Culture eats strategy: a clear need for action

This has not been a good month for the reputation of the HR profession. The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the WRC have taken criminal charges against Deirdre Foley and associates following the Clery’s closure debacle in 2015, under both the Protection of Employment Act and Workplace Relations Act. An Oireachtas committee has heard about the human resource issues at the National Museum of Ireland, which require significant improvement, and have not only been costly to individuals, but also the organisation and the State, both in terms of reputation and financially.

Alongside these, developments in the Oireachtas and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation are progressing additional protections for those on low hours’ contracts. Additional protection is needed for those in unsecured employment, and this must be balanced with the need to retain the flexibility of Ireland’s labour market, which is central to our economic competitiveness and jobs growth.

For HR, building a sustainable organisation where employees have a voice, are well managed and deliver good work should always be a focus. Getting that culture of high performance and agility, means having visible and responsible leadership, providing a supportive environment, developing employees and ensuring they have a voice so that issues, and ideas, get raised and progressed.

It's time to stand up and be counted.