Canadian firm HRSG is looking to introduce modern human resource solutions to a market facing the challenges of a competitive world
Anyone who has set foot in El-Mogamma (or seen the Adel Imam film Irhab wal Kebab) understands that human resource (HR) management is not one of Egypt's strengths. Businesses and governments have long struggled with myriad workplace issues ranging from employee dissatisfaction to workplace safety and inefficiency.
These traditional problems are being compounded by static public sector careers discouraging local talent and an increasingly competitive global job market threatening to lure away Egypt's brightest, forcing organizations to scramble for ways to deal with these multiple challenges in a world where staff is seen as the key to business success.
But help could be on the way. Human Resource Systems Group (HRSG) a Canadian company that specializes in custom-tailored plans to streamline HR solutions for organizations big and small is coming to Egypt. In late February, HRSG sent a team of its top executives to Egypt and the Middle East for a chance to meet prospective clients face to face, and get a feel for the regional working environment.
Started in 1989 and based in Ottawa, HRSG provides "competency-based human resources management" to a wide range of government, private sector and non-profit organizations. Suzanne Simpson, founder and President of HRSG says, "in the last five years we have devoted our energies towards putting a software tool in place that supports organizations in implementing competencies. And we've been getting a lot of traction in the last two years." That software tool is called iSkillSuite and it may provide a modern solution to some of the challenges faced by businesses and government institutions in Egypt.
As HRSG's flagship product, iSkillSuite is an all-in-one software package designed to manage the smallest of details in an organization. Focusing on managing employees, the program helps with career development and planning, performance management and job selection. The software aims to manage "from pre-hire to retire," according to a company slogan. And it's not just for use by the employers; staff can assess themselves and their own progress or shortcomings with this web-based program.
Peter Scharf, account manager of software services at HRSG, says that the foundation of iSkillSuite is the Competency Dictionary; "a series of definitions of soft skills that make the wheels go around in an organization. Whether they be businesses, governments or NGOs [non-governmental organizations]. I'm talking about things like communication, teamwork, leadership, customer focus; all of those qualities that are the 'hows', if you like, that match with the 'what' of a person's job description so in other words, if your company expects you to perform certain functions and achieve certain results, competencies are the knowledge skills and ability that allow you to do that."
A Personal Approach
Simpson understands what makes people tick. She holds a PhD in Industrial Psychology and has applied that to helping organizations better understand their staff. She also knows that retaining workers these days is not easy. "That's a world-wide challenge. We do work with the Canadian HR Sector Council and one of the projects we worked on recently was an employee engagement initiative to design tools and mechanisms for employers in that industry sector in Canada to better retain employees. That's a huge issue, and worldwide," she says.
HRSG has a broad range of clients from the worldwide shipping giant Maersk to AIG Insurance and Porsche. However, the company's focus is not on one industry and in Egypt they "noticed there's huge demand in the telecom market. It's fast growing, they need skilled resources, so they're also looking for quick starts and powerful, high impact tools. Our services help them recruit and then build their workforce and retain them, which is key," says Lorraine McKay, vice president of HRSG.
With Egypt climbing steadily in the global telecom call center market ranked number 12 worldwide in 2007, according to A.T. Kearney, a global market research firm locally based companies are looking for new ways to retain their employees and keep the turnover rate in check. At Exceed in Smart Village for example, employees can play Xbox 360 on their lunch breaks, take a dip in the swimming pool or work out at the brand new gym, all of which are on site and available for employees to unwind.
The software package is not something to just be installed on a computer though. Training new clients to use iSkillSuite can be done through several levels and each is given a personal touch by HRSG. "Level one: basic information and theory, how to execute competency profiling and how to implement competencies within an organization. The end product is a high-level strategy and plan for their organization. Level two is devoted towards extending that so you are given the skills and the ability to operate independently within your organization. Really hands on. The aim is to train people, of course, but secondly they begin to realize the scope of the work that is involved and on occasion they've come back and asked us for support," says Simpson.
Finding a balance between the static, older workers in the workforce and the growing talent pool of young adults "is actually a challenge many governments around the world are facing right now. We [Canada] have the same issues, so there will be a lot of opportunities for young people in the very near future," says Simpson.
It's not region-specific, but rather a global challenge. According to the United Nations Population Fund, nearly half of the world's six billion people are under 25 years old. Add that to the increasing life expectancy and later retirement age of people around the world and it is easy to envision an increasingly competitive and flooded job market.
The on-the-ground visit by HRSG in February set the stage for local operations in the near future. Simpson was pleased with the progress and connections made during the trip. "I think especially in this market and this culture there's a real need to make a connection personally." She also saw a government that is willing and eager to address its own issues. "The government is looking at its own processes for managing people [] they know it's a big challenge facing them and there's going to be a large challenge at the leadership level in the next few years and they have to do something in order to address that challenge."
As Egypt's population reaches 80 million and the country's prestige on the world economic stage grows, the government and nearly all levels of business need to keep up to avoid a loss of skilled workers to the international market. They simply can't afford to ignore the needs of the workforce in the years ahead.
By Jeff Neumann
© Business Today Egypt 2008
