EDITORIAL: Creative thinking in HR

Editorial by Alberto Gabbai
Chairman of the Board of Cezanne Software

Winters in Northern US can be, and usually are, brutal; lots of snow and cold weather lasting for 4 to 6 months of the year.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are people, employed and living in these cold regions, who would like to spend the winter in the Southern part of the US, where winters are mild.

What did come as a surprise, at least initially, was that there are employers who are willing to let them do so. That is, there are some employers that, having locations around the entire country, are allowing some of their employees to work in one location for part of the year and in another for the remaining part of the year.

After all, the employers are benefiting from this situation as well: during the winter, many retired people move to warmer climates, making it necessary for the employers to hire seasonal people in the warmer locations. At the same time, the workload in the colder places is reduced. If we can move people around we can avoid the seasonal hirings, and keep our employees happy.

This story triggered my memory of yet another curious case in HR management. Several years ago, in Italy, there were two companies, located in the same area, both with a seasonal production: one was producing beer (peak production during the summer months) and the other was producing chocolate (peak production during the winter months). For some years, they went through the hassle of hiring seasonal workers each year, then decided they would hire them for good, but they would be working six months a year producing beer, and the other six months producing chocolate. Everybody was happy, including the unions.

I am sure there are many more examples out there but my point here is that the HR departments, in both of these cases, acted as a true business partner for the company. How?

I believe there are three main factors:
1. Knowledge of the company’s business.
2. Respect for employees. Knowing about each individual’s goals, even their private lives, and taking these into account when looking for a solution.
3. Creativity: the willingness to solve problems unconventionally.

I think that more and more these three traits will be not only useful but required for anyone working in an HR department.

Cezanne’s talent-led HR systems with their integrated business intelligence and 24/7 delivery can help by providing the knowledge. The rest is up to the company’s people.
                                                           

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