VIE: Our Manifesto for Adaptive HR

At VIE, we’re no fans of fancy words or abstract ideas: this is our manifesto — our declaration for HR that is based around calls to action, both for ourselves and for the industry as a whole.The primary goal of this manifesto is to help organisations shape their own culture and mechanisms (such as reporting lines) so that everyone can do their best to advance its objectives.The six points that follow, then, are our calling card.

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1. Understand the science of human behavior

“I love working with people”: How many times have we heard this near-mantra? In one sense, HR would seem to be just about that: working with people, coaching them, helping them develop as individuals.

But that is in fact not what’s most fundamental. At the heart of best HR practice, rather, are the latest scientific findings on what works — and what doesn’t — when it comes to guiding, and listening to, people’s behavior.

How many times do we need to read research showing that randomly interviewing people for a job position isn’t effective before we stop doing it? How many times do we need to see the clear indications that making people afraid to speak up and ask questions puts a damper on their creativity? When will we stop allowing leaders hang onto leadership roles that do not work well for the organisation? And when will we finally realist that brushing findings such as these under the rug won’t make them go away?

So we say: immerse yourself in the science of human behavior, and then trust your gut and speak out.

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2. Measure continuously

There is still talk about the “added value of HR”? What we have to do is analyse, make predictions and look for patterns.

Although it is sometimes very hard (we can’t lock everything in numbers) HR must try much harder to make explicit what we do. We have to measure base lines, analyse data and combine different types of analytics to show costs, improvements and deteriorations. Think of the cost of a unhealthy culture, or the benefit of a smooth selection process. These can definitely be quantified.

For most of the steps we take in HR, whether that is on fe. hiring, culture or engagement, there are solid ways to measure effectiveness. We believe that leads to better decision-making.

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3. HR technology: Time to make friends with techies

HR without HR Tech does not exist anymore. That is something we firmly believe and why we have built the HRTech.Community site around this topic.

Everyday, new HR tools are introduced that improve the employee experience and the people hiring them. We also believe the right implementation makes the difference between helping you achieve your goals or missing them.

There are a number of key ways to make sure HR technology is as effective as it can be:

• Determine if the tool will improve the employee experience
• Make HR Tech part of your core processes
• Good implementation of HR technology for ALL staff is a top priority
• Define how you follow up on the results before you begin
• Always try to keep decisions data-driven

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4. It’s not about us in HR, it’s about you:

The organisation, lines of reporting and communication, teams, that takes center stage.

Most companies want you to use more of what they’re selling, whether that’s goods or services. So call us different: we do everything we can to minimise the need for our services by working to integrate best HR practices, tools, and science within your teams. And our customers know we’ll be there to offer guidance as and when it’s needed.

We focus on your needs, based on which phase your company is in. Recruitment or Performance Management in a company of 20 FTE is very different from a company of 100 FTE. And each phase has different focus points and critical issues.

We believe our job is to anticipate these issues so we can help teams to function independently and solve their own challenges, with help from us where needed.

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5. Continual learning and improvement

Every day presents learning opportunities — to us as much as to our clients. An approach to recruitment that might have worked three years ago is as likely as not to be old-school, and ineffective, today.

This openness to learning, and to what’s new more generally, is important among other because the pace of technological and societal change shows no sign of letting up.

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6. Frank, open, and to the point

We believe that sharing our thoughts and observations frankly and honestly is the best policy, as long as any criticism is offered graciously and constructively. And communication must always be a two-way street. We all have contributions to make, and by the same token there’s a lot we can all learn from each other. Call it shared learning — but whatever name it goes by, it can lead to better personal connections, more-productive interactions, and a clearer overall direction for the organisation.