2021 Human Resources Forum: Embracing the Change

Three inspiring TAU Alumni participated in the discourse that mainly focused on the transformations and solutions of Human Resource managers at this time:

• Dr. Shoshi Chen, researcher and lecturer of organizational behavior at TAU's Coller School of Management, Alumna of the Coller School of Management and Faculty of Social Sciences at TAU, which focused on the new definition of the term "Managerial Resilience".
• Karin Tucker, Head of HR at Amdocs, Alumna of TAU's Buchmann Faculty of Law and the Coller School of Management
• Eyal Shohat, CEO of Sodastream International, Alumnus of the Buchmann Faculty of Law and the Coller School of Management, including accounting studies at Tel Aviv University.

Eyal Shohat presented the Sodastream's way of dealing with the COVID-19 era, and the special organizational culture that forms the foundation for the company's success even in these challenging times:

"Like most companies operating worldwide, Sodastream had to make quick adjustments to the new reality, including changing the marketing mix and significantly expanding sales through direct channels, reducing the range of products, examining the feasibility of new launches and more. But beyond that, like all companies and countries in the world - The company didn't have an organized plan for dealing with a global pandemic."

Eyal conveyed an important message regarding human resources: "In a situation like the COVID pandemic, when there is no work plan - the organizational culture IS the work plan. The healthier and more assimilated organizational culture the organization has - the more it can rely on it in times of uncertainty. As one of the fathers of business strategy, Peter Drucker, noted: Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast.

We tried our best to implement the six success factors that make up our corporate culture. With the onset of the pandemic we acted with Business Courage and made a decision not to lay off employees and not to put any of them on unpaid leave. We instilled Optimism and Energy in the organization while maintaining direct, open and continuous communication with all employees. We made sure to make room for Creativity and put resources into the rapid development of a unique Respirator. We made sure to work as One Company, while strengthening the “cross-border” partnership between all of our employees. We did all this with Excellency, and without rounding corners in the face of challenges."

Eyal presented the results of the company's organizational survey conducted in June, at the height of the Covid era. Sodastream conducted the survey among all workers, including production workers, and more than 90% of the company participated in the survey: "We asked the workers about our conduct during the epidemic - and the vast majority said the company is doing above and beyond expectations. This is the result of our true commitment to our values."

Eyal also mentioned one of the company's goals - Defeating Inequality, and that is the need to give people from different backgrounds the right conditions in order to be equally successful. One example cited was the opening of an assembly factory in the Bedouin village of Kuseife, which allowed Bedouin women to enter the labor force for the first time in their lives, thus producing circles of influence on society and the environment.

Senior Human Resources figures from all over the industrial and business spectrum, all TAU Alumni, were joined and enjoyed the Online Event in real time, including:

• Efrat Shapira, SVP Human Resources at Ness Technologies
• Erez Orly, Senior VP HR at The Phoenix Insurance Gruop
• Gilead Kehat, EVP Human Resources and Staff at Leumi Card
• Einat Menachem-Amitay, SVP Global HR at Delta Galil Industries
• Galit Morag, VP HR at Swissport Israel
• Shlomo Peeri, Global VP Human Resources at NaanDanJain
• Yiftah Yoffe, VP of Human Resources at Check Point Software Technologies, Ltd.
• Irit Weizman, Personnel Manager at the Histadrut-General Federation of Labour in Israel
• Moran Keinan, Director of Human Resources at Bank Hapoalim

And more ...