Think of parents and children, Sanders suggests. If the parents have not been completely clear around what is allowed and what is not allowed, and if their messages are not regular and consistent, then the children will not know what to do and will regularly act in an unacceptable manner. Staff also require such clarity of communication.
As the leader of a fast-changing and talent-reliant organisation, Britt has consciously altered the way he thinks about the role of HRM.
“I started by trying to frame what HR means,” he says. “We’ve moved away from thinking about HR as a function – payroll processing, job levels, job scopes [and] job definitions. There is the process-driven, systemic side of HR but then there’s the broader issue of people and culture, which I think is much more important.”
Britt’s business is heavily reliant on younger staff from Generation Y. The customers of his industry are also largely from Gen Y. So his staff and his customers have certain expectations.
“Gen Y team members come with a much greater expectation of purpose,” Britt explains.
“They have a desire to contribute to the world around them. They have a desire to feel good about what they do in addition to being remunerated fairly and having a great environment to work in and in which to progress. They have a deep expectation that you will invest in their personal growth and development, and invest in their career. And added to that, they have zero loyalty.
“So the one question that keeps me awake at night is: how do you create a climate and environment to allow people to be their best in those circumstances, to have pressure, lots of change and this evolving need of employees away from the more traditional factors that would drive employer of choice, and much more towards the question of deeper engagement and purpose? Engagement and purpose [are] probably the two defining words that I think about the most.”
Britt’s has found his answer in the HRM role and in the influence it has over the entire organisation. The HRM staff at Mi9 are involved in everything the business does and are privy to every strategy and decision.
“If HR is just about functional systems and processes, it can report anywhere in the organisation. Making sure we have the systems to support personal development is an important function,” Britt says.
“The creation of values and the distillation of those values down through all levels of the organisation, and making them meaningful to people, is something that has to come from the absolute top. And if I’m not living those values every day it becomes hollow and empty. So our HR team effectively becomes mentor, supporter, and a sort of a co-ordinator of everything that we do. It is fundamental to our business.”
