HUMAN CAPITAL AS AN ASSET: Examples of a human-capital-positive approach PAGE 20 AN ACCOUNTING FRAMEWORK FOR THE NEW WORLD OF WORK HUMAN CAPITAL DECISIONS IN PRACTICE Shell McDonald’s/Aldi US Foods Continuing a reskilling Surviving and thriving via a Working with partners to programme to strengthen the cross-industry talent-sharing redeploy talent and protect talent pipeline and sustain partnership workers’ livelihoods long-term competitiveness WORKFORCE AS AN ASSET ECOSYSTEM ECOSYSTEM Royal Dutch Shell was facing a shortage of skilled artificial Due to restaurant closures and restricted working hours US Foods, a leading American food-service distributor intelligence (AI) talent to help it develop alternative sources stemming from COVID-19 lockdowns, McDonald’s was servicing restaurants and food-service operators, of energy as well as to operate its oil business. Senior facing the possibility of having to cut jobs. Meanwhile, experienced a dramatic decrease in demand for its leaders recognized that they needed an alternative to Aldi Germany, a grocery chain, was grappling with a services as many of its customers halted operations due hiring new talent, given the expense of the recruiting talent shortage due to higher demand for its products. In to the pandemic. To avoid lay-offs, the company teamed and hiring process and the fact that AI talent was in high March 2020, the two companies signed an agreement up with grocers that faced a shortage of warehouse talent demand and short supply. To tackle this challenge, the to redeploy McDonald’s workers on a voluntary basis due to the spike in demand for groceries21. Through 20 company partnered with Udacity to deliver online training from the burger chain to the retailer’s stores . Aldi this partnership, warehouse workers from US Foods in AI prior to the COVID-19 crisis. Despite efforts to cut temporarily employed McDonald’s staff on the terms of its began working in the distribution centres of the affected operating costs by $9 billion, the company continues own employment conditions; employees could return to grocery stores. As a result, the workers at US Foods were to invest in reskilling through this programme18 McDonald’s after the assignment. As a result, McDonald’s able to retain their jobs and associated benefits despite . Upon successful completion of a four-to-six-month programme, avoided lay-offs, enabling it to preserve its human capital, the negative impact of COVID-19 on the food-service employees receive a nanodegree or online certification. and Aldi was able to satisfy its customers due to this win- distributor’s business, and the company strengthened its As a result of this online reskilling effort, Shell has win cross-industry partnership. human capital value. strengthened its talent pipeline, enabling the company to deliver on its business strategy, as well as increasing employee satisfaction among those completing the AI training. In addition, Shell hopes that its collaboration with Udacity will help to attract talent in the future19.