The Human Resources department in a company is undoubtedly one of the most important for maintaining it. Its role is crucial in strategic business management.
Profile recently interviewed Marlena Chambule, Director of Human Resources at Galp Mozambique and Career and Personal Development Mentor, about Human Resources Management practices in organizations and the current challenges.
Profile Mozambique: Attraction, Recruitment and Selection are the main activities of the HR department. Over time, what other duties have been incorporated that you would highlight as essential for a company’s success?
Marlena Chambule: Recruitment and selection is actually a very small part of human resources. Over the years, Human Resources has changed its name to the humanization of the area itself. Many companies, especially larger ones, now prefer to use terms like “human capital” or “people area” instead of “human resources”. This reflects the importance of recognizing the human value behind the functions performed. Today, Human Resources is seen as a strategic area, far beyond its operational functions, with a significant role in performance management and organizational development.
PM: How should leadership and HR intersect in order to respond to the new challenges facing companies and organizations?
MC: The human resources area is no longer just operational, dealing with salary payments, disciplinary procedures and recruitment. Today, it is strategic and acts as support for the business. This means that we must align our actions with the vision and objectives of the business, analyzing how to achieve these results.
When we evaluate work performance, it is the human resources area that designs and shapes these processes. However, implementation falls to the leaders, who experience the company’s culture. This partnership between human resources and leadership is essential, as leaders are responsible for inspiring and influencing their teams.
The main synergy between HR and leadership lies in the fact that HR provides the tools and training for leaders to perform their roles as leaders and team managers in the best possible way.
PM: What are the skills and abilities most valued today by human resources departments when assessing candidates for job vacancies?
MC: There’s one thing I always say: university doesn’t prepare people for the job market. It’s important for young people to be clear about this. University offers a set of important technical tools to perform specific functions, some of which are not necessarily related to the area of training. Therefore, people should prepare themselves before entering the job market.
It is extremely important that they seek an environment where they can develop Soft Skills, which are behavioral skills as well as technical skills. We want to see skills such as proactivity, creativity, adaptability, flexibility, emotional intelligence and even assertive communication in candidates.
PM: To what extent have organizational behaviour and soft skills been taken into account in selection processes for young professionals?
MC: In the current dynamics of the job market, organizational behaviour and soft skills have increasingly come to the fore in selection processes for young professionals.
Companies are valuing not only technical skills, but also competencies such as effective communication, teamwork, adaptability and problem-solving. These skills are essential for the professional’s integration into diverse environments and for solving dynamic challenges. Therefore, selection processes are increasingly considering behavioral profiles and soft skills as important differentials when choosing candidates.
PM: In your opinion, how does the company contribute to the daily motivation of its employees? What role does HR play in this?
MC: It’s a challenge to make everyone in the company understand that the company only exists because of them. In fact, the company isn’t just a legal register, it’s all the people who work there who make up the company. I believe that the first step is to focus on leadership training. The human resources department doesn’t manage people, people are led by their team leaders, not by the human resources department as a whole.
The first step is to train leaders so that we have a shared vision as a company, in other words, an environment where everyone is clear about the company’s objectives and their contribution to achieving them. It is important to ensure that employees feel that they are part of building and achieving results and that their contribution is valued. If people have objectives and the purpose is clear, they are more likely to become self-motivated, which is what you want.
PM: And in a micro-business context, what strategies can be adopted?
In general, small companies face different challenges because, as we’ve mentioned, they often don’t have a human resources department. Sometimes, there is only one employee in the administrative sector who ends up performing various functions, such as dealing with human resources, invoicing, deliveries and customer service. In these cases, it’s important for the company’s top leadership to foster an atmosphere of belonging and teamwork, once again putting people in charge of the organization’s success.
In a small organization, if the leadership monopolizes decisions and doesn’t share the company’s vision and objectives, motivation levels tend to fall.
However, when people realize that they are all united, even if the company is small, working together for growth, motivation levels tend to increase.
In practical terms, considering that there may not be much capital available for major training, you can opt for internal knowledge transfer. Above all, employees need to develop their skills in order to continue to see advantages in staying with that small company.
PM: What impact do recruitment companies have on the Mozambican reality?
MC: Mozambique has made significant progress in recent years, especially in terms of recognizing and valuing the human resources sector as a strategic partner for business. Examples include the creation of the Mozambican Association of Human Resources Professionals (AMEPRH), the introduction of awards: Elite Employer, to distinguish the best companies to work for in Mozambique, and the growing number of events and forums dedicated to HR professionals.
Well, recruitment and selection companies play a crucial role in identifying and harnessing talent in Mozambique.
They also offer a number of benefits, not only for human resources professionals, but also for citizens in general. The existence of these companies facilitates access to job opportunities, as it is often easier for candidates to apply through these channels than to search for opportunities directly with the companies they want to work for.
PM: What are the main challenges and opportunities facing the Human Resources area today?
MC: The Human Resources area in Mozambique is currently facing a number of challenges and opportunities. Among the main challenges are the lack of specific data on Mozambique, the efficient management of human capital in a context of rapid and complex changes, attracting and retaining talent in a competitive market, promoting diversity and inclusion in organizations, as well as adapting to new technological and digitalization demands.
At the same time, opportunities are arising for the HR area, such as the use of artificial intelligence to implement training and professional development programmes in line with market needs, the use of technologies to optimize more administrative and repetitive processes, and HR can also take advantage of opportunities to lead cultural transformation and promote more collaborative and inclusive working environments, thus boosting the growth and efficiency of organizations in Mozambique.
