Talent & Tech Asia Summit 2024
human resources online

Using technology to enhance talent management

G. Thiyagarajan, regional HR director for Danfoss APA, shares a case study of how his organisation leveraged technology to improve the effectiveness of its talent management processes, with an added measure of positivity.

The continuous innovation in information communication technologies (ICT) has brought complex challenges and opportunities for HR practitioners.

Realising the opportunities brought by the developments in ICT, Danfoss APA’s regional HR team has embraced changes with a positive mindset to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of its services. The results have been fascinating.

Talent acquisition

In 2012, Danfoss APA spent almost one million Danish Kroner (DKK) on executive searches, and the average cycle time to close a position was very long. The cost was halved to DKK 444,000 in 2013 and we have also seen an improvement in cycle time.

In 2014, the cost was reduced to DKK 270,000; meaning the cost had been reduced by 70% in just two years and the average cycle time for 2014 was 50 days. It is important to note we did greater recruitment in numbers and seniority in 2014 compared with the previous years.

We used the power of networking to reach our targeted talent.
These results were because of our approach of posting all our open positions on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others. We encourage our employees to do the same in their social media accounts. We used the power of networking to reach our targeted talent.

Speak your mind through technology

Attracting good talent is only the first battle in winning the war for talent.

It is commonly observed that even good employees have differences in opinion and conflict. Not all differences in opinion or conflict are bad. Conflict may help the team to see obstacles in different angles and contribute to innovation.

Danfoss is aware it is important to provide an avenue for employees to share their views without fear or favour. We have created a website called WOYM – short for “What’s On Your Mind”.

This is a platform for employees to express their views or post any questions for management without revealing their identity. The management guarantees a reply within 48 hours. It is good for management to know the barometer of the organisation and take any necessary actions.

Danfoss also uses technology to carry out two other surveys:

1. Survey on performance management.

2. Employee perceptions survey (EPS).

What’s On Your Mind is a platform for employees to express their views or post any questions for management without revealing their identity.
The first survey is carried out twice a year and depicts the employees’ perception of their immediate manager in six areas of leadership: clarity of direction, clear targets and accountability, regular review process, performance feedback and rewards.

The second survey is carried out once every other year. It measures employees’ engagement levels.

Both surveys have been outsourced to external vendors who ensure anonymity. The vendor only reveals the results if the team consists of a minimum of four employees.

As a result of such initiatives, the rate of voluntary resignation in the APA region has dropped from 19% in 2010 to below 10% in 2014. Additionally, the participation rate of the EPS survey has increased from 76% in 2011 to 78% in 2013.

The next survey will be carried out this year.

Talent development

Danfoss’ competency assessment tool is a web-based tool that comes in handy for people managers to map the competencies needed for each position in their team.

It has a user-friendly drop-down menu that is very descriptive and provides the employee’s current mastery levels on the scale of 1-6. This information can be used by people managers to plan the development actions for their subordinates.

Technology has helped Danfoss offer more than 1,100 training programmes as part of online learning. Additionally, we use technology to manage the process – from registering for training (internal and external) to conducting training as well as maintaining records.

Technology has helped Danfoss offer more than 1,100 training programmes as part of online learning.
At least 20% of our talents’ needs have been fulfilled via internal promotions.

This journey has been very exciting and fulfilling. We are committed to using technology more actively to support our employees and business to achieve greater heights.

Image: Shutterstock.

Follow us on Telegram and on Instagram @humanresourcesonline for all the latest HR and manpower news from around the region!

Related topics

Free newsletter

Get the daily lowdown on Asia's top Human Resources stories.

We break down the big and messy topics of the day so you're updated on the most important developments in Asia's Human Resources development – for free.

subscribe now open in new window