Firms Must Leverage Technology To Enhance Productivity –Dalley:

Before now, CEOs are inclined to ask just any business leader to run the human resources department. Now, companies are evicting and replacing these seniors with career CHROs, what has changed?

The past 10 years clearly has produced a wave of ‘’people’’ considerations; from the increased attention on diversity to work-life integration demands of millennials, necessitating corporate actions. This appreciation of people as capital has re-emerged with CEOs now depending on Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) with experience working in HR. These are professionals skilled in partnering with line managers and senior leaders to recruit talent and solve workforce problems. The CHRO’s credibility comes from knowledge and skills that can only be attained in practice. Excellent execution ensures superior returns which all businesses strive for. It has therefore become more important to empower the human resource profession.

At Sterling, we take pride in our organisational culture as we are building a workplace that enhances the lives of our employees. The relationship between the employee and the employer (Sterling) is designed to be mutually beneficial where we fit into the life plans of our employees rather than demand that they alter their lives for us. Initiatives from our agile way of working such as flexible working models, accelerated career routes, bespoke reward systems and deliberate investment in capacity building of our workforce, has helped in keeping not just the millennials but our entire workforce mix.

Can you share the upside and downside of managing talent in Nigeria’s fast paced and fiercely competitive financial services sector?
There is a never-ending war for talent going on. Financial services used to be the only competitors for talent and maybe higher paying industries but that is changing with people demanding for excellent employee value proposition. It has therefore become imperative to build an enviable employee brand, leverage an employee alumni network and constantly find the best ways to retain talent.

I am a strong advocate when it comes to leveraging technology to improve the workplace and as such, I would rather focus on how to collaborate using these elements, that is using technology to further propagate culture. A typical example is how technology is supporting our flexible working models, our employee engagement channels etc. However, irrespective of our focus on technology, we still want to retain a workplace where our employees are fully integrated, utilising technology to build networks of connected employees.

Can you tell us about your most recent laureate – 101 Most Influential Global HR Leaders award from the World Human Resource Development Congress?
A number of Human Resources Professionals are doing a great job every day, from talent acquisition, to building competent, dynamic and agile teams well equipped to meet the rapid changing demands of today’s workplace, with a focus on the future business needs. I believe this is a valid recognition of our ability to unlock the potential of our employees for sustainable growth and our contribution to organizations’ overall success.

What makes a company a Great Place to Work?
A great place to work is an enabling environment, where employees trust the people they work with, derive a sense of meaning from their work and take pride in the overall success of their organisation. At Sterling, we have nurtured a strong value system aligning our behavioral codes and our organisational purpose to building trust. Communication, dialogue and co-determination are key factors on which we base our human resource approaches and these form the bedrock of our culture. We are constantly creating products and services that clearly add value to the society and enrich the lives of people in our communities and beyond.

How do you or other leaders at Sterling Bank communicate the core values?
At Sterling Bank, we demonstrate our commitment to maintaining an ethical workplace in two important ways. First, right from the leadership – we lead by example, walking our talk and consistently adhering to our code of conduct. Secondly, we continue to implement systems that ensure fair and equitable treatment of all employees across board, driving performance through the right behaviours.

Source: Thisday