Human Resources are in crucial action mode just like the frontline workers for the employees. They are introducing and dealing with unconventional changing dynamics of the working capacities and capabilities.

Human Resources are in crucial action mode just like the frontline workers for the employees. HR Leaders are leading during the crisis as the core supporters for the people of the company. They are introducing and dealing with unconventional changing dynamics of the working capacities and capabilities.

Here’s how things are going to change and evolve:

Emphasis on Mental Health

The mental health and well-being of the employees are being fabricated into the structure of the HR management for better morale and increased productivity. In the midst of a pandemic, when most of the employees are working from home, how will the HR managers keep things afloat? Employee engagement, constant communication, and demonstrated commitment to your company’s goals by leadership are the only tools that will work. At the same time, it is imperative to foster changes that would adversely affect the work culture, like implementing salary-cut percentages instead of lay-offs to make sure that the staff survives and the company stays afloat too.

Infrastructure and Amenities

As the remote work feature becomes affluent and popular, it might be headed towards a target of normalcy where it is considered a permanent feature. The HR department should ensure that everybody has access to the amenities required like working laptops, a steady internet connection, printers and headset etc., to complete their day-to-day tasks and assignments. Collaborating closely with Finance, IT and other departments to develop and implement new rules, the HR needs to come up with ideas to exemplify how the meetings would be conducted and strategies would be discussed; who will pay for the worker’s connectivity and equipment and if the company decided to do so- how will they recover it if somebody quits or is fired?

Improvised standards of Corporative Communications

As more and more people are stranded at their respective towns and confided within the structure of lockdown, it becomes imperious for the HR to inculcate measures so as to progress the level of corporative communication. This is required to make sure that the execution of the work stays afloat and updates.
 To maintain a level of personalization along with professionalism is the real need of the hour. Being stuck at home, away from workplace culture; the executives would expect to feel like a part of the organization instead of staying isolated or being left out. Empathy and open communication with employees can do wonders in terms of professional relationships, productivity, ideas, and new outputs.

Re-Learning and Re-Skilling COVID-19 is a catalyst for change

COVID-19 is a catalyst for change. During this lock-down and Work from Home, scenario employees are their own vigilant in the area of productivity and filing. They are their motors of mechanical and IT-related questions and answers. The workers themselves have to harness their activity logs and reports while also having to figure out the complexities which would have been previously handled by dedicated professionals. HR leaders should now focus on re-skilling their potential employees to make them efficient and equipped with the skill of multi-tasking. Learning & Development would take a new form as conventional projections would shift towards a digital platform. HR can help Employees who are sitting back at home to enrich themselves and learn relevant new skills.

Acquiring talent and focus on Quality over Quantity

Fulfillment of the gaps during an era of downturn gives a sense of security to the employee taskforce that the resources to become successful will always be provided within the framework of the organization. It sure may seem counterintuitive to level hiring when most businesses are cutting down, but this is also a defining moment for developing brand identity and successfully retain and remark internal talent and fill the key role within organizations. 

Protector of preventive measures

HR’s role will be escalated to include the arena of preventive healthcare and ensuring safety in a localized environment. Ensuring availability of sanitizers, clean equipment and daily thermal checks of the workers will fall onto the shoulders of the HR management. Also, the grievance redressal in the absenteeism of these services will be allocated to them. They would be required to draft guidelines on proper and protective measures of conducting business and continual plans of developing concerns, thereafter. The clutched of a conundrum around the Covid-19 global pandemic has every sector of the economy facing unprecedented changes and challenges. 

In such an environment of constant libels, there is an ardent need to improve, adapt and improvise at every step of the way which will be a process facilitated by the role of HR in the developing dynamics.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house