CATALYST Issue 4 | Page 19

D Catalyst | Digital While feedback around these initiatives has been hugely positive, HR must be mindful of the wider effects on our employee population. If we’re automating our HR process, it creates efficiency, but reduces human interaction, so we need to consider the effect on employee experience. We’re keen to ask staff what they think about that. Technology training for staff By digitising your business, you’re ensuring its survival; it’s not a ‘nice to have’. You need to be one step ahead of your competitors and it’s HR’s role to help our people understand this long-term strategy. For example, while some jobs might be replaced by automation, we need to help our people understand and exploit opportunities for them to upskill. We recently began introducing technology training for internal staff. For example, in the Chartered Financial Analyst exam, you are assessed on your ability to use Python (a programming language used in web and app development). So we are arranging Python training for our non-IT staff, plus training in data processing. Traditionally this was done via Excel, but we’re introducing Power BI – a business analytics service by Microsoft which aims to provide interactive visualisations and business intelligence capabilities with an interface simple enough for end users to create their own reports and dashboard. We recognise that as a firm, if you are trying to meet the challenges of tomorrow, you need a comprehensive strategy – comprising a long-term vision, broken down into smaller actions. I would encourage people not to consider the individual elements in isolation but to look to the overall strategy for the whole firm – then it starts to make sense. Jane Lin, HR Lead, Nomura, China Nomura in numbers A diverse workforce with approximately 90 nationalities 86 % Coverage of global economics & financial indicators Handled by their global research team ¥52.4 TRILLION Net assets under management through our investment trust and investment advisory businesses Issue 4 - 2020 19