Tatyana Terentyeva: Our HR policy is based on human centricity

In recent years, the labor market has been experiencing drastic transformations caused by the global political and socio-economic agenda. The Forum of Leaders, CEOs and HR Directors was aimed at exploring exactly that: how business management can and should adapt to the era of global change. The event was held in Moscow on May 18 and organized by FCongress with the support i Forbes.

Tatyana Terentyeva, Deputy Director General for Human Resources of ROSATOM, opened the session titled "Personnel Today. Adaptation of Management”. In her speech she highlighted the challenges businesses face today, effective ways of building reliable and successful HR strategies and changes in professional human interactions that current turbulent times entail.

The discussion was also attended by Pavel Bezruchko, Managing Partner of Ecopsy, Alexandra Alexandrova, First Deputy Head of the Department of Labor and Social Security of the Population of Moscow, Natalia Akhmina, Senior Managing Director of Sberbank PJSC, Anna Bobrova, Member of the Management Board, HR Director of Magnit, Dmitry Borodich, HR and Social Policy Director of PhosAgro, Tatyana Volkova, Vice President for HR and Organizational Development of Polyus, Denis Kechkin, Deputy Director General for HR of Sheremetyevo International Airport, Victoria Khaba, Vice President for HR and Organizational Development of Aquarius, Dariy Khalitov, Vice President for Information Systems Development of Rostelecom.

According to Tatyana Terentyeva, the shortage of qualified personnel is one of the largest challenges that we have to combat. The problem is associated with the discrepancy between the professional competencies of young specialists and the requirements of the labor market and is most relevant for technical and engineering graduates.

Solving the problem requires an integrated approach, which, on the one hand, involves interacting with state and specialized educational institutions on the development of educational programs, and, on the other hand, boils down to creating in-house corporate training systems.

ROSATOM has a comprehensive ecosystem of human resources development aimed at improving professional knowledge and expertise, as well as developing soft skills and managerial competencies.

Changing values also affect the labor market. The study of corporate human-centricity index, conducted with support from ROSATOM, demonstrated that more than 35% of labor market participants do not consider building a career their main priority. The psychological climate and the livability of the cities in which businesses operate are becoming increasingly important factors.

"At any time, our social policy is human-centered at its core. We are building and developing communities, taking care of our employees’ well-being by paying special attention to those who are involved in the special military operation and their families, we are actively trying to make our cities of presence attractive and comfortable to live in. Our top priority is to create a model of seamless interaction between schools, colleges/universities and ROSATOM", Tatyana Terentyeva said.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a factor that also considerably transformed the labor market.

"Since 2020, the world has entered a period of multi-vector crises - social, political, financial, axiological ones. Of course, this inevitably affects corporations’ HR activities. ROSATOM has learned to work in a two-speed mode: on the one hand, we are planning a development strategy up to the year 2045, on the other hand, we respond promptly to ongoing changes. This is when continuous communication and dialogue with employees comes to the fore. During the pandemic, thanks to the coordinated work of the HR unit, we switched 40,000 employees to working online, and, as a result, our internal communication became even more dense – a phenomenon which may seem surprising," ROSATOM’s representative commented.

A decrease in the population numbers and the average aging of workforce lead to a shortage of young applicants. It is possible to narrow the personnel gap by resorting to the underestimated potential of elderly people, people with disabilities, and women. Tatyana Terentyeva noted that "ROSATOM employs representatives of five generations, including young people and those of the third age. Women make up 32% of our employees, and we want this figure to grow."

An issue not to be overlooked is the need for an individual development trajectory. Ensuring equal and fair opportunities for each employee, taking care of their mental health and personal development have become a must for a business to be successful.

Research conducted by ROSATOM Corporate Academy shows that human-centered companies are more efficient and resistant to crises. In turbulent conditions, it is especially important for employers to implement the principles of humane management and share best practices in this area. To this effect, ROSATOM initiates creating an alliance of Human-Centric Organizations to unite the efforts of Russia's leading companies interested in developing their employees’ talents and abilities.

"I believe that unlocking the potential of various demographic categories is the key to achieving sustainable development: not only within companies, but also in the world as a whole," Tatyana Terentyeva summed up.