What You Need to Know
Human capital management (HCM) practices come in all sizes, just like the companies they serve. Investigating the differences — and whether there is a one-size-fits-all solution — is a theme of our 2023 research at 3Sixty Insights. One thing has been clear from the start: HCM maturity, which does not necessarily correlate to the size of an employer, plays a significant role in an HR organization’s character.
HCM starts with the fundamentals, checking the boxes that need to be checked. At a new business, this almost always plays out in by-the-seat-of-the-pants efforts to stay on top of what 3Sixty Insights calls “concrete HR:” the tactical, organizational necessities. More often than not, the result is team members take on HR responsibilities as needed, ultimately finding that they’ve become “accidental HR people” (3Sixty Insights 3SICSV2343 – “isolved Spares Hands-On, Strategic People Leader and Owner of Right at Home North Shore LI the Hassles of Unautomated HR,” April 2023).
A company’s HR department can remain in this basic phase for years on end, with both accidental and intentional HR staff members struggling under the weight of mounting operational responsibilities. Alternatively, leadership can choose to pursue maturity in HCM by seeking a solution that will automate some or all of the box-checking. This is the first step in HCM maturity, and it sets the company on a path that will enable it, eventually, to practice HCM in much more sophisticated, nuanced ways—engaging the workforce to create a rewarding employee experience and compelling employer brand.
About the Participant
OSF Digital is an international IT services and consulting company headquartered in Quebec. Its workforce comprises roughly 3,000 employees and sub-contractors across 20 countries.
For this report, 3Sixty Insights spoke with Johan Keller, OSF’s Corporate Controller. Keller joined the company in June of 2020 in the role of Americas Accounting Manager. He took the interim post of Global Controller following a colleague’s departure less than a year later, and he was soon promoted to permanent status. He heads a 50-person accounting team made up of regional managers who are responsible for payroll in their own geographic areas.
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