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Solution
In modern highly competitive business environment, an organisation strategic objectives represent high-level and measurable goals outlining organisation expectation of achieving by following elaborate/clear deadlines. According to CIPD 2023) strategic objectives assist an organisation in creating strategic roadmaps, initiatives and projects in alignment with organisation strategy and vision. They are hence short/long-term and articulated/unarticulated business objectives. In achieving organisation current strategic objectives, the role of head of people function is to influence organisation outcomes and performance. According to CIPD (2023a), head of people function is involved in ensuring that they oversee day-to-day business operations.
Agree
It is true that it is the responsibility of head of people function to ensure employment policies and practices support achievement of organisation current strategic objective. The rationale of this include;
Setting appropriate ground rules– As part of the policies and practices implementation, head of people function ensure that similar ground rules are there for all people in an organisation. According to Köchling and Wehner (2020), being in the same page means that employees appreciate the organisation/business practices and expectations. Often, this involve the head of people function engaging in creating and updating organisation structures for enabling organisation strategy. For example, in Saudi Aramco organisation, one of their short term objective is to increase current profits within a period of 6 months with 0.5% annually (Capex , 2024). To achieve this, head of people function has changed how performance review is carried out in the organisation. Initially, performance reviews was being pursued after every quarter. In the next six months, head of people function has made it a mandatory policy for monthly performance review of employees. In long run, head of people function in Saudi Aramco facilitated the change from divisional to hierarchical organisation structure. The outcome of this has been achievement of their long-term objective as a leader in global oil and gas industry. The organisation has recently posted $722 billion in profits (Fortune, 2024). This is more than any other organisation globally.
Reward and Recognition– A reward and recognition policy and practice entail a strategy established by organisations for recognising the employees for their input to success of organisation (Salah, 2016). In Gallup (2023) report, it highlighted that 85% of employees possess the believe that head of people function need to spot best working, offer good rewards and recognition continuously in a year-round basis. Hence, by head of people function ensuring that the policies are well communicated with clarity, employees engagement and commitment is enhanced hence achieving the organisation current strategic objectives. For example, in 2022, Saudi Aramco was involved in implementing flagship Safaniy Offshore Field within a period of one year (Equalocean, 2024). To ensure that this objective was achieved, the leadership teams came up with a digital reward and recognition platform as part of their policy. Through this, there was periodic nudges initiated by the Head of People Function to remind them on recognising the employees and appreciating for good work. As of April 2024, the project is 40% completed. Also, as part of the rewards and recognition, head of people function in Saudi Aramco has also facilitated use of AI in implementing transparency and fairness. As part of their short term objective of summer training program Tomooh program (Saudi Aramco, 2024), their head of people function has updated recognition trends, biasness, recognition made by the head and budget management.
Adhering to labour and employment laws– For an organisation to achieve their strategic objectives, employment policies and practices must be best aligned with a country labour and employment laws. For instance, CIPD (2024) argue that head of people function ensure that employers implement specific strategies pertaining to harassment and discrimination or accommodating people due to their disability. In UK for example, it is the responsibility of head of people function to ensure organisations adhere to Equality Act 2010 (Legislation.gov.UK, 2024). In Saudi Aramco, one of the organisation strategic objective is to improve on their social innovation. According to Fasi (2023) this is a strategy which enhance technology innovativeness, creation of high-value and promotion of sustainable business practices. As part of achieving this objective, the head of people function ensure that Saudisation policy is part of their policy and practice development. The policy ensure that the organisation transform the Saudi Arabian workforce and create employment opportunities for nationals as a major driving force for government policy. In particular, the organisation implements Nitaqat program which is associated with social development to achieve strategic objective of 2030 (Lucien et al., 2023).
Disagree
Despite of the areas of agreement that Head of People Function has a responsibility of ensuring employment policies and practices are always supporting achievement of organisation current strategic objectives, there are equally areas of disagreement. These are;
Maintaining a safe distance–
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