3 Key Takeouts from the 2021 HR Indaba

See what we learned and what we shared with our HR peers at the 2021 virtual Indaba, held on 30 March 2021. 2021 was the second year that CHRO’s annual HR Indaba was held online. Last year, we saw delegates coming together in the chatrooms to debate the new reality of a remote workforce. This year, we were honoured to once again be part of such a dynamic and interactive virtual conference.

Here are our three key takeouts from the HR Indaba

The Need for Agility – For Organisations, Teams and Individuals

Many delegates in attendance noted that in today’s complex and uncertain business environment, one of the strongest competitive advantages for organisations is Agility. Learning Agility is not an academic skill, nor a fixed trait, but rather is the ability to adapt quickly and effectively in the face of changing demands. It’s about learning from experience and applying these lessons to perform well in new and challenging situations.

One delegate described it as "knowing what to do when you don't know what not to do" – this truly epitomises Agility and why it is so important, especially for leaders who need to steer their organisations in the right direction.

People who are agile continuously learn from experience, acquire new skills, take on new challenges and perform consistently well under changing conditions. Lumenii offers a range of solutions to measure and grow Learning Agility – in individuals, teams and the organisation at large.

Learning resource 1:

Download the Learning Agility meta-analysis from the journal of psychology to see research with leader success across 20 different studies.

"The difference between those who succeed in these changing times and those who do not can be defined by their Agility."

The Ever-Present Risk of Burnout

One of the most pertinent topics was the risk of burnout in employees undergoing relentless external stressors. HR delegates noted that burnout risk is even more concerning in remote workforces where there isn’t clear delineation between home and work.

Burnout among workers has become so commonplace in recent years that the World Health Organization has classified it as an occupational phenomenon and labelled employees with symptoms of chronic stress in the workplace. On top of their work stressors, COVID-19 is adding fuel to the fire. One could say that the pandemic is causing a burnout epidemic.

Mental and physical effects are rarely enough for employers to take action against burnout. Often employers do nothing about burnout, as they see it as an individual problem, not an institutional one. This mindset is a clear obstacle that HR needs to tackle in their organisation.

Through discussions and learnings, we see that companies actively pursuing burnout prevention strategies have been highly successful in guiding their workforce through the COVID-19 crisis. The starting point for any company’s wellness strategy should be stress management and strategies to prevent burnout.

Learning Resource 2:

Learn more about using the principles of leadership agility to effectively manage a remote team.

The Value of an Uncapped Recruitment Strategy

The ability to place top talent in your organisation should not be limited by the cost per assessment. Assessment models that reflect the needs of modern organisations are increasingly popular – delegates reported time savings and cost savings as critical issues within their organisation.

The ability to assess all job applicants via an online volume candidate screening platform – at a fixed cost – allows HR to use reliable, valid, and objective data to make decisions. This is truly an example of leveraging the power of technology to not only make faster hiring decisions but better ones too.

Learning Resource 3:

Watch the recording from our free Zero Talent Waste webinar, hosted by Lumenii in partnership with CHRO. We shared insights, research and case studies into online screening and the ROI of an uncapped recruitment strategy.