Lalonde, however, is quite keen on pointing out that internationally, “HR is the most revolutionary side of the C-Suite. The good news is that we’re seeing, internationally, this new term, CHRO (Chief HR Officer). It used to be that in corporate boardrooms, you don’t invite the HR guy until you’re ready to downsize and cut a bunch of people, but now, with the right tools and the right culture and mindset, enterprises are realizing more that they can actually have HR drive the business. It may be a different process with start-ups versus large enterprises, but at the end of the day, we all say that people are the most important company asset.”
From the backroom to the boardroom
HR has generally participated in the executive team with regard to the establishment of business strategy. However, HR’s strategic role grows beyond a team role in deciding the strategy. Execution is where most organizations struggle or fail, and it is in this very area that HR can significantly impact execution.
“The opportunity is there,” affirms Lalonde, who lauds the strong capabilities, creative people management skills, and notable professionalism of HR executives from the Philippines. “As CHRO, you need to step forward and show that you are an influencer in the senior leadership team. If you’re not invited to the board meetings, you’re probably not influencing. Why? Because you don’t have the numbers, the analytics, the business case, and the alignment of the top strategic objectives to what your programs are going to do to make a difference in the organization. HR should go beyond organizing the next company outing or bowling competition—you have to get it in your head that strategic HR is al about the numbers,” Lalonde says.
With such technology-driven tools as cloud computing, social media and mobility at HR’s disposal, Lalonde avers that the Philippines can easily churn out Filipino solutions experts and architects, highly reference-able global business consultants, HR-technology innovators and thought leaders, who will steer the future of HCM and Business Offshoring Services not just in the Asia Pacific region but across the globe.
Lalonde, who recently launched syncHRony Global—the newest cloud-based HCM solutions provider and first ever Philippine-based offshore business services delivery center—at the Asia HR Summit, avers that by enabling and empowering HR executives with the right people, the right tools and the right cloud-based technology, HR professionals can easily be the next CEO of their organization. “People is what makes an organization work, and it is in this very arena that an HR professional can shine. HR has the capacity to impact cultural identity and what I like to call passion in the workforce. It’s all about creating that from your leadership team and move that all the way down the organization. It’s about visibility of strategy, targets, accountability of meeting those targets and rewarding people for meeting them, and having a tangible way to actually monitor that,” Lalonde advises.
Highlighting the Role of the Employer
At the Asia HR Summit, Lalonde also announced that his company, SyncHRony Global, will be one of the key sponsors of the annual Asia CEO Awards held November 11 this year at the grand ballroom of the Marriott Hotel Manila. In line with its vision of elevating human capital management in the countyr, SyncHRony Global counts itself a major supporter of the Awards by sponsoring the syncHRony Top Employer of the Year.
“Cultural change is definitely something that HR professionals should be able to stand on the table and drive. As a company with a singular focus on human capital management, we’ve chosen to come in and sponsor the SyncHRony Top Employer of the Year to highlight forward-thinking organizations who have not only been innovative in terms of their HR programs, but specifically we want to see how these companies have leveraged all these disruptive technologies in the market toward enhancing employee engagement,” Lalonde says.
A spinoff event of the Asia CEO Forum—the largest regular business event in the Philippines organized by an alliance of Filipino and International business executives—the Asia CEO Awards places on the fore the management teams and individuals who have made significant contributions to help build the Philippines into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. One of the largest events of its kind in the Asia Pacific region, the Awards promote leadership excellence and team-building within organizations and highlights Filipino business accomplishments to the world’s business leaders.
Now on its sixth year, the Asia CEO Awards will have 10 categories, including Oracle Technology Company of the Year; CSR Company of the Year; SPi Global Young Leader of the Year; Shore Solutions Most Innovative Company; NEC Quality Company; Jones Lang LaSalle Expatriate Executive of the Year; Smart Communications Global Filipino Executive; syncHRony Top Employer of the Year, and the KPMG Executive Leadership Team. There are also two new award categories, namely the Hospitality Award and the First Carbon Solutions Green Company of the Year award.
The 2015 Asia CEO Awards will be held November 11, 2015 at the grand ballroom of the Marriott Hotel Manila. Deadline of nominations is on September 28, 2015. To nominate and learn more about the awards, log on to www.asia-ceo-awards.org.
HR has generally participated in the executive team with regard to the establishment of business strategy. However, HR’s strategic role grows beyond a team role in deciding the strategy. Execution is where most organizations struggle or fail, and it is in this very area that HR can significantly impact execution.
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