HR for HR
While HR set about driving organisational change within Pacnet, the function also needed to reinvent itself. Syed Ali Abbas, Chief HR Officer, Pacnet, championed a push to drive a higher level of productivity, project management and service in HR areas visible to both employees and managers.
“Work was done in the background to fine-tune the overall HR plan, assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the HR function, and identify improvement opportunities,” Abbas explains. “I made sure we applied good business and HR principles to our own function as well.”
To energise the HR team, Abbas ensured all team members across the world came up with career plans for themselves within the first two months of his tenure. This helped HR to clarify what areas staff were interested in and assign projects aligned with those interests.
“This was a win-win situation for both HR and the company,” says Abbas. “HR staff are working on projects that truly interest them, thereby allowing them to develop their own passions while the business benefits from the fact that focus areas are driven faster and more effectively by an HR team which is motivated and enthusiastic to carry them through.”