Last Thursday, Dr. Rochelle Haynes and Jeremy Blain launched their new book, OpenHR at the Huonos Event Hotel in Singapore. The event was attended by CEOs, business and HR leaders, and other members of the public and commerated the global release of OpenHR online and in stores. Once the event began, Rochelle and Jeremy introduced the audience to the OpenHR framework, and the need for this in light of increasing workforce evolution. The framework is a ‘how to’ blueprint for creating, structuring, supporting, and managing a truly blended workforce, comprising of in-house employees, as well as remote and independent contractors. The authors conceptualised the framwork as a house to convey the significance of connected relationships, strong foundations, wellbeing and a sense of belonging for all types of talent. It is mainly divided into 4 rooms, Rules, Tools, Skills, and Thrills, each outlining actions and conditions that firms should pursue to create the ideal work experience for different types of talent.
The authors’ first launch event was organised by B.Connected CEO, Binu Balan, and moderated by Simon Bernie, VP of Purview, Asia-Pacific. Following the presentation, Rochelle and Jeremy were also joined in a panel discussion by Tech Data’s HR Director Cyl Lin, and Deepali Jain, Head of Strategic Projects at the Adecco Group.
Some of the key takeaways from the night included:
- The workforce make-up and expectations are changing rapidly, and management approaches must evolve to keep pace.
- The independent workforce is growing quickly, with unique skills that organizations can no longer afford to overlook.
- Organizations need to be intentional about creating environments that embrace diverse types of talent.
- HR professionals are essential to this transformation, but they require strong support to drive change effectively.
The discussion was very well received and provided opportunities for the audience to participate and win prizes. Each attendee also received a signed hard copy of the OpenHR book, included in their package. There was also several networking opportunities where Rochelle and Jeremy met and had conversations with the night’s attendees. This was the first of many OpenHR book events across the globe.