you need to be an expert in, the vertical line.”

Boehringer Ingelheim began implementing T-shaped job descriptions with the customer-facing teams. Helen explained that the first step was for everyone to individually consider the skills and competencies required for a specific role.

After comparing notes, they compiled a list of thirty-four competencies. Helen described what happened next to narrow down the list, “We really got crisp. What are we asking our team to do? Where does responsibility start with one team member or one job role and where does it end? We really defined the skills for each role.” They arrived at a final set of fourteen competencies, nine general skills and five unique skills, that everyone agreed fit the respective role.

Their process of individual and team workshops was used throughout the organisation to define roles using the T-shaped approach and followed these general steps:

Employees individually consider the required skills and competencies for specific roles,
Teams gather and discuss the skills and competencies each person identified, and
Teams collaboratively narrow down the identified skills and competencies to one list.

Helen shared that they were pleasantly surprised by this approach’s far-reaching impacts, “What actually came out of those workshops is that we could take the T-shape and really start looking holistically at what we were offering to our employees – all the way from providing a clear job description to assisting with career progression planning to helping us recruit talent.”

Benefits of the T-shaped Approach

The T-shaped approach offers numerous benefits to both employees and the company. Employees are better able to engage in self-reflection with a T-shaped job description. They can evaluate their competencies and have meaningful conversations with their managers about growth opportunities.

Helen elaborated on this benefit, “I can say from [the] feedback I’ve received that the T-shape has given employees clarity. It’s also given them a voice to express where they need support to do their job effectively, whether that’s from an educational standpoint or from a process standpoint.”

Furthermore, the T-shape creates a shared understanding of skills and competencies across the company. Helen explained how this clarity led to the restructuring of various roles, “We actually started to change key processes.

We didn’t want certain roles to have to do certain things anymore because it was slowing them down.”

To support these changes, Helen developed skills-based training tailored for the newly defined roles, which enhanced operations and better-equipped employees for career advancement.

A T-shaped skills approach is a powerful tool for self-reflection. As our conversation concluded, Helen challenged the audience, “Create a T-shape for your role.

Review your job description and ask yourself: Is my role the same today as when I started in terms of the required skills? What is needed for the future? The T-shape is a straightforward way to look at your general skills and expertise and identify opportunities for growth.”

Whether utilised by individuals or organisations, investing in T-shaped skills brings clarity and focus to future development. This approach enhances efficiency and facilitates meaningful discussions, ultimately driving progress.

Best Practice | How NTT DATA Colombia are Reassessing the Employee Value Proposition

By: Top Employers Institute

NTT DATA Colombia has created a human-centric value proposition explaining what working at the organisation is like. Advocated by a clear Employee Value Proposition (EVP) that employees and potential candidates can understand the working experience and company brand. The EVP includes their corporate values and the company’s purpose and reflects professional benefits from the development model and personal benefits for the employees and their primary team.

This is just a snapshot of NTT Colombia’s innovative best practice; you can find the entire practice on our HR Best Practices database, which is exclusively available to Top Employers. Get inspiration and insight into the approach, challenges and learnings experienced by certified Top Employers. Access it now or learn more about it here!

Why was the practice needed?

NTT DATA Colombia carried out an exercise to redefine its value proposition during the Covid-19 pandemic as it understood that employees deserved personalised and agile solutions. The organisation realised the market, habits, expectations, and lives of their current and prospective employees had changed. The company needed to better reflect their value to everyone encountering their organisation.

For NTT DATA Colombia, this EVP helped define and communicate their framework of action, corporate culture, and values, plus delivered on their company purpose and leadership principles. They wanted to guarantee consistency between what they did and what they said.

How the practice was implemented

Through exercises such as focus groups, surveys, workshops and social listening, NTT DATA Colombia redefined their value proposition by finding convergent points based on their employees’ needs and personal purposes. The company then generated offers personalised according to the multiple archetypes they found.

Some highlights of the new EVP:

One of the challenges was maintaining their employees’ closeness, contact and trust during the pandemic.
Perception studies, surveys, focus groups and social listening were used.

Results

A new EVP adjusted to the needs of the employee and the market, which is flexible, personalised and diverse.
There has been a 23% increase in their staff, and the EVP has also helped develop both new talent and existing employees.

In 2023 we published the World of Work Trends Report 2023, which identified how the employee experience would become more personalised. In the post-pandemic world, employees have had a chance to reflect on what truly matters to them. And their employers have had to become increasingly inventive to get, grow and keep their very best people.

Only businesses that work hard to provide a genuine and heartfelt commitment to a personalised experience will generate the emotional reaction necessary to create a high-performance culture, align purpose, vision and values and develop new leadership capabilities.

Learn more about the impact of this personalisation by downloading the World of Work Trends 2021 Report now for free.

Becoming LGBTQ+ Allies: Going Beyond DEI Initiatives for Pride Month

By Sinakho Dhlamini, HR Content Specialist, Top Employers Institute

Over the past several years, organisations have used Pride month to begin, reinvent or sharpen up their DEI efforts for members of the LGBTQ+. But it only happens once a year; for many people, more is needed beyond this concentration of action once a year. Instead, organisations will need to become active allies for the LGBTIQ+ community throughout the year by creating an inclusive environment at work. The work of becoming an active ally to support co-workers of the LGBTQ community involves more than just celebration, and this article will examine some of the ways businesses can show their commitment to not only raising awareness for the rights of the community but also to prioritise equal rights.

What is an ally?

In a few words, we can understand that being an LGBTQ+ ally means actively supporting and advocating for the rights, dignity, and wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. In the workplace, being an ally involves creating an inclusive and accepting environment where LGBTQ+ colleagues can feel safe, valued, and respected.

5 Ways organisations empower their employees to be allies for the LGBTQ+ Community.

Develop and Enforce Inclusive Policies and Practices: Policies protecting LGBTQ+ employees from discrimination and harassment are essential for organisations, including and supporting community employees. That can be done by ensuring inclusive language in company communications and having policies that ensure that LGBTQ+ individuals have equal opportunities for career advancement, promotion, and leadership roles. Organisations must set the tone for their employees, which requires action and intention.
Provide Education and Training: Organisations must provide comprehensive education and training on LGBTQ+ issues, terminology, and experiences. That can be done by offering workshops, seminars, or online resources to increase employee awareness and understanding. The education should cover topics such as LGBTQ+ history, intersectionality, and the challenges faced by the community. Educating employees on issues like this will teach them to listen, respect and look at their prejudices – helping them become better allies to their co-workers.
Create Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): Establishing LGBTQ+ employee resource groups or affinity networks within the organisation to help create a safe space for discussion. These groups provide a safe and supportive space for LGBTQ+ employees and their allies to connect, share experiences, and collaborate on initiatives that promote inclusion. Organisations can support these groups by allocating resources, budget, and executive sponsorship.
Leadership Support: Leaders and managers should openly support LGBTQ+ employees and allyship efforts. They should set the tone by demonstrating inclusive behaviours, including using inclusive language and addressing any discrimination or bias in the organisation. Leadership support helps create a culture of acceptance and sets expectations for the entire organisation.
Establish Feedback and Listening Channels: Establish feedback mechanisms where employees can provide suggestions, voice concerns, or share their experiences related to LGBTQ+ inclusion. Actively listen to employee feedback and make necessary improvements based on their input; this demonstrates that the organisation values employee perspectives and is dedicated to continuous improvement.

Why is it important for Organisations to Support the LGBTQ+ Community?

Supporting the LGBTQ+ community promotes a culture of inclusivity and diversity within the organisation. Embracing and celebrating differences, including sexual orientation and gender identity, fosters a sense of belonging among all employees. In addition, when employees feel valued for who they are, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, it increases employee morale, engagement, and productivity.

It also has additional benefits, including:

Attracting and Retaining Talent: Creating a supportive environment for the LGBTQ+ community helps attract and retain diverse talent, especially in the current competitive job market, where many candidates actively seek organisations prioritising inclusivity and equality.
Employee Wellbeing and Mental Health: Supporting the LGBTQ+ community directly contributes to the wellbeing and mental health of LGBTQ+ employees. Employees who feel supported, accepted, and respected experience reduced stress and anxiety levels.
Brand Image and Reputation: Organisations that champion LGBTQ+ rights and inclusivity contribute to building a positive brand image and reputation. Consumers, clients, and stakeholders increasingly expect businesses to prioritise diversity and social responsibility.
Social Impact and Corporate Social Responsibility: Organisations can make a positive social impact by supporting the LGBTQ+ community. By actively engaging in initiatives, sponsorships, and partnerships that promote LGBTQ+ rights and equality, companies can contribute to broader social progress.

Final Thoughts

June is a time for celebration, but, more importantly, it is a time to raise awareness for LGBTQ+ people and educate people to become effective allies in the community. It is only one month, but the issues are significant throughout the year. Organisations should use June to be more active in communicating their policies and initiatives, but it should have already been a part of their people practices strategy. It is also critical to allow LGBTQ+ people the space to become powerful voices while their friends and coworkers support them by taking action to become an ally.

Make inclusion a part of your organization, get in touch for free to become an employer of choice!

Our HR priorities are all about accelerating the impact of our talent.

What are your key HR priorities for 2023 and why?

Our HR priorities revolve around maximizing the potential of our talent and fostering a culture of high performance by focusing on:

Driving our cultural transformation through a leader development & culture program “Engage – Shape – Perform”
Empowering and supporting all our people to take ownership of their careers, enabling them to reach their full potential
Shaping a caring environment, in which wellbeing & employee experience at scale is key
Implementing future ways of working (digital – data analytics – virtual assistant & automation)
Embedding Diversity, Equity and inclusion further into everything we do

Which trends do you think will be central in the world of HR in 2023 and beyond?

Important trends in HR that we are taking into account in our strategies are the:

Move from intuition & bias to evidence based working through data analytics
Switch from job based to skill based working
Hybrid working and new office concepts
Focus on selfcare – more focus on preventive action over curative

How has being a Top Employer helped your employer brand?

The Top Employer certification helps to benchmark our company against other top employers and provides useful insights into areas we can still develop or innovate further. It is of course also an important employer branding tool, which can differentiate us from competitors. Many candidates are very well aware of it, and as the labour market is candidate driven, it is really supportive for our brand and for attracting the right candidates.

Key Takeaways: Embedding Systemic Inclusion with Tata Consultancy Services

Virtual Fireside Chat with Preeti D’Mello, Tata Consultancy Services, and Adrian Seligman, Top Employers Institute.

There is no diversity without inclusion.

Inclusion is now an integral part of any organisation’s diversity offerings. Leading organisations, like certified Top Employer Tata Consultancy Services, are integrating it into their overall business strategy. Creating an inclusive workplace culture differs from simply creating a diverse company culture. An inclusive work culture allows employees to feel included irrespective of who they are or how they identify themselves.

In this webinar, Preeti D’Mello, Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion & LeaD Academy at TCS, and Adrian Seligman, Executive Board Member at Top Employers Institute, spoke about how to adopt a holistic and systematic view of diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging to create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture.

Throughout the session, they touched on how organisations, and their HR leaders, can build their capacity for emotional intelligence, embodied self-awareness, compassion and sensitivity. While also touching on how individuals can demonstrate personal impact and accountability through good actions for themselves and others.

Read ahead to get a snapshot of some of the session’s highlights; fill in the form to get the recording of the webinar to watch whenever you have a moment.

TCS is a large multinational organisation with around 600 000 employees; Adrian and Preeti began their conversation about inclusion by exploring how TCS sees its employees as individuals. Following that, Preeti expanded on the question by sharing some best practices from TCS:

While the company is large, TCS manage to keep their everyday operating teams small. It allows them to operate similarly to a country with states, counties and townships. In simpler terms, they manage to organise their large employee numbers into smaller groups to keep it manageable. It also allows each group to interact within and outside of their group.
At TCS, they also maintain a company culture of open communication where feedback is not only encouraged but also helps to facilitate collaboration. They provide space for teams to voice their opinions openly without fear. While this is difficult, they ensure their company structure supports this culture.
They also know that they must keep evolving to maintain their inclusive culture.

Inclusion at Scale with HCL – Read Now

How TCS’s DE&I strategy fits into their talent attraction strategy.

When hiring and advertising open positions, they ensure clear messaging around the diverse identity groups they have in their organisations. TCS also partner with organisations that promote certain identity groups to ensure that they get the best candidates and a diverse range of candidates.
They use word of mouth to help find new employees as they value the opinions of their current employees and want to find new employees who will be a neat cultural fit in the organisation. They also look at the internal dynamics of their current employees to help inform recent hiring decisions.
At TCS, they make sure that their DE&I strategy is communicated internally and externally so that you are aware of the organisation’s strategic objectives, whether you are new or old to the company.

How TCS help, their leaders succeed in creating a culture of belonging across the organisation.

There is a mandate for inclusion and belonging that is now a mandate for business results. They did this when they understood that there was a clear relationship between doing the right thing and improved business results. It first began to gain momentum in the United States and then became a worldwide phenomenon.
They ensure that their organisation has a precise value alignment with those who work in and outside the company. It is a part of their big message that while business is about products and solutions, it is also about the quality of people a business works with.
To engage with their leaders, TCS started by showing them some of the positives of working within an inclusive organisation.
They encourage open and honest conversations with their leaders and employees to share the positives of working in a diverse and inclusive environment.
They foster learning about conscious and unconscious bias throughout the organisation.

The fundamental shift in their culture has come from the organisation realising that they will need to step outside of themselves and critically look at what they are doing and how they can improve that. It’s about making small steps every day to improve their culture.

Learn more about how TCS makes their DE&I strategy work by watching the full Virtual Fireside Chat now. Fill in the form now and get your link to the session.