How do those currently studying HR see the changing world of work?
In this special guest article, TLNT hears from Nandini Soni – who is currently studying for her postgraduate diploma in management in HR, while also working for KPMG in India:
After more than two dreadful years of Covid-19 things are slowly getting back to normal. Firms are adopting a hybrid working model; businesses are starting to look to the future; brands are starting to redefine who they are again.
But the simple fact is, everything about their people has evolved. The new normal for HR has shifted from working with employees face-to-face to engaging with them remote almost all of the time. The pandemic has changed the role of HR itself from onboarding and resource allocation department to be much more about revamping the overall structure of the organization’s practices through effective policies. In short, it’s meant HR has needed new systems and procedures to adapt to this new normal.
But how exactly should HR professionals be organizing this new change? We believe organizations shoild adapt a ‘R3’ (Revive, Restructure, Revamp) model:
Revive: To the new normal regime
There has been so much disruption in the corporate world that the only answer HRDs have is to create policies that complement the company’s new mission and vision.
The world is changing at a high pace, and firms have to adapt to this change by reacting in ways that suit employees’ best interests. These policies’ should be in line with the workforce’s expectations, because any misalignment may lead to dissatisfaction and, eventually, higher attrition rates.
The problem we face is that many organizations have failed to react appropriately to the pandemic, and their decisions have led to higher than ever attrition rates. Millions of American are now quitting their jobs entirely. This reflects the fact that the decisions of their companies were not in line with their employees’ aspirations.
- Around 2.7 billion people – or 4 out of 5 individuals in the workforce – were affected by lockdown measures and remote working
Restructure: The HR practices and policies
Today, longstanding workplace gripes – like long hours with no breaks, unreasonable expectations or deadlines, insufficient managerial support – are far more likely to leave staff dissatisfied in their jobs. Better policies focusing upon the mental wellbeing of employees are required. It’s imperative HR professionals support their line managers by creating an open culture that encourages disclosure.
While there can be very different pay, leave, and employee well-being policies, it’s crucial that HR professionals have a strategy that prioritizes consistency throughout the business.
Future success is all about HR being present, visible, intervening, and supporting employees and managers who are dealing with change. If employees can choose to work from wherever they want, the new focus must be on increasing productivity by having properly-set targets.
- According to a recent World Economic Forum/Ipsos survey, COVID-19 prompted about 30% of employed adults to take a leave of absence
- 56% of employees experienced increased anxiety around job security
- More than half of employees sais their change in work style was stressful
- More than 40% said their level of productivity declined
- Almost half of people felt said they felt isolated
Revamp: The overall productivity and wellbeing of the individuals and the firm:
The growth of any firm is directly proportional to the productivity of its employees, which is significantly dependent on their mental and physical well-being.
According to research, around 42% of global employees have experienced a decline in their mental health since the start of the pandemic, affecting their productivity at work.
Policies must therefore ensure that there is development of employees – around the concept known as the 3F’s – Flexibility, Family and Fulfillment. Employees are vulnerable to leave if they don’t see these attended to in the post-pandemic return to the workplace. In a recent survey nearly four in every ten global employees said no one at their workplace had recently asked them about their mental wellbeing. Without bosses finding this crucial information out, employees will see a severe disconnect at work. The better the employee’s mental health, the better will be the productivity and hence the growth of the organization. The only ways firms can retain their talent, is by reacting appropriately to the change we are all seeing, and by restructuring orthodox HR practices in the workplace.
- McKinsey finds 33% of workers found their return to work had a negative impact on their mental health
- A survey of HR managers found 80% said hiring employees for full-time office roles had now got more complicated