2022 HRO Today EMEA March April - 11

The Profession
Right now, HR professionals have a golden opportunity
to push forward the high profile they hold within their
organisations and to further their careers within the upper
echelons of leadership. As Peter Ryding, master coach
and founder of the HRD PathFinder Club, says, the
pandemic has shown how important HR is to employers,
and that the caring, empathetic side of what HR does is
critical. " If you don't care for your people, they'll resign, "
he puts quite simply.
" Many senior HR professionals are in the frontline of
their organisations' adaptation to a world transformed by
COVID, " agrees Executive Coach Meirion Jones. " Whilst
acknowledging the organisational challenges, they see
enormous opportunity for driving cultural and operational
transformation and cementing their roles at the heart of
their companies. "
According to Jones, the disruptive impact of the
pandemic has led to organisations having to play catchup,
frequently creating policies on the hoof. " The
development and embedding of these systemic changes-
in a world where agile responses will continue to be
essential-is a critical HR challenge, " he says.
Rodrigo Adanya, chief people officer at multi-category
delivery company Glovo, agrees that HR is now
experiencing strong demand as businesses seek to
do more to ensure their employees are as comfortable and
fulfilled in their positions as possible and therefore able
to do their best work for themselves and for the business.
" For this reason, good HR representatives, for perhaps the
first time ever, have become the real difference between
winning and losing the war for talent, " he says.
Adanya goes on to explain that in his experience, HR
professionals have generally been seen to " side with
business, " finding themselves under pressure to stay loyal
to their employers rather than their employees. Since the
pandemic, there has been a change in this balance, not
least in order to address employee well-being and mental
health. " There has been a shift in expectation as to what
people expect and deserve from a working environment, "
he says. " As a result, there is now a distinct need for HR
professionals who can empathise, listen, and connect
to their employees, and defend their needs against
employers.
" This has been a good wake-up call for what support
is needed in the workplace, " he continues, " with the
pandemic acting as a catalyst for a new, more balanced
way of working that we as HR professionals have always
hoped to achieve. " The key to achieving more, Adanya
says, is by helping organisations be more modern, agile,
and welcoming to people without neglecting the data,
business, and structure savviness that HR has built up over
the past few years. " Companies now have the opportunity
to establish a real sense of equilibrium, " he explains.
Louise Stonier, chief people and culture officer
at Pets at Home, also sees the pandemic as a catalyst
for broadening the HR agenda. She now believes the
function is facing a challenge since the number and
type of stakeholders HR has to consider has increased
and is continuing to expand. " HR leaders must consider
environmental, social, and governance issues and how
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2022 HRO Today EMEA March April

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