Access Chief of Staff Asia’s interview with Louise Pender for The HR Agenda HERE, or scroll down to see the video.
“People are quite fearful for their jobs at the moment.”
This was Louise Pender’s response when asked about the most significant challenges for HR in the e-commerce retailing and tech industry.
“How do I stabilise people, give them that certainty, create confidence? Really creating an environment of transparency and trust is really important for us at the moment,” she shares after a look back on 2022 and 2023.
Pender recants how 2022 began with talk of “The Great Resignation,” with a fluid job market and HR teams all over the world fussing over how to attract and retain talent. Towards the end of last year, there was a sudden dearth of talents as companies in the tech industry began putting on hiring freezes and even layoffs.
“The year changed every quarter,” Pender shares. In 2023, she took notice that people in general were feeling insecure in their jobs after seeing what happened in other tech companies.
As Chief People Officer and General Counsel of ZALORA, she manages both the legal and compliance aspects of the company as well as HR: “It’s really thinking about the Right thing to do in terms of supporting people with heart rather than necessarily making sure that we’re enforcing our legal rights as a company.”
As a result, the HR strategy is bent on agile leadership and supporting employees through tough times through innovative approaches. These include an environment where wellbeing is a priority, flexible arrangements are offered, top management is accessible, and leadership programs allow employees to see the company’s long-term vision for them.
Pender continues to spend much time with the People & Culture leadership team. They aim to think as far as 10 steps ahead in terms of market circumstances with the core goal of securing their people and executing the overall company strategy.
‘Compassion goes a long way, and I know that that’s something that’s really valued at ZALORA,” she shares.
