Thoughts on 2022 HR Summit in KSA

Last week for the first time I visited Riyadh, Saudi Arabia! It was to attend a HR conference, meet some clients and prospects.

The first take for me was how dynamic Saudi Arabia is! It is a young country with the average age of 35 years old and you can feel it. I found Riyadh a buzzing city with lots of café, restaurants, and malls, extremely busy even on weekday nights!

On the 2 days HR conference side, there were some great panel sessions highlighting some of the experiences of those working in HR in KSA. Good discussions given the hot topics such as working in hybrid workplace. It was interesting to see how different organizations are facing this challenge in the aftermath of the global pandemic.

Naturally, I was most interested in the people development topics that were addressed. As one would expect, it was about how do we develop employees to deal with the upcoming changes with the fourth industrial revolution. Several speakers and panelists addressed this very topic. They spoke about processes and measures that companies can put in place to ensure that no one is left behind.

Several familiar key themes discussed on the L&D front as well. These are topics that have been discussed at length for the past few years. Topics such as:

• What content makes the most sense as organizations continue their digital transformation
• What is the best way to deliver that content (Blended, Virtual, Micro, and Reverse Classrooms)
• Exploration of how to adopt new technologies (i.e. blockchain) to everyday operations
• A few newer topics regarding learning in the Metaverse and virtual reality were on the agenda. As technology develops, this will be an interesting space to explore when it comes to corporate education.

One thing that conferences do is introduce you to new thoughts and things to consider. While I felt that there were good discussions, I didn’t find too much that moved the conversation further. It seemed to be very much focused on tactical responses to current issues that many organizations have been facing. With such a dynamic workforce, I expect there would be strong demand to adopt new cutting edge practices.

In conclusion, the conference highlighted a few key points for me:
There is a strong desire for talent interventions that make a real impact and not just stick to the status quo.
KSA is well positioned to “leapfrog” over legacy programs and embrace cutting edge development and technology solutions.

There was a strong sense of addressing employee wellbeing and overall health as a key component of Talent Management. While it may have gotten more attention since the pandemic, the way that it was spoken about at the conference was very organic and employee centric.

I am very much looking forward to the opportunity to get back for my next visit!