Unilever's Global VP Talent & Resourcing, Stephen Lochhead, says "enable employees to create their own luck"

It is HR’s responsibility to create an environment where employees can succeed, according to Unilever’s Global VP Talent & Resourcing.

Speaking to HR Grapevine, Stephen Lochhead says: “I genuinely think that HR’s real-world responsibility is to enable employees to create their own luck, and I say it like that because there’s no guarantee or promises.

“But if the environment is right, and employees take that environment really seriously – they’ve got some skin in the game and they are prepared to own, stand up and try something – then they are more likely to succeed.”

He goes on to say that part of this involves getting employees to want to succeed within your organisation. “The ability to unlock purpose is going to be massively relevant and much more important than it has ever been.”

Lochhead, who will be speaking at HR Grapevine’s annual HR & Talent Management Conference this year, continues to address the future of HR as a function. He says: “It needs to evolve fast to still be relevant. I think HR has got some work to do in regaining the culture space – and it is HR’s to own. We need to be a lot braver and bolder in experimenting and being prepared to fail. And, at the heart of ‘competitor advantage’ lies diversity inclusion.

“But it’s got much more to do with harnessing people with different styles and thoughts than it does with the usual items you tend to hear being banged harder and louder around business.”

For a full list of HR Grapevine’s conference speakers, or for more information on the content of the day, click here.