People are the beginning and end of business!

Laura Renaulds, co-founder of Recruitgroup, an award-winning recruitment agency, has noted that some of the biggest shifts in HR is in the positioning of brands. "We are seeing a trend where strong brands with quality products who were focused on the consumer and the customer are finding that this is no longer enough to attract the right talent. And talent is the key to a successful orgnisation. A massive shift is taking place in HR - companies are moving their focus to a strong Employee Value Proposition. People are loyal to brands who invest in people, with strong retention strategies and who nurture a culture of quality of life balance, and very importantly, can tell a good story."

The challenge here is finding the right talent. How do you do this? The answer is two fold - make sure you have the right Employee Value Proposition in place. That's where Talent Mapping comes in. It's a new buzzword in the industry, where forward-thinking companies are making sure they stay on top of their game. Talent Mapping is the process of mapping positions and roles, geographically, by sector and position to find out what employees want and what attracts them. It is an accumulation of data from portals, competitors and one on one research.

International consulting agency MERCER, would concur that the optimal usage of data is the way of the future in HR - to analyse risks for mergers, expansion or just to keep up with rapidly changing environments. HR is no longer a department in isolation but forms an integral strategic component of every business going forward. As people are the beginning and end of business it is crucial we understand them.

Renaulds emphasises that "Talent Mapping is impossible without good quality portals like Careers24; they are aimed at the candidate and we need to understand what candidates are looking for - this is where the majority of data comes from. Careers24 are constantly innovating for the candidate and that is why it is important for the recruiter."

The first-ever Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards have been developed to explore what the future of HR really looks like in South Africa. Here leaders of some of South Africa's most successful organisations such as MERCER, Recruit Group, BizCommunity, KPMG, Tiger Brands, Media 24, SABPP and Vodacom will discuss and network the use of HR in their strategy to be more productive and stay ahead of their competitors. South African organisations from boththe public and private sectors will be bringing some of the world's most innovative case studies to the table to look at, and review, how successful companies in one of the most richly diverse cultures in the world, have not just overcome these challenges but are able to compete globally.

Visit http://futureofhr.co.za for more details about the Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards and join the social media platforms: Twitter @Future_of_HR and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/futureofhr. To submit entries, email az.oc.ocpot@nagrom.irehs or contact Sheri Morgan on 086 000 9590 and for programme inquiries contact Claire Garrett on az.oc.ocpot@tterrag.erialC.