MAM
Flexi-timing, job hopping, social media feedback are key HR issues for media companies
MUMBAI: The challenges of human resources (HR) are constantly changing in any industry thanks to the emerging role of automation and social media along with a higher rate of attrition and scarcity of talent. Decoding the new age issues in the HR space, Publics head HR Nikhil Natekar spoke on a wide range of issues a freewheeling chat with She Means Business content creator and workshop facilitator Dipika Singh at the Indiantelevision.com Media HR Summit 2019.
The first issue (and the most talked about one today) addressed the need for flexible timing. “It’s not only the responsibility of the HR to look into it. It depends on business to business; there are lots of challenges in terms of flexi-time. It should not impact your core business hours. You need to look at core business hours aligned with your organisation. Flexi-time cannot work in the hospitality sector but can work in the IT sector where the employees are playing an individual contributor’s role. So, you need to define where you want to apply flexi-time,” Natekar commented.
With the power of social media in hand, employees and job aspirants can easily write good or bad feedback for companies and Natekar says that this is a reality that needs to be accepted and tackled. Companies need to perceive platforms like LinkedIn and Glassdoor as a mirror and start taking feedback positively.
According to Natekar, accepting the flaws and responding to feedback is very important. Usually, organisations respond to consumer feedback on social media but not to employees. This is because they look at them as employees who are working for them but not as their internal customer who is generating revenue. Natekar voiced the need for a change in the thought process.
“There are two ways to look at it. First, see your current stage and then map out where the organisation wants to be in three years. Identifying that gap is very important. That’s where HR plays an important role. You have to do your own streamlining. You have to align your business leader. If you want to move from this stage to version two, what are the required skill sets for that level and who in the current team have those skill sets and what skill sets do you need to hire. It is more of an understanding between your leadership and HR,” he commented on how business helps HR in pre-empting the requirement of future.
He outlined that automation gives insights, data, and knowledge that was previously unknown but HR’s core responsibility ultimately lies in developing a relationship with an individual. Automation will give HR the background data but it will not be able to throw light on the feelings an employee has developed. Data can help understand focus areas but humans are needed to conduct personal level conversations.
Job hopping has become a tendency among employees and Natekar’s approach would be to directly ask employees for the reasons. But he asks organisations to understand that in today’s age people don’t want to work at the same place for 10-15 years. The tenure has dropped drastically to three years.
The HR’s focus should be on reducing attrition, not of average employees but for key performers who can aid the company’s goal for the next five years.
MAM
Omnicom Media appoints Bradley Rogers as CEO of OMD USA
Red Ventures president to lead OMD’s largest market as Chrissie Hanson exits
NEW YORK: Omnicom Media has named Bradley Rogers as chief executive officer of OMD Worldwide’s US business, handing him the reins of one of the world’s largest media agency operations. His appointment takes effect on March 23.
Rogers steps into the role with more than 25 years of experience across media, creative services and digital platforms. Over the years, he has held senior leadership roles at global organisations including McCann Worldgroup, Ogilvy, Mindshare and Red Ventures, working across global, regional and market level operations.
His career has also seen him build long standing partnerships with major brands such as IBM, Mastercard, Microsoft and Nestlé.
Announcing the move, Ralph Pardo, chief executive officer of Omnicom Media North America, said Rogers brings a rare mix of business acumen and cross discipline expertise shaped by leadership roles across media, creative services, commerce and consumer platforms.
Pardo noted that Rogers’ entrepreneurial mindset and ability to connect capabilities, teams and ideas makes him well suited to lead OMD as marketing grows more complex and outcome driven.
Rogers succeeds Chrissie Hanson, who is stepping down after four years as chief executive officer of OMD USA. Pardo credited Hanson with strengthening the agency’s market leadership and deepening the value delivered to clients during her tenure.
Before joining OMD, Rogers served as president at Red Ventures, a digital marketing and large scale customer acquisition company recognised by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing private companies. Prior to that, he was global president and chief operating officer at MRM, part of McCann Worldgroup, where he oversaw global operations across 16 markets and managed relationships with several of the world’s largest brands.
In his new role, Rogers will lead the US arm of OMD, the largest market within the global media agency network.
Commenting on his appointment, Rogers said that as marketing organisations navigate rapid change, agencies must work closely with clients to understand both the pressures they face and the opportunities ahead. He added that his focus will be on delivering measurable outcomes while unlocking Omnicom Media’s strengths in scale, data, identity, commerce and talent to drive growth for the brands it serves.
