Disrupting the Island’s human resources sector

Disrupting the Island’s human resources sector

DisruptHR, which is billed on the movement’s website as ‘an information exchange designed to energize, inform and empower people in the HR field’, started in the USA.

Sessions have been held in 155 cities and 35 countries and the Jersey event saw 14 speakers given five minutes each to present on the disruptive future of work.

Local organiser Simon Nash, a director of Insight Group, said: ‘I was really excited by what other cities have done with DisruptHR and I thought Jersey should be on that map. We’ve seen it in London, Paris and New York and I thought why not St Helier?’

One of the founders of
DisruptHR travelled from the USA to Jersey for the event. Jennifer McClure, who is also the CEO of Unbridled Talent, said the movement was an opportunity for people who wouldn’t usually be found on a main stage to get their ideas heard.

‘In hearing the conversations in Jersey, it sounds like there
is an opportunity and an appetite for people to think differently about the workplace,’ she said. ‘Because you have some industry concentrations, it may be that there are some traditional ways of doing things. People are open to the idea to disrupt but believe it may be hard, so all we need are some volunteers to take some chances.’

Speakers from Switzerland and the UK joined local experts. Tom Hacquoil, chief executive of Pinpoint, recruitment software developed in Jersey, said: ‘We need to try to teach companies to reframe the way they think about recruitment and understand that they’re no longer buying resource in a candidate-driven market – they’re selling job opportunities. They need to treat their vacancies like products and understand how to differentiate themselves.’

Mr Nash also gave a presentation. He said: ‘People often talk about working with technology, working with a new process, for me I’ve got a more personal message. I think the future is going to be a workplace that is kinder.’

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