Becoming future-ready with a CPHR
HR has never been more central to business transformation. For Marco Merlin the Senior HR Business Partner at Amazon, this means using technology to empower—not replace—human connection.
From real-time employee feedback to embedding wellbeing into workplace culture, this HR professional reflects on the role of trust, empathy and HR certification in preparing for a future defined by change.
How is Amazon leveraging digital transformation to enhance HR practices?
At Amazon, our HR organisation is dedicated to creating a work environment where people can invent, grow and deliver on behalf of customers. Utilising technology is essential in our efforts to continue to grow while maintaining a user-friendly and compassionate employee experience. One of the ways we achieve this is through our ‘daily feedback’ system, allowing employees to voice their opinions and shape the direction of our HR services for continuous improvement.
Furthermore, we encourage HR practitioners to be vigilant in identifying any aspects of our HR services or systems that may hinder our commitment to providing a top-tier employee experience. They are empowered to raise concerns and make requests for enhancements that can streamline our operations and enhance our overall efficiency.
Your word is your bond. Where trust is hard to earn but easy to lose, delivering on your promises is essential to building strong relationships.
What’s an influential piece of advice you’ve been given in your career?
Your word is your bond. Where trust is hard to earn but easy to lose, delivering on your promises is essential to building strong relationships (both professional and personal). Return clients or customers are a powerful signal that you are delivering on your promises.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing HR at the moment?
How humans think and feel about the workplace has radically changed following the pandemic. As employers still grapple with the complexities of hybrid work, productivity and flexible ways of working, HR must play a critical role in driving employers to unlearn, rethink and prioritise a culture that bolsters employee morale and engagement. While this is not new territory for HR, the ever-changing landscape and heightened emphasis on wellbeing, mental health and psychosocial risks demands a culture of empathetic leaders now more than ever.
Since becoming a CPHR, I find myself to be a more well-rounded, strategic HR professional, with a laser focus on challenging what is value-added work versus what is not.
In the context of rapid business/technological changes, how do you foresee the evolution of HR over the next decade?
As we continue to unleash the power of generative artificial intelligence, I am undoubtedly optimistic and excited about the role HR will play in the years to come. The outputs of AI-enabled tools will mean HR will have more ownership than ever over critical data, uniquely positioning them as growth drivers within the workplace. To achieve this, HR will need to learn how to incorporate these new sets of tools to redefine what the employee value proposition looks like, in what will inevitably be a very different work environment.
I am confident that whatever the future holds, HR will continue placing the human at the heart of how we deliver our best work.
Why did you decide to get certified with AHRI, and how has it helped you in your career?
After an eight-year break from university, I knew I wanted to strengthen my critical thinking and problem-solving muscles and hence sought a CPHR with AHRI. The HR certification was theoretical, data-driven and offered a hands-on approach in enabling me to apply my learnings within the workplace. As a result, I find myself to be a more well-rounded, strategic HR professional, with a laser focus on challenging what is value-added work versus what is not.
What capabilities do you think HR professionals need to cultivate to thrive in the future of work?
As technology continues to evolve and the replication of functional and technical aspects of work become more redundant, I place much attention on the ‘human’ qualities that give us the edge over AI. In practical terms, social connection will still remain a basic human need, and so I believe HR will benefit in strengthening its ability to influence, collaborate, inspire trust, and foster an inclusive and supportive work environment with leaders who are highly adaptable and agile. I am confident that whatever the future holds, HR will continue placing the human at the heart of how we deliver our best work.
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