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How HR plays a strategic role

By Karen Trenton

 

As all HR professionals know, a company’s greatest strength is its workforce. So, what happens when that workforce encompasses thousands of employees working in various countries around the world? What happens when an organization is faced with different corporate structures and cultural demands across its diverse workforce that are all equally important?

As the world continues its move toward greater levels of globalization, this is a challenge that an increasing number of organizations will face. It’s important to plan for that shift with comprehensive HR strategies that take culturally and regionally diverse workforces into account.

For much of Sherritt International Corporation’s 90-year history, they have been privileged to have operations in Ontario, Alberta, Cuba and Madagascar. This has afforded them the enriching opportunity to engage with a diverse range of employees from varying cultural and regional backgrounds and has shaped their corporate HR strategy.

A cookie-cutter approach was never feasible for Sherritt, nor is it likely to be for most organizations in a diverse and increasingly interconnected world. The key HR pillars of understanding, communication and engagement all come into play and should be used actively during all HR strategy and policy development.

 

Communication styles and languages

In order to fully engage culturally diverse employees around the world, it is necessary to take an individualized approach in terms of communication. HR materials and content that work well in North America may not resonate as effectively in other regions, based on cultural differences and socio-economic factors.

For example, Sherritt’s operations in Ambatovy, Madagascar, have a vibrant and dedicated workforce. However, variables such as local company resources and formalized education programs in the region differ from those of their workforce’s peers in North America and Cuba. Thus, different communication tools are necessary to ensure that the local Malagasy population remains equally as engaged.

In addition, it’s of the utmost importance to understand not only how the communication tools may differ region-by-region, but also how messaging can change based on language. A few years ago, Sherritt did an employee engagement survey with their operations worldwide. They engaged with local employees in Madagascar to give their leadership team an intimate appreciation for how particular messaging in the survey would come across to the workforce in Madagascar. Understanding this difference and changing the messaging based on their feedback was a key driver in the survey’s success.

Developing appropriate communication tools and materials for global audiences can be a challenge and requires collaboration between a company’s different regional HR managers and local employees, but the end result – a more engaged workforce – is worth the effort.

 

Local and national employment law

Thoroughly understanding employment legislation is also important and should be an absolute requirement for local HR managers at all operations. In order to engage culturally diverse employees, organizations must first meet all the basic employment requirements as established by national governing bodies. Mexico will have different employment standards than Japan or Germany, and it’s essential to appreciate the differences, however subtle. Having a skilled and well-managed HR department for each operational location can help businesses meet these necessary requirements.

 

Structured processes to promote accountability

Implementing the right reporting structure, with every employee having clear position descriptions, allows for clarity around accountabilities and deliverables. This process allows all employees, regardless of level, to deliver what they are committed to and at a level with which they are capable. Understanding where to reduce repetitive or duplicated tasks helps to sustain long-term employee engagement.

 

Motivation for multigenerational employees

When discussing cultural diversity, age-related diversity is often overlooked. In large multinational organizations, there are often several generations of employees that need to be motivated and engaged in different ways. What motivates and drives millennial employees will not necessarily have the same impact with Baby Boomers. Through ongoing communication and feedback from employees, HR professionals can appropriately determine what engagement strategies work best for long-term results while respecting the natural evolution of business.

 

Steering committees for diversity and inclusion

By establishing inclusion and diversity committees at all operational sites, Sherritt was able to gain valuable insight and information that could have been overlooked. The input from local teams is critical in order to ensure existing policies are appropriate for and applicable to employees in varying regions. Allowing participatory employees to actively engage in the HR decision-making processes promotes a sense of loyalty and shows that their opinions are truly valued. These diversity and inclusion committees work especially well in satellite locations where there are significant barriers that may impact more corporate HR efforts.

 

Appropriate employee support programs

Through strategically partnering with non-profits, physical and mental wellbeing organizations and local initiatives, it is absolutely imperative for HR teams to provide and promote services that will help employees perform better, both physically and mentally. These partnerships are highly dependent upon local employee demographics and regional need. A mental health support service may be incredibly useful in North America, but employees in Cuba could collectively have different needs that do not necessarily involve the same stream of mental health support. This is where active, two-way communication with employees and feedback tools are essential.

 

Overall company objectives

Multinational organizations often face the issue of inconsistent objectives throughout their operations. Operational objectives should not be siloed. Instead, management teams from each area should work together collectively to meet the business goals set out by executive leadership. The high-level business objectives should be clearly understood by all employees in management positions and be used as a guideline for all local goals and objectives.

 

Key takeaways

Employee engagement, regardless of cultural or regional diversity, requires transparency, accountability, two-way communication and inclusion at its core. HR managers working in various geographical locations for the same organization should be aware of business goals and work with local employees to develop HR policies and procedures that are relevant for the work environment they are in. Management should be aware of all employment legislation for various geographical operations and print materials in all necessary languages and present them via appropriate channels for accessibility purposes. Analytics, diversity committees and one-on-one employee engagement are all incredibly effective tools for gauging the effectiveness of an HR strategy.

Employees are a company’s greatest asset. In diverse and geographically dispersed organizations, HR is uniquely positioned to actively support the efforts to demonstrate the respect and inclusion that lead to an engaged workforce.

 

Karen Trenton is the senior vice president of Human Resources at Sherritt International Corporation.

 

 

 

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