From payroll to CPO at 32, Stiaan Pienaar of Ocean Basket shares his groundbreaking 'Good Recipe' and 'Catch' system. Learn how this human-centric HR approach is uplifting talent across the industry.

Dive into a powerful and insightful conversation with Stiaan Pienaar, Chief People Officer at Ocean Basket, one of South Africa's most recognizable and beloved restaurant franchises. As one of the youngest CPOs in South Africa at just 32 years old, Stiaan's career trajectory is remarkable, having started at Ocean Basket as a payroll administrator about nine years ago. He now unveils a truly groundbreaking, human-first approach to talent acquisition and human resources management in the challenging hospitality sector.

Stiaan candidly discusses the unique and often difficult challenges prevalent in the restaurant industry in South Africa, characterizing the traditional hiring landscape as "desperation meets desperation". This environment is often marked by long hours (employees can work from 5 AM to 1 AM) and minimum wages , making talent attraction and retention incredibly difficult. To directly counter these deep-seated issues, Stiaan has championed a revolutionary and people-centric pipeline for talent development and workforce planning.

Discover the core pillars of Ocean Basket's innovative HR strategy:

• The "Good Recipe": Cultivating Internal Talent Ocean Basket's innovative framework defines precisely what "good" looks like for every single role within the organization. This unique employee development approach empowers individuals with a clear roadmap for their career progression and fosters significant internal growth. Every human in the business understands their own "recipe" and knows exactly what skills and knowledge they need to be "good".
  
  
• The "Catch" System: A Visionary Talent Acquisition Model Stiaan unveils "The Catch" , a multi-stage talent acquisition system often described using a powerful "house analogy". This process moves far beyond traditional CV drop-offs to efficiently identify and nurture suitable job candidates.
  
  
• HR's True Role: "Live in Your Business" Stiaan delivers a strong, unconventional message for all HR professionals and human capital leaders: "You have to live inside of your business". This means embracing the inherent chaos, being curious, asking tough questions, and not shying away from difficult conversations or conflict. He emphasizes the importance of immersing oneself in operations to deeply understand the business from top to bottom.
  
  

This episode offers essential insights for HR leaders, business strategists, and decision-makers looking to innovate their talent strategies, foster employee development, and make a real difference in the employment landscape of South Africa, contributing significantly to bringing down the country's unemployment percentage.

Inspired by Stiaan's insights? It's time to solve your people puzzle.

💡 Explore Wamly's innovative hiring solutions: https://linkly.link/2BK2g

Connect with Stiaan Pienaar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiaan-pienaar-22b05192/

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