Page 17 - Islands Business June 2023

HR and Recruitment HR and Recruitment

Suva’s Albert Park or along the Port Vila foreshore on ‘Well- Continued transition to digital processes also feeds into the
ness Wednesdays’ and the like. But in countries where health post-COVID phenomenon of meeting some workers’ desire for
systems can be inadequate, it also means a broader culture of more flexible working conditions.
healthiness, from the food choices at corporate morning teas Coworking spaces such as the Greenhouse Studio and
to the availability of subsidised health and life insurance. WeWork in Fiji, IumiWaka in Solomon islands and Yumiwork
in Vanuatu cater for this flexibility. Greenhouse founder,
A ‘total workforce’ philosophy Maria Ronna Luna Pastorizo-Sekiguchi said: “When we started
This refers to an approach that fills talent gaps now and with Greenhouse Studio, we always used online tools and we
into the future, and focusses on the whole team, not just always considered ourselves digital nomads, so the thought of
prioritising high performers, notes KPMG. offering a coworking office was organic growth.”
Globally, companies have moved from just matching people However, many Pacific workforces have reverted to the
to jobs, to a model where they can also match skills to tasks, in-person mode of doing, due to the challenges of working in
its report states. multi-generational households, intermittent utility supplies
To attract and keep talent, companies are investing in and a more traditional and hierarchical workplace culture,
learning and development opportunities, and virtual work- with an emphasis on supervision and compliance. The call for
ing technologies. In the Pacific, this includes opportunities to greater flexibility where possible from younger workers, the
participate in professional development opportunities such as continued regional investment in better connectivity through
workshops and training courses. cables and satellites and the resulting ability to harness
In taking this approach, KPMG suggests HR leaders ask both technology in order to do this, will likely change our ways of
managers and employees how their workforce shape, size and working in the future. Lecturers at the University of the South
organisation will be different three years from now, how can Pacific are already reporting the submission of work created
younger workers be engaged so their early career is a positive through AI platforms; for their students, the future is already
experience, and what does ‘building back better’ look like? here and they will expect to use AI as another workplace tool.
Its report suggests less focus on process, and more focus on
purpose, experience and business results. Rebuilding the workforce
Meanwhile, Deloitte’s 2023 Global Human Capital Trends Global HR consulting firm, Mercer, says COVID-19 brought
survey, which polled 10,000 businesses and HR leaders in over about a fundamental change in people’s values.
100 countries, found that while employers still recruit for Whether you call it the ‘great resignation’ or the ‘great
technical skills, the qualities they most highly value and seek reassessment’, it says in the US, the number of voluntary res-
are communication, customer service, leadership, attention ignations has exceededed pre-pandemic levels for 21 consecu-
to detail and ability to collaborate. Looking ahead to 2026, it tive months.
adds personal learning and mastery, achievement focus and Worker shortages have seen some countries bring back
cultural and social intelligence to this list. retired alumni on flexible arrangements. In most Pacific states
Deloitte’s survey suggests HR practitioners and the com- the retirement age still holds—traditionally because of the
panies they work for should reimagine leadership based less need to make space for younger workers. However there have
on seniority and formal authority, and “more on the use of been some shifts here too, with for example, the retirement
insight, personal accountability, connection to values and age in Fiji being lifted to 60 (from 55 years of age) this year.
action.” There are skills and labour shortages in the region too, with
This is the mantra of programs such as Leadership Fiji’s workers from a wide range of sectors going to work in other
work with emerging leaders, which is well supported by Fiji’s countries, either in their professional fields or on various
corporate and government sector. labour schemes (see p18).
However Pacific Islands have a major challenge; education Filling this gap may require, initially, the removal of barriers
systems that are still geared towards rote learning, a dispro- to allow workers from outside countries, accelerated reskill-
portionate reliance on exams as a measure of achievement ing and improving employee experiences, and in the medium
and curricula that have generally not evolved to respond to term, a better pathway through training and education to fill
modern workplaces, prioritising individual work over group gaps in the workforce.
projects and cooperation. Ultimately, as long as Pacific Island workers see better pay
and opportunities elsewhere, and have the means to work in
Using emerging technologies Australia, New Zealand, the US and other Pacific Island coun-
KPMG says companies need to be digital in ‘thought, word tries, the exodus of workers, and our reliance on the remit-
and deed’. This means harnessing analytics and data to drive tances they generate, will continue.
action and employing AI and automation where possible to editor@islandsbusiness.com
complete routine tasks.

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