COVID-19 Crisis : Is HR championing the ‘People’ piece?

The world is shut down for the first time in the history of mankind and the worst affected are ‘people’, ‘people’ in every sense of the word.

The ones who work in cutthroat corporate environment are losing their jobs, salaries & perks being cut, appraisals being hit! Housewives are working round the clock to ensure the family thrives during these times. Children are bored, suffocated and unaware of what the ‘future’ holds for them. The ‘spiritual’ ones are articulating that this is the time when Mother Earth is upgrading itself, undergoing a period of rest & recovery.

In times when the world scenario is changing, work from home is becoming the ‘new’ normal, and managing work & home together is the mantra of survival, what is the role of HR? Is HR hiding behind the door or is it leading by example? Is HR at forefront, taking hold decisions and enabling the business continuity while keeping the talent engaged, motivated and paid? Is HR championing the ‘people’ piece in times of unprecedented crises?

This is not just a period of lull for the businesses, it is also an opportunity for immense growth for HR. From ensuring mandatory orientation sessions, virtual birthday parties, aggressive communication on the vision, reality and ‘modified’ future plans, HR can play a very important role. HR can multitask & play the role of a Pacifier, Energiser and Initiator of some robust employee engagement plans .

HR’s new motto can be ???? ?? ??????????? (Tamso Ma Jyotirgamaya), leading from darkness to light. The HR priority can be focusing on strategies that help the organisations continue business, while making least lay-offs (if at all they have to).

Why not follow the ‘TikTok’ cult and send some funny video to the teams in these gloomy times? Encouraging employees to share their videos on cooking, baking, giving bath to their pets, feeding their kids can create a very engaging platform for employees bringing some fun

HR can play the role of a ‘compassionate mother’ at this time, taking cues from Mother Earth who has been loving and compassionate since the creation! Getting into conversations with employees and ensuring their physical & mental fitness will help them adapt to the ‘new reality’. After all, the organisations that will take its talent along in these times will hit the ‘success’ button once again. 

Creating ‘trusting & transparent’ environment, ensuring the managers/leaders trust their teams during these times can be one of the ‘winning’ strategies. In times of uncertainty it’s very obvious for ‘people’ to feel lost and demotivated. Along with this, if the organisation doesn’t trust them their mental health and immunity can be compromised and may lead to more cases of COVID 19. 

90% of those who are working from home are doing it for the first time. While the leaders/ bosses may get insecure about their ‘people’ it is not the right time to display such insecurity. They are struggling with the ‘perfect’ phone/ internet connection (*pun intended). Or they may be trying to help their mothers/ wives in wrapping up household which has mounted double fold in the absence of household or they may be trying to soothe a restless child who is frustrated being home. HR needs to ensure an ‘empathetic’ view towards the employees. The more empathy that’s shown towards ‘people’ at this stage will ensure they stay performing in these times. Isn’t ‘performance’ that one thing the organisation is expecting from its people? 

To cut the story short, I feel this can be the period when HR can change the world business scenario if it takes up the responsibility of manoeuvring the ‘people’ piece with out-of-box ideas and enhancing ‘business continuity’!