People Count

Mr. Dehaze, CEO Adecco Group, recently posted an article on LinkedIn discussing why companies need to move beyond Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He advocates investing in people and reporting on this investment as pre-financial Key Performance Indicators (KPI). As a portfolio manager, you can be the key to drive these KPIs and show the value of people within the company.

You may wonder how? You, the portfolio manager have a unique view of the resources available within the company and/or organizations. You understand the capabilities and skills of the employees working on projects and programs. This understanding includes where there is a gap in needed resources or a gap in skill set. However, it goes farther.

There needs to be a sustainable model for those entering the job market and those already employed. When reviewing Adecco’s CSR report it is centered on people, within the company and outside the company. There are metrics on helping athletes, metrics on helping the new generation to become marketable, and many other people oriented metrics. Granted Adecco is a staffing agency, so its focus is people. But when you think about it, all companies are about people.

Portfolio management’s major task is resources and the major part of resources is people. The resources drive the value of the portfolio. By increasing the sustainability of the company through the promotion of people will increase the viability of the company. This, in turn, helps future generations.

You can help this pursuit by advocating the need to sustain people for now and the future. Are you a portfolio manager that will sustain the most valuable asset of a company?