Interview with Jean-Pierre Basilien, director, social dialogue and HR organization expertise center, Entreprise & Personnel

Jean-Paul Basilien thinks that HR directors aren’t participating nowadays in the management of work organizations, the evolution of organizational structures and the creation of ergonomic schemes. They rely on strategies proposed by consultants, like for example the implementation of matricidal structures.

This is due to the legal pressures imposed in HR management. Consequently, companies are recruiting on the HR positions, people specialized in law. Organizations aren’t searching any more a manager or a psychologist for their HR director position.

More than that, the development of complicated HRIS tools modified the role of the function. HR departments aren’t motivated to bring solutions, because technology goes first. HR teams are isolated from people they manage, being prisoners of administrative processes and procedures.

The individual approach to the HR management didn’t prove its effectiveness. The psychological and social troubles are so frequent, that we demand ourselves about the relevance of the individual HR management.

“HR managers must go out their offices in order to evaluate the organizational health” (Jean-Pierre Basilien)

Sandrine Foulon, Fanny Guinochet
Source : Liaisons Sociales Magazine/ March 2008

Even if HR directors recognize the gains produced by the HRIS (human resources informational system), they continue to criticize its complexity and lack of flexibility. This is a trend identified by the fifth edition of the HR Barometer, realised by Liaisons Sociales magazine, Entreprise& Personnel and CSC.

“Though, never the HRIS tools were as reliable and diverse as they are now.” (Frédéric Pichard, manager at CSC) The certain disappointment of HR directors must be generated by the development of HR area. HR processes are becoming more complex. There is a variety of actors that are involved in HR management: the government, the unions, the managing committee, social community. All these entities are trying to bring new elements to work management. Often, HRIS don’t reflect the change of legislation and external pressures on HR management, especially in EU countries.

“The innovation of technology should go together with the evolution of the organization.” (Frédéric Pichard). This is the solution to the lack of flexibility acknowledged by 70% of the HR managers.

What is your opinion on this issue? Does your HRIS keep its promise?

Juliette Fauchet

In March 2000, EU governments set the objective to make EU “the most dynamic and competitive economy in the world by 2010” (Lisbon Agenda). Thus, Europe aims an employment rate of 50% for 55-64 years old employees by 2010.

In France, the government took new measures in order to increase the presence of the seniors in companies. This question is also a core theme of social dialogue. “It is necessary that HR managers invent jobs that will take into account the employee age” (Laurence Parisot, MEDEF President). France reaches the rate of 38,1% of senior employment in 2006. This is a weak indicator compared to other European countries.

Nearly 48 % of the Netherlanders from 55 to 64 years old are professionally active. This rate results from the retirement reform, but also from the economic growth and a lack of workforce.

In the United Kingdom, 71,9 % of the citizens between 50 and 64 years are employed. And recently, the team of Gordon Brown set the objective of the employment of one million seniors, in order to reach the rate of 80%. The secret of British success is a great effort of communication through the Positive Age campaign. Besides that, British government offered financial incentives and professional training to seniors. These trends are also emphasized by the growth of the life expectancy.

Sweden is one of the EU countries with the greatest activity ratio of senior workers (69,6%), without particular policy or tax advantages. Concrete actions to retain seniors are made by companies. For example, Vattenfall, a public energetic company developed a program “80-90-100” to preserve the seniors: 80% of the working time, 90% of the wages and 100% of pension.

The HR Barometer 2007 highlights these trends in France: more than a half of the HR managers consider that the pappy - boom is an opportunity to adapt the number and the profile of the personnel to the strategy of the company.

“Actually, the change that we all must operate on this question is enormous. We spent thirty years to disengage the seniors and it is mistaken to believe that we will bring them to work in a short delay. There are still a majority of companies that develop the culture of the young and dynamic employee. Consequently, seniors consider they do not have many perspectives in the company and hasten to quit professional environment “(Frederic Pichard, manager CSC)

What is the policy considering seniors in your company? Do you have a young and dynamic culture or on the contrary, you strive to retain your senior workers? What are your expectations concerning the future trends of the age pyramid in the corporate environment?

Nadia Salem, Olivier Trick, Sabine Cessou, Agnes Baritou
Source: Liaisons sociales magazine/April 2008

A recent study (February 2008) of CSC’s Leading Edge Forum highlighted the question of inter-generational diversity within IT business. Is it an opportunity or a challenge?

IT organizations are about to be hit by a brain drain of experienced managers and workers who are nearing retirement. On the other hand, the demand for young IT workers is outstripping supply. More than that, not enough candidates have training in traditional technical disciplines and too few possess requisite business knowledge and relevant interpersonal skills. In spite of that, younger IT workers are demanding and getting increasingly higher levels of compensation that exceed the budgets of even large IT groups.

And when younger workers are recruited, there can be a generational disconnect between them. Four generations are distinguished among IT employees:

• Traditionalists (’50-’60) – trust in authority, rule makers, structured
• Boomers (’60-’70) – idealistic, anti-authoritarian, rule-breakers
• GenX (’80-’90) – independent, individualistic
• Millenials (post – 2000) – comfortable with diversity

Table 1. Generational change in the IT workforce is creating important new opportunities and challenges for IT organizations

While many IT departments are dominated by senior staff, some have workers from four different generations.  The challenge for leaders is to leverage the various positive characteristics of different generations of workers, and to minimize the negative attributes of each group. The study concluded that IT organizations must reinvent its workforce strategy and practices to attract and retain the talent it needs in the future.
If you are a HR director in an IT organization, what solutions would you propose to this problem? How are you managing inter-generational diversity?

Human resources function is evaluating to an individual approach. HR Directors are transferring a part of their activities to global managers, key figures in companies being responsible for a specific project or product.

In his book, “Human Resources Champions”,  Dave Ulrich emphasis four roles of a human resources manager. The Business Partner defines the HR strategy of the company. The Administrative Expert develops and implements HR management tools. The Employee Champion’s role is to put into action the strategy. Consequently, this is the unique role that supposes communication with employees. The Change Agent’s job is to define and turn into reality the corporate vision, values and organizational culture.

According to Dave Ulrich, the Business Partner and the Change Agent are roles that produce the most of added value to companies. Consequently, the Employee Champion and the Administrative Expert are descending in the organizational structure of the company. These roles are attributed to global managers.

The 5th edition of the HR Barometer is accentuating a trend of reengineering of processes and structures within companies, in order to foster competitiveness. In this context, we are demanding ourselves if the model of four HR roles is favourable to the reorganization projects developed in big corporations.

Which is your role according to the theory of Dave Ulrich? And how are you leaving it each day? If you’re a Business partner, are global managers applying effectively your plans? And does your role of Business Partner help you to change your organization?