Restructuring...

This is the full text of the opening address of FHRD president John Muscat-Drago at the FHRD annual conference:

Many times we state that the human resource is the most important resource that Malta has, and this is indeed so and not simply a cliché. However, human resources go beyond the "resource" aspect. In fact I prefer to use the term "people" rather than "human resources".

On an international level there is an increasing awareness and importance being given to human resources. This also applies to Malta. However, it is never enough and we need to do much more to ensure the sustainability of any organisation, be it private or public, and to appreciate the contribution that people make to the success of any organisation or business.

This brings me to the theme that we have chosen for this year's FHRD annual conference, and that is based on Malta's reality at the moment - restructuring. Restructuring is taking place in many organisations large and small, public and private.

Where does human resource management and development fit into this reality? What role are the organisation's best assets playing in such restructuring? How are they being involved? How are they being prepared to deliver within the restructured entity?

The aim of any restructuring revolves around improved productivity and effectiveness. Hence people play a crucial role in the success of any major changes that need to be carried out. Indeed, people should be at the heart of any restructuring and there's no other way about it.

Within this scenario people strategies must evolve to ensure that they are in line with business strategies. Aspects such as internal communications, skills, re-skilling, up-skilling, training, retraining, management of change and culture, reward strategies and retention policies, maintenance of trust, motivation and commitment and so on, need to be given a great deal of importance within any entity undergoing change or contemplating one.

Such issues must have the full commitment from the very top of the organisation and hence they cannot be seen as some administrative, logistical or menial task that can be assumed by anyone.

For the FHRD this is our continuing challenge, i.e. to promote the people dimension and as a consequence the professionalism and competence that is required in the management of people. Human resource management and development is continually evolving and I firmly believe that with the commitment of all, be it the government, the business community, unions, employers' associations, professional associations and the people themselves, Malta can truly be the shining example of good human resource management practices that leads to business success.

Over the past years the FHRD contributed effectively towards raising the HR profession and HR management practices on the island. I'll just mention a few. Since we started offering various certificate, diploma and master's degrees and more recently doctorate programmes in human resource management and training through the Centre for Labour Market Studies (CLMS) in Leicester, more than 150 people have completed or are currently undergoing their studies.

Hence Malta now has a significant pool of people qualified in human resource management and development, and therefore organisations should make effective use of them.

The FHRD has also aligned its services to be more effective in its mission. Over the past year we have organised conferences, seminars and HR practitioners' fora on topical subjects aimed at helping HR professionals and others to make a difference within their own organisations.

Meanwhile, we enhanced our communication and services to our members and the HR professional community at large. One should mention the enhancements made to our Website (www.fhrd.org) such as the inclusion of employment legislation, important links, HR articles, press releases, etc.

A very well received service was the training calendar (www.trainingmalta.org) that essentially includes most of the training programmes available on the island at the touch of a button. Another very recent addition was the FHRD yellow pages on-line found on our Website.

Although this service is in its infancy it has a great deal of potential as it provides FHRD members and other visitors to fhrd.org useful contacts of companies and individuals who offer products, services and support for the people working in human resources management and to their organisations.

New initiatives are being planned by the foundation for next year. The first relates to the FHRD's continuous professional development (CPD) programme which will cater for the ongoing development of HR professionals at different levels of their career. Such programmes will be organised in collaboration with training organisations and will be launched in the coming weeks.

We have also planned changes to the FHRD HR awards, based on our experience of these awards over the past three years. Hence, as from 2005 there will be a change from a competitive award that recognises "the best in class" from among good practitioners, strategies or training initiatives towards recognising those organisations that work towards, reach and maintain high standards of people management irrespective of their size, shareholding or otherwise.

All entities that measure up to the standards established will be awarded what will be known as the Award for Excellence in People Management. Agreement has also been reached with the Employment and Training Corporation so that their People Management and Satisfaction Award will also be incorporated in the FHRD's award to avoid duplication.

We believe that such an award should become the officially recognised award on a national level. Hence we strongly urge the authorities to support the FHRD's initiative through formal recognition and support by awarding grants to those organisations that work towards meeting these standards - not as a donation but because it makes business sense and enhances Malta's competitiveness.

On the international scene we sought to further expand our links through our membership of the European Association of Personnel Managers (EAPM) that is represented by 26 European countries. This membership provides us with a great opportunity to be directly involved in shaping human resource management practices on a European level and to contribute and collaborate effectively with our European counterparts.

We now form part of the executive council of the EAPM and surely this will open new opportunities for the FHRD and the Maltese HR practitioner.

Over the past year the FHRD board of directors elected in April last year met regularly and a lot of progress has been made. At this juncture I would like to thank all the board members for their time and commitment towards furthering the aims of the foundation.

However, a special mention should be made at this point of Louis Naudi, who represented the tourism industry on the FHRD board. Many of us knew Louis, who incidentally was nominated for the HR Practitioner of the Year a year ago, nearly to the day.

Louis was a very active member of the FHRD and contributed in many ways. Unfortunately Louis was called to a better world last September and his void is very much felt and can never be replaced. He was a great man.

I also take this opportunity to thank the FHRD's full-time team, namely Daniela Gouder and Sandra Agius, ably led by the FHRD's motor and CEO, John Camilleri. These are the ones who make things happen.

To date the FHRD has achieved a lot but the road ahead of us is a very challenging one. However, we cannot do things on our own. Apart from collaborating with its members the foundation intends to strengthen its contacts with local organisations and entities thus enhancing its services both on a micro as well as a macro level.

The FHRD is the house of the HR practitioner and so it's your home. Therefore we welcome you any time and through any means, be it in person, by telephone or e-mail. Your contributions, experiences, suggestions and concerns are not only most welcome but they are also in fact a responsibility. Our strength lies in such collaboration and I'm sure this will take us places.

I augur that with the support of all, the FHRD will manage to do a lot of great things. Certainly the same wishes go to you all, thus ensuring that the people dimension will truly turn into Malta's greatest competitive advantage for the benefit of the people themselves and their respective organisations.