Survey Reveals the Key Roles of HR Managers

New findings in a recent comparative study conducted by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has revealed that the five most important factors for HR managers in Ireland are: managing talent, managing work-life balance, developing learning organisations, improving leadership development, and measuring both HR and employee performance.

The report outlines that the shortage of skilled workers obliges companies to introduce work-life balance initiatives in order to attract and retain both Irish and foreign workers. Becoming a learning organisation is also listed among Ireland’s HR priorities and outlines the need for organisations to develop the competencies, skills and performance of its employees by providing adequate training and developing opportunities.

The BCG study outlines Ireland’s growing demand for third-level science and technology graduates in the engineering and IT sectors and alludes to the difficulty in attracting such foreign graduates to a country where the cost of living is so high. 

Among the low priorities identified by Irish HR leaders were: mastering the HR process, restructuring organisations, managing demographics, managing corporate social responsibility, and providing shared services and outsourcing of HR services.

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development director, Michael McDonnell said that: ‘the key areas of prime concern to HR practitioners in Ireland reflect the impact of growth in the face of increasing competitive pressures and a tight labour market’.

The study was undertaken by 1,355 senior personnel practitioners in 9 European countries.


Sales Training Programme for Executives Grows in Success

Enterprise Ireland’s third International Selling Programme took place in Dublin and Cork earlier this month and saw a record 70 senior executives from Irish growth-oriented companies participate.

The International Selling Programme is an intensive ten-month programme  aimed at generating and enhancing Ireland’s international selling skills at senior executive level. The programme is delivered by Dublin Institute of Technology on behalf of Enterprise Ireland and has quickly built up a strong reputation among CEOs, sales directors and business development executives over the past three years.

Speaking about the need for Irish companies to continue to enhance their international selling skills Minister Martin said: ‘Ireland’s economic success is strongly linked to the ability of Irish companies to sustain sales growth in established and emerging markets. This is reflected in Enterprise Ireland’s strategyTransforming Irish Industry 2008 – 2010, with a key target of €4bn in new export sales by the end of 2010.’

Once again the International Selling Programme has been a huge success, as summarised by Kieran Conlon, Senior VP Sales Executive at Globoforce: ‘the course is a very hands-on application of best practices in international selling.

The international experience, diverse backgrounds and teaching ability of the module presenters was first class…I highly recommend it.’
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Major Professional Services Provider Responds to Employee Training Needs

Following the results from its graduate employees’ surveys Deloitte and Touche has responded well to the needs of its workforce by implementing employee-friendly programmes and initiatives which have played a significant role in reducing the company’s graduate attrition rate.

Surveys among graduate employees in the company revealed a need for more staff incentives and Deloitte and Touche responded by introducing an ‘Equilibrium Programme’ which entitles employees to massages, wine-tasting classes, yoga, golf sessions and so forth. The initiative also allows employees to choose from a menu of rewards and incentives as part of their salary package – ranging from extra annual leave days to cash bonuses and additional health insurance perks.

Furthermore, a new STEPS programme was introduced which enables parents to have increased parental leave, emergency childcare leave, and a half day for a child’s first day at school. This programme also enables employees to benefit from a compressed working week. Speaking of the programme’s success, Deloitte and Touche’s HR director, Orla Graham, says that: ‘while recruitment is hard it is much easier since we started the STEPS programme. We have exceeded our graduate recruitment target for this year and our attrition rate is down’.

This company-friendly approach to the work/life balance and welfare of its employees has been key to Deloitte and Touche retaining its staff. The initiatives and programmes it has implemented also help ensure that ‘people get the right work and that the right people are promoted’ as Mary Collins, senior talent manager at Deloitte and Touche, commented.