Research claims that 71% of HR leaders believe 2020 was the most stressful year in their career as they were tasked with connecting a remote workforce, navigating the changing furlough rules, and making more of an impact with fewer resources, less time and less money.
Connecting a Remote Workforce
Despite the resistance to remote-working in some sectors prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, most companies are likely to review this policy and introduce more flexible working initiatives on a permanent basis given the ongoing uncertainty about working onsite. With remote working now a long-term reality, HR leaders need to consider which strategies to put in place to support the following:
- New starters: How can you ensure they understand and become a part of an organisation’s unique culture if their only interaction with colleagues is virtual?
- Learning and Development: How can people continue to progress and thrive when the natural learning or mentoring that takes place while physically in the office is suddenly removed?
- Employee wellbeing: How can line managers spot changes in team morale and behaviour over a Zoom call? How can HR managers help employees dealing with the different challenges that working remotely during a pandemic can bring, such as juggling work with childcare or feeling isolated from others?
For those organisations who want to encourage employees back into the office post-lockdown, promises of free transport or free food won’t be enough. Employers need to remove any fear about being at work, perform updated risk assessments, and highlight safety measures that are being put in place.
What HR skills will we need for the future?
Agility: This is a value close to our own heart at Starford. The events of the last year alone have shown many businesses the importance of facing a challenge head-on, being able to pivot quickly, and being unafraid to try new strategies to get the best results.
Tech-Savvy: HR leaders should not underestimate the need to be tech-savvy to improve workplace culture. While people remain at the heart of any business, we must accept that the workforce is becoming increasingly more virtual and dispersed.
Proactive Thinking
Previously, many HR teams have been asked to develop strategies and policies in response to particular business needs, but we are seeing a real need for HR leaders to adopt a more proactive approach and consider how they can really impact and shape business strategy.
HR teams are dealing with increasingly demanding workloads and an overwhelming sense of responsibility right now, but we believe that with the right support HR leaders have a huge opportunity to plan for the future of the workforce and confidently lead their company to adopt new people strategies, and transform business performance over the long-term.
Source: www.thehrdirector.com