It’s time to start a RIOT! There, I said it. And I meant it too. It’s time for Caribbean HR professionals to start a RIOT.1 Now, before you report me for fomenting insurrection, let me clarify what I mean.
The struggle for HR practitioners to secure a seat at the table has been ongoing for over 75 years. In that context, my HR origin story is very unusual in that it began with a seat at the table. I came to HR after having worked as an operations manager and a general manager. When I was recruited to set up an HR Department for a financial conglomerate in Antigua and Barbuda, I insisted that I would only accept the offer if the HR function was paired with the Group’s strategic development portfolio.
I took that non-negotiable position, because my experience as the President of the Antigua and Barbuda Employers’ Federation had exposed me to struggles that most HR practitioners faced to have meaningful input in strategic decision-making. That was almost twenty-five years ago. Unfortunately, many of my HR colleagues throughout the Caribbean are still waging that same battle. Further, it is not unique to our Region. And that’s why we need a RIOT.
In this context, RIOT is an acronym outlining the measures that HR professionals need to take – both individually and collectively. Let’s unpack this.
The HR RIOT begins with reimagining the role. In the beginning, there was personnel administration – i.e., a predominantly administrative role that focused on payroll, record-keeping and complying with labour laws. Over time, that role expanded to include responsibility for staff morale. The reimagined role positions HR practitioners as qualified professionals who serve as strategic business partners, possess business savvy and are skilled at evidence-based decision making.
The second element in our RIOT is innovation. Our experience during the pandemic brought home in a painful way how essential it is for HR practitioners and the organisations we serve to be agile and responsive to changes in both the external and internal environment. It is much harder to lead in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) environment. However, VUCA has become the norm thereby eliminating any previously existing luxury of having time to work things out and perfect them before proceeding to implementation. Instead, we are now challenged to learn while doing and to shift our mindset as it relates to what constitutes failure.
The third element in our HR RIOT is outsourcing. By this I mean that HR practitioners should reexamine activities that we traditionally performed to determine if we can gain efficiencies by leveraging the gig economy and/or deploying technology including but not limited to artificial intelligence.
The final element in our RIOT is translation. Accounting is the language of business. However, it is a foreign language to many who work in HR. I put it to you that it is impossible to make a compelling business case for any HR initiative if we are unable to move beyond intent and explain the impact it will have on the business – including its bottom line. It is also essential that we have the capacity to focus on both processes and outcomes. We can accomplish this by presenting arguments that expand beyond WHAT? to include SO WHAT? And NOW WHAT?
I take this opportunity to salute my colleagues at the HR Management Association of Trinidad and Tobago (HRMATT) for their contributions to the HR RIOT taking place in the Caribbean. While many battles are yet to be fought, it cannot be disputed that progress is being made and that there are multiple examples of excellence that we can celebrate. Several such examples were showcased during HRMATT’s 2023 legacy awards.
Being declared the first ever individual Regional HR Champion during HRMATT’s 2023 gala was a full-circle moment for me. I regret that I was not able to be present to receive the award in person. The honour is particularly significant to me in that it came 22 years after my having received the 2001 Caribbean Employers’ Confederation Employers’ Champion Award. Being acknowledged as a champion of both employers and HR serves to validate my conviction that HR is indeed ideally positioned to serve the best interests of both employers and employees.
Finally, it has not escaped my notice that both institutions that conferred these regional honours on me are based in Trinidad and Tobago. Therefore, I extend special appreciation to the nation and people of Trinidad and Tobago for your leadership in promoting and acknowledging Caribbean excellence.
1 To learn more about the proposed HR RIOT, CLICK HERE to access my DisruptHR talk Time to Start a RIOT
