The future of work depends on constant iteration | Faisal Wahedi | Head of People – Asia | Infobip

When you think about your workplace from the past, what stands out?

Rigid hierarchies? Limited mobility? Siloed teams?

CHROs face this question every day.

They rewrite the rules on hiring, development, and culture to keep up with fast-changing markets. Their goal: to create a high-performing organization that learns fast, stays close to customers, and empowers people to act.

This is how they are getting it done!

CHROs are rethinking skill filters

Are degrees still the best way to spot talent? IBM, Aon, and Walmart say no. They hire by skill first. New ‘new collar’ roles shine light on technical chops over college diplomas. Cisco’s ‘OneTen’ initiative helps people without degrees build careers through project-based training and on-the-job support.

Data shows these hires stay longer and earn more. If you are a CHRO, run a pilot that replaces one job posting’s degree requirement with a clear skill list. See who applies. How do they perform next quarter?

And breaking up with performance reviews

What if you dropped annual ratings? Microsoft just did that. CEO Satya Nadella reshuffled HR leadership to focus on continuous feedback and a growth mindset.

Gone are bell curves and forced rankings. Now, managers coach employees weekly, and employees set short-term goals tied to the team’s impact. You can try it out with one department to track engagement and outcome metrics. Did collaboration rise, or did projects ship faster? Many KPIs to figure it out.

Organisations are experimenting with work modes

How flexible can work be before performance slips?

A couple of years ago, when Leena Nair was still the CHRO for Unilever, they tested a four-day week in New Zealand while running “U-Work” in the UK. Early results showed steady output and higher well-being. They rolled out reskilling programs to ensure that every employee learns new digital skills. And the results so far are impressive.

You could run a month-long pilot that gives one team two extra days off every month. Add a short skills workshop. Then, survey team morale and client feedback.

Building internal mobility and relocations

Career progression must feel clear and fair. Many firms now publish career maps online. They show skills and experiences needed for each level. Then they host quarterly “growth chats” instead of annual reviews.

We believe in growing from within, and many of the leaders are the ones who might have started their careers with us. We provide growth and learning opportunities through international mobility. Our international mobility program enables local stars to become global leaders. These are the folks who are either already leading us or will lead the organization in the future. It also helps us build bench strength and share best practices. The number of participants in the international mobility program is going to double this year. We cover visas, housing support, and family integration. Participants offer peer coaching when they land, and some of those shared experiences spread our values like “innovating with passion” and “customer centricity” worldwide.

As a CHRO, you can try this by listing one upcoming project and inviting volunteers from another team or location. Give them a week to test a new role with a buddy coach. Measure how much they learn. Did they gain a new perspective? How did their original team adapt?

Bringing teams and customers closer

Proximity still boosts speed and creativity. Many CHROs map talent hubs near key clients. They open satellite offices or partner with co-working spaces.

For example, some of the top banks in the Philippines are our clients, and we make sure to have local sales, customer growth, solution engineering, support, and routing to fix all the issues on the spot. All of this is leading to higher client satisfaction as well as higher employee engagement scores.

All of the above aligned with clear values

All of the above moves will fail without a foundation, I mean, if you are not tying every change back to your core principles. Unilever’s people strategy links to its Sustainable Living Plan. Microsoft embeds “growth mindset” in every leadership talk. We remind teams to “seek progress, not perfection” at every town hall.

You can do the same. Publish three to five guiding behaviors. Show them as prompts on meeting agendas. Reward people who act on them, and keep the language simple.

Often, you don’t need a big budget. What you need to do is pick one idea. Treat it like an experiment. Gather data, adjust, and scale. Let you as the CHRO lead with that learning-by-doing mindset.

The future of work depends on constant iteration. Today’s pilots become tomorrow’s best practices. You have the power to shape how people learn, connect, and grow in your organization. Start now!!