Gaining and maintaining a market leadership position requires constant effort for growth and development. Businesses today need to develop innovative mechanisms that will enable them to stand out and adapt to the ever-demanding business environment, while at the same time needing to continue investing in their most valuable asset – their People. Therefore, the Human Resources Department (HR), as a strategic partner, holds a dominant role in such anthropocentric organizations.
The operation of the AD department has evolved over the years, as the focus is no longer on record keeping, formal procedures and compliance but on valuing the value that individuals themselves can offer. The effort now focuses on attracting talent, ways to increase employee engagement in corporate activities, initiatives to encourage diversity, performance management, pay and benefit practices, and other strategic initiatives that have a significant impact on an organization's business operations.
Organizations that recognize people as distinct entities that contribute unique skills, talents, experiences, knowledge, and creativity, and that develop mechanisms to identify, utilize, and invest in those qualities are the current Employers of choice. that attract talent and achieve long-term, sustainable development.
We, as Elias Neocleous & CO LLC, embrace this philosophy and adopt similar practices. The distinctions that make us a global law firm are not an easy achievement and our successful maintenance at this high level requires hard work and commitment to continually exceed our potential in all areas in which we serve. This can only be achieved with a strong leadership, which adopts modern management principles, capable executives who work with a team spirit and commitment of all to achieve ambitious goals. In all these practices that can lead an organization to success and financial strength, the AD department contributes significantly.
As a strategic partner, the AD department contributes to the profitability, growth, efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. It interacts with all the basic organizational functions to determine business objectives, taking into account all external and internal factors. The business objectives are then coded and assigned to departments and individuals, thus achieving a common orientation, with a vision and perspective. The AD department plays an important role in cultivating the expected corporate culture and fits the people with the organization, directing them towards success.
The attraction of talents and the effective recruitment process, is one of the most important roles of the AD operation. Putting the right person in the right role at the right time is the key to building a dynamic team and an efficient workflow. The correct integration (orientation / induction) prepared by the AD department, is one of its most important functions, because it helps new entrants to understand the goals of the organization and to adapt more easily to the new business environment.
Managing and retaining competent and talented human resources is another demanding task and a challenge of a continuous nature for the human resources department, which requires a human-centered mentality and specialized mechanisms that recognize individual skills and utilize them accordingly. These mechanisms include a transparent appraisal system, a clear career path and progress, effective training and development plans, and a culture of encouraging personal and professional improvement that rewards supply and unlocks individuals' highest potential. These mechanisms, combined with motivational practices and effective communication channels, aim to build trust and a sense of belonging in the organization, important components for a healthy, long-term and successful employer-employee relationship.
Also an important role of a strategically acting department of AD. is the management of crises in the work environment and the preventive preparation and participation of the organization and individuals in the forthcoming changes. The recent pandemic has taught us that the crisis can come unexpectedly and in any form. However, the 'cure' always remains the same. An ingredient of an organism's survival in a crisis is the strong relationship of trust, and trust is not built overnight. Its construction requires time and effort, with a long and consistent implementation of a chain of good practices that protect the interests of both the organization and the individual. With confidence in the core of decisions, transparency, consistency and a spirit of cooperation, an organization can be safely led out of any crisis.
In addition to crisis management, the strategic operation of the Human Resources department must discern and handle trends and developments in the work environment and adapt the organization accordingly, triggering and generating innovative ideas.
Among the challenges currently faced by AD professionals is the development of processes and practices to achieve an effective and harmonious work environment, where four generations usually coexist – the traditional, baby-boomers, Generation X and millennials, seeking the preservation and increase competitiveness. It is the responsibility of the AD department to guide the organization in reviewing the modes of operation and to achieve effective interaction between the human resources, so that it is utilized to its maximum potential. Now more than ever, AD departments need to help develop strong leaders who can exercise leadership tailored to specific challenges and build dynamic teams.
A further important development in the work environment is the digital transformation. The future we have been planning and thinking about is already here. We live in the digital age and all functions must be adapted in this direction. The AD department plays an important role in this new era, as it must lead this change and lead the human resources successfully in it. The key to embracing technological change is to upgrade individual skills, develop targeted skills, speed, adaptability and focus more than ever on developing emotional intelligence.
Our constant pursuit is our immediate response to the needs of our customers with consistently excellent quality and in the most efficient and technologically advanced way. At the same time we strive to offer our human resources professional development and success in a healthy work environment and we feel proud to achieve both of these interrelated goals. But to maintain this success, we realize that we must continue to build even stronger and more innovative business processes through a modern, value-added approach to Human Resources.
