Viet Nam News spoke to Karen Cariss, CEO of PageUp People and one of the team members.

What do you think about human resource trends in Viet Nam, particularly in the context of your visit to Viet Nam to do interviews related to this?

Karen Cariss.— Photo pageuppeople.com

With strong economic conditions driving business growth, human resources professionals everywhere are realising the need to step up to align human capital resources to business needs. A key trend we are seeing is HR getting more proactively involved in business planning because of the workforce planning implications. This is a big shift from what has been a very tactical role in the past, and still has some way to go. Another strong trend is the uptake of HR technologies, beyond payroll and basic employment data. Again, many organisations are behind in this regard: for example, companies are still tracking talent on Excel spreadsheets or cumbersome home-grown systems, but the trend towards using powerful talent management technologies is definitely increasing.

What strategy should Viet Nam adopt to develop its talent pool and manage it effectively?

It depends whether the organisation is a local company, government body, or a multinational corporation. Multinationals are bringing their global HR best practices to Viet Nam. That means they are standardising HR practices such as performance management, learning and development, and succession planning. In all these cases, local adaptations are important in implementation, but consistent global frameworks tend to be used. Effectively managing your talent pool requires using these processes to drive productivity and engagement. That means ensuring employees are clear about their work goals, are given constructive feedback and support, and have development needs identified so they can continually learn and grow. Great managers and leaders are essential in making this happen.

How are cloud-based HR technologies applied across Asia Pacific, including Viet Nam?

HR technologies are here today and have improved significantly. That means Vietnamese companies and multinationals investing in them now have the benefit of the development that has occurred, particularly in the last five years. One of the biggest trends is the shift towards cloud-based applications, which give organisations much better functionality and the ability to integrate systems, and is much more cost-effective than building in-house systems that can rarely adapt as businesses grow and change. We see the shift to the cloud as inevitable, and while some companies are still wary, more and more are bringing cloud-based HR technologies in.

What are the technology trends shaping the way companies recruit, retain and develop talent?

Technology should never drive good practices and processes but we see good technologies enabling managers and HR practitioners to be more effective at managing talent. For example, the rapid adoption of mobile devices in ASEAN markets, including Viet Nam, is allowing for much of the HR technologies to be delivered via a mobile interface. This enables you to have greater connection with your employees by providing an interface to your business that they can engage with at any time that suits them.

What are some of the key challenges to adopting HR technologies? How can companies in the Asia Pacific, especially Viet Nam, overcome them?

One of the key challenges to adopting HR technology is establishing a well-founded business case. There are several actions that a company can take to help overcome this particular challenge. One is to develop a strong understanding of your current costs, both the direct costs, such as recruitment agency fees for hiring of staff and indirect costs, such as the brand impact by not providing your candidates with a world-class mobile application experience. In addition, companies should do some research on the internet about business case development. There is now a reasonable amount of content that is specific to HR technology that you can leverage and adapt into your own organisation's unique situation. — VNS