Enhancing Employee Satisfaction with Evolving HR

Leia Cardoso, Head of HR at Ancar Ivanhoe

In an interview, Leia Cardoso, head of HR at Ancar Ivanhoe, discusses the emerging trends in HR.

What are some of the major challenges and trends that have been impacting the HR Industry lately?

HR challenges and trends have been shaped by the transformation of the post-pandemic workplace with more open discussions about remote working, flexible working hours, the search for a more inclusive workplace, and a focus on mental health, in addition to the need to adapt to rapid technological changes, such as automation, artificial intelligence, and more data-driven skills for strategic decision-making.

Some of the main challenges and trends include:

Employees' Mental Health: We have always sought to ensure the necessary support for employees' mental health and well-being. We have implemented a program that encourages health: the Vida Ativa, which includes partnerships with Gympass, and a health competition (RADARFIT) that is mobilizing more than 500 employees in an internal game, lectures, and other actions.

Working Hours: We evaluated the areas and structures in which we can work, such as home office, hybrid, and on-site, aligning the expectations of the business with those of the employees. This process was built together with the team to ensure the engagement and retention of talent.

Developing New Skills:  Always at the forefront of HR is the care and assertiveness in developing the team. We have a UAI (Ancar Ivanhoe University) learning platform that supports all employees through formal (courses) and informal development.

Effective Communication: Ensuring clear and open communication with employees who are both on-site and working from home is always a challenge. To do this, we use formal meetings, WhatsApp, e-mail, and bulletin boards, and we are bringing an app solution that will facilitate this alignment and the employee experience. Focus on the employee experience: Putting the customer at the center is a guideline of our company, and when we talk about the internal customer, we seek to take care of this journey by bringing everyone as the protagonist of an increasingly great place to work and inclusive environment. For 16 years, we have been one of the best companies to work for, according to the GPTW Institute. HR technologies: We use advanced technologies such as AI, automation, and data analysis to improve HR processes and decision-making. We have a learning platform with a digital structure, AI recruitment and selection is being implemented, our hiring process is digital, and we have robots that work on payroll processes, among other technologies that support this employee experience.

Culture, Diversity, and Inclusion: Diversity and inclusion is a priority, and we have discussed it with the entire leadership. We have targets connected to the SDGs; we have set up a diversity committee made up of more than 60 employees who work to consolidate this more inclusive culture.

What keeps you up at night when it comes to some of the major predicaments in the HR Industry?

HR's difficulty is based on having the right person in the right place and getting the best out of everyone. Here are a few points we are always on the lookout for:

Recruiting and Retaining: Finding qualified professionals and retaining them is a challenge, especially in areas of high demand such as IT, development, cyber, etc.

Taking care of employees' mental health and well-being is essential, and there is a fine line in relationships that can cause stress, burnout, and bullying. We have various solutions, such as programs to encourage physical activity, guidance from nutritionists and psychologists, and shiatsu, among many others, to support this point, which is so sensitive and important for a healthy and productive environment.

"Ensuring the best experience for our employees is also one of our main objectives. With this in mind, we created digital HR."

Having Inspiring Leaders: We invest in the development of leaders and in assertive programs to maintain a strong, people-centered, and highly engaged culture.

Organizational Change: Managing area restructuring processes is complex, and if we don't involve people in decision-making, it can affect employee motivation and engagement.

HR must have skills in adaptation, communication, problem-solving, and the search for innovative solutions to meet the constantly evolving challenges of the corporate world.

Can you tell us about the latest project that you have been working on and what are some of the technological and process elements that you leveraged to make the project successful?

One of the strategies we have used is internal partnerships between areas, such as HR, which, in partnership with the innovation area, has implemented a project for intrapreneurship and the training of agile professionals within the business. The project, called Agile Businesses, gave our employees who are at the cutting edge, where everything happens, the chance to form startups based on agile methodology to think up solutions to real business challenges. In the five months of the project, 28 mini-companies were developed in the five regions of the country, involving more than 170 employees who will be trained in design thinking, scrum, agile mentality, and others. In addition to the gain of having the company solve problems, there is an immeasurable gain in establishing a culture of innovation and having professionals who are better prepared to face the challenges of today's market.

Ensuring the best experience for our employees is also one of our main objectives. With this in mind, we created digital HR. Based on the employee's journey at the company, one of the solutions designed to facilitate this is the union of all human resources processes in a single place. For the leader, it provides better monitoring of their dashboard, giving them more autonomy in people management and knowledge of processes and the team. For the employees, we guarantee a more agile journey, better adaptation to the company's culture, and clarity and support in their career development.

What are some of the technological trends that excite you for the future of the HR Industry?

For the future of the HR industry, there are several technological trends that could revolutionize practices and processes. We already have some in place and are constantly evaluating the market to bring the best solution to our team. Here are a few:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning: to automate repetitive tasks and offer valuable insights for making informed talent management decisions

Chatbots and Virtual Assistance: Improve the employee experience by providing quick answers to frequently asked questions and assisting with self-service

Video interview and Podcast

Online tests and gamification

HR BI for analyzing data and identifying patterns and trends in human resources, providing a more strategic approach to talent management

How can the budding and evolving companies reach you for suggestions to streamline their business?

We are always benchmarking and are open to exchange. We usually arrange these exchanges by video or in person.

Agile

Artificial Intelligence

Machine Learning