Sandy Mohonathan, director of human resources at Accenture, emphatically believes that HR is not just a tool for improving companies.
Used correctly, it can become a true enabler in the marketplace and ultimately uplift the country as a whole. This mindset has informed her thinking around HR at Accenture. “For us, building an HR proposition means doing the very best that we can for our people. Ultimately, we’re not only providing employment, but striving to provide an enriching career journey.”
Mohonathan admits that this goal is not without its challenges. For example, Accenture prides itself on a workforce that comprises a multiplicity of cultures and people from different countries; yet the trick is to create an employer value proposition (EVP) that appeals to all members of this diverse team. “We want to make people excited to work at Accenture and, more than this, to motivate them so that they feel they want today to be even better than yesterday,” she explains.
The fact that Accenture operates on a global scale adds to the complexities facing the HR division: it is not enough that Accenture offers the most compelling EVP in South Africa; since the company is working hard to draw the attention of global talent (especially in view of the skills shortage afflicting South African industries), it is critical that it appeals to potential employees overseas, too.
How has Mohonathan addressed these challenges? The answer lies, firstly, in creating an outstanding company brand. “Individuals want to work for, and be associated with, companies that they feel proud of, and that inspire them.”
Inspiration is also a key word when it comes to leadership: Mohonathan believes that leaders who naturally motivate staff are a major draw card, and to her it is important to have a leadership team whom staff members aspire to emulate. Opportunities for professional development represent another crucial element in the EVP.
Today’s employees need to feel confident that the company is prepared to invest in their talent and future growth. Linked to this are careers: the modern employee is looking for an organisation that provides a stimulating and even challenging career path. They also want to be rewarded for their hard work.
According to Mohonathan, the total reward package is about more than simple base pay; rather, it should reflect the effort employees invest in their work, and should include an emotional component. In this way, recognition becomes as important as monetary reward.
Mohonathan further identifies diversity as a factor that is held dear by today’s employees. The transformation challenges faced by South Africans means that this is a key consideration for any local organisation, but they need to think beyond targets and quotas, Mohonathan maintains.
It’s vital that diversity expands to become a culture of inclusiveness, so that the organisation becomes adept at thinking creatively about what it does, and how, and more to the point, what tweaks need to be made so that these actions benefit all individuals as well as the company as a whole.
Finally, corporate citizenship is something the modern employee views in an extremely serious light. They need to feel confident that the organisations they are part of operates from a solid values base. More than this, they appreciate environments that facilitate their need to give back to the community.
Again, this holds particular relevance in the South African context. Mohonathan points out that many employees who grew up in underprivileged backgrounds feel a strong need to give back. This does not necessarily mean making charitable donations; it can relate to skills transfer, which is why mentorship and coaching programmes are important.
Key features of Accenture’s HR strategy include a strong graduate recruitment programme and this year, the company has made an exciting foray into recruitment through social media platforms. Employee referrals remain the favoured channel for recruiting experienced employees.
Mentorship is a large part of the on boarding process, and helps new- comers adapt swiftly to the high-performance culture. A noteworthy aspect of this mentorship is that candidates have both a career counsellor and a “buddy” to provide less formal guidance.
Accenture is committed to job creation, and to this end has implemented the Skills to Succeed programme. The objective of this initiative is to upskill individuals and train small companies, thus creating a generation of entrepreneurs. It is hoped that 250 000 jobs will be created in this fashion. The intervention is set to be established in South Africa where job creation and skills development will be a major focus over a five-year period.
Mohonathan believes that organisations themselves have a role to play in “giving back” Since the major challenge facing many South African organisations — and one to which Accenture is equally susceptible — is skills shortage, she maintains that local companies have a duty to act as partners in building the skills the country needs.
“We have a real chance to make a difference,” she exhorts. “South African corporates need to recognise and act on the role they can play in closing the skills gap.” This issue is particularly important to her, as it is the greatest challenge facing her team, she admits.
“On the other hand, Accenture is fortunate to have a team that has successfully developed an excellent EVP, which has helped to position the company to attract the very best talent in the country and, perhaps more to the point, to retain it. The EVP has proved that it has enormous power to help the company grow and to ensure that it remains successful going forward.”
This article originally appeared in the Mail & Guardian newspaper as a sponsored feature