29 April 2022 
Ruth Turner, Membership Officer
HR’s influence in the corporate Higher Education (HE) hierarchy was powerfully demonstrated throughout the pandemic by successfully addressing the profusion of challenges facing the sector. HR & OD (HR) must - as a new norm - continue to be at the forefront of innovative strategic and operational decision making by placing people issues central to any discourse seeking to address their institutions most significant business challenges:
A reactionary response by HR teams will not deliver the change required for a re-aligned world, whilst a reactive response will at best merely ensure survival. To thrive and flourish demands innovative, creative, and radical solutions from HR teams, effectively supported by enabling technology.
There are multiple strands that make up the workforce within HE, from full-time academic staff to contingent faculty, casual contractors and professional/ support staff. Members of these diverse communities all have inherently different needs and motivations. For institutions to continue to thrive in the medium, and longer term, HR must be open minded and connected in their planning, identifying, and championing creative solutions which deliver separate, yet streamlined and seamless processes that will enhance the employee experience. This is a critical step-change on the path to facilitating the conditions that will enable institutions to succeed longer term through addressing the needs, aspirations and expectations of their primary asset, their people.
Changes in the HR offer can no longer be just esoteric refinements but rather be radical, relevant and full-on in the re-emerging world of work in HE.
HR teams to ensure that they include certain specific pre-requisites:
Pre-pandemic, these now business critical issues were often considered by some institutions as marginal activities and received scant attention from senior leaders.
A core primary undertaking for HR to achieve these ‘must-haves’ should be to enhance the digital savvy of their communities: removing paper-based systems isn’t radical for some but there are still many employers slavishly imputing data from paper submissions thus constraining employee engagement, job satisfaction and career progression. Empowering technologies will free up valuable time to enable HR professionals across HE to focus their efforts on the work they are passionate about delivering:
The status quo has been forever disrupted and the future demands from HR a radical recasting to successfully nurture their institutions through their continued growth journey.
The landscape of work, workers and the workplace has been changed in HE by external forces that necessitated reactive responses. There has never been a more opportune time for HR teams to demonstrate their commitment to proactive, innovative and creative continued improvement.
Wherever you are on your growth journey, we are here to support you. We would welcome the opportunity to engage with you about how we can enable you to learn from the innovation and creativity we have delivered across the HE sector to enable your institution to thrive and succeed.
Leatham Green, Strategy - Human Capital Management, Oracle
Learn more about Oracle for Higher Education: https://www.oracle.com/uk/industries/higher-education/public-sector/
Learn more about Oracle HCM: https://www.oracle.com/uk/human-capital-management/
