In this post, I
wanted to briefly discuss how the pandemic accelerated changes in the Human Resources
function of organizations. These points were gathered post-discussion with the
HR professionals of my organization which belongs to the consumer durable
sector.
1. Remote Operations:
The company has
looked at remote work as a solution to ensuring safety of workers during the
pandemic. This has led to changes in the way human resources professionals
manage their workforce, which include in areas such as hiring and onboarding
employees, providing training and development opportunities, managing employee
performance and employee engagement efforts, which have all considered
integrating virtual components.
2. More focus on Employee Well-being:
The pandemic
was able to emphasize the importance of employee well-being and mental health.
As a result, human resources professionals have resorted to update their
policies and procedures to address employees' physical, emotional, and mental
health needs. More focus has also been directed towards safety in the workplace
with equal focus to sanitary compliance.
3. Changes in HR strategies:
Remote work and increase in the use of technological platforms have stayed on beyond the pandemic and have affected strategies related to the execution of Human Resource processes.
- Virtual hiring in place of physical interview
- Development of Online Training (Learning Management Systems)
- Digital Communication tools that facilitate remote sign in from anywhere in the country/world
- Virtual, Two-way, and real-time performance management
4. Flexible Work arrangements
The pandemic
also gave rise to an increased focus on flexible working, such as Flexi-time
and hybrid working modes. As a results, Human resources professionals have been
prompted to develop policies and procedures to manage these arrangements while
maintaining productivity and engagement among their employees.
To sum-up, the pandemic has accelerated developments in Human Resources field that might otherwise have taken a longer period to materialize and has brought with it both advantages as well as challenges that require out-of-box thinking when finding solutions.
Have you seen
these trends in your organizations or are they different for yours. I would
love to see your comments and hear your thoughts on this subject.
- Rangana
Prasad Naotunna
On the topic of 'employee wellbeing' I write in my article about a new trend where companies are moving towards establishing the role of a 'Chief Wellbeing Officer.' You can find out more on this by reading this article published by Reilly in Forbes - https://www.forbes.com/sites/colleenreilly/2020/07/07/the-rise-of-the-chief-wellbeing-officer/?sh=3ce4ca191fce . I think it is an interesting way to address wellbeing of employees as a priority.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the share. I will definitely check it out.
DeleteCompletely we can not blame the pandamic. Though it effected our regular life style. Some positive impacts on that employees forced to learn and step in to digital world. Employee learned and adapted the online transactions, remote working. Moreover delivery companies hired more fulltime as well part time workers to the job.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the perspective shared. The effects of pandemic were both good and bad. However, for HR i feel it has brought forward change that may have taken much longer to materialize especially in Sri Lankan business lapscape and that change is beneficial.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is an insightful post on how the pandemic has impacted the human resources function of organizations. The shift to remote work has been one of the most significant changes, and it's interesting to see how human resources professionals have adapted to manage the workforce in areas such as hiring, onboarding, and employee engagement efforts. The focus on employee well-being is another important aspect that has come to the forefront during the pandemic, and it's great to see that policies and procedures have been updated to cater to employees' physical, emotional, and mental health needs. The adoption of digital technologies and flexible work arrangements have also been accelerated, and it's good to see that human resources professionals are developing strategies to manage these changes while maintaining productivity and engagement. Overall, this post provides a good overview of the changes in the human resources function during the pandemic and highlights the need for out-of-the-box thinking to find solutions to the challenges that arise.
ReplyDeleteTimely important topic Rangana . The COVID-19 pandemic From school closures to devastated industries and millions of jobs lost – the social and economic costs of the pandemic are many and varied. Covid-19 is threatening to widen inequalities everywhere, undermine progress on global poverty and clean energy, and more. has had a severe impact on the mental health and wellbeing of people around the world while also raising concerns of increased suicidal behavior. In addition access to mental health services has been severely impeded. The COVID-19 pandemic sent shock waves through the world economy and triggered the largest global economic crisis in more than a century. The crisis led to a dramatic increase in inequality within and across countries.
ReplyDeleteHi Rangana, I found your article to be pretty interesting and I appreciate the emphasis on employee well-being even in a post-COVID world. As we transition towards the "new normal" of work, how do you foresee these changes affecting the future of work?
ReplyDeleteHi Rangana, I fully concur with the perspective presented in the article "Human Capital Trends 2021" by Deloitte (Deloitte, 2021). The pandemic has expedited significant changes in HR processes, including the widespread adoption of remote work, heightened emphasis on employee well-being, and increased reliance on technology for HR tasks such as virtual interviews and digital HR platforms. HR teams have been compelled to swiftly adapt and devise innovative solutions to effectively support the workforce in the evolving landscape of the new normal.
ReplyDelete