... A new HR for a new normal ...

The world is still adjusting to abrupt changes, and this will continue whilst countries, economies and continents come out of the current crisis. At the beginning of the year, I was talking about a new HR for a new decade. Now it is simply the new HR for a new normal.....

Business has had to adapt quickly to a world that some of us have been saying is possible for some time - remote working, video conferencing, online team technologies etc. HR has also had to step up. In some organisations, this has been a move from the comfort zone of controlled process and policy, to a world of adaptive practice and using new platforms. For other HR professionals, it has been an opportunity to put forward thinking solutions into practice and gain credibility with their colleagues. There is no one size fits all to any of this, and each organisation will adjust according their sector, culture, leadership, customers, suppliers etc.

This is an opportunity for HR to be fit for purpose and to future proof their portfolios as business professionals. Here's some food for thought ...

Remote Working Reality:

The notion of working from home (WFH) was often called "shirking from home." It was seen as a special benefit or something that had to be requested from your employer. The current situ has finally changed this to become a reality for everyone (where possible). HR should therefore not only be helping facilitate and normalise this as a practice (so that we do not slip back into dated mindsets), but also offer the relevant guidance/coaching to management and leadership to help maintain this. We should be embedding this as an approach to work, the workforce and the workplace, both now and going forward.

Flex-HR:

The flexible mindset should be expanded to make sure HR itself is more adaptive to future needs and changes. We need to be able to answer the 6Ws (Who Wants What When and Where?) - and we do this by understanding the "Why" and focusing on the "How." Not only should HR connect the dots between what it delivers and the outcomes, but we need to show that we can adapt to the changing needs of the business. We started this journey with concepts like flexible working, flexi-time and flex-bens, but we should be expanding these areas. Could we truly connect work, time and reward through innovative systems to make employee experience more fulfilling? Could we use data to provide adaptive HR solutions aligned to business needs now and emerging? Could we use HR contractors, freelancers and outsource services more as part of a flexible operating model that can be scaled almost on-demand? These are things we need to be thinking about.

Digital Dynamics:

If you are working remotely, you need to use technology to do so. HR and business have both realised that we have moved on since the 90s - there is more to communicating than simply by phone, face-to-face or email. They still have a place, but we are seeing more businesses connect via MS Teams, conferencing and workshopping via Zoom, or running interactive learning sessions via tools like Webex. We need to be nurturing this digital capability and awareness to help the business combine technology and human talents to be true business enablers. Crowdsourcing business solutions through enterprise networks, helping manage resources and time more effectively through performance data, as well as helping developing supportive working communities - this is what HR should be doing, and by doing so we ourselves become digital transformation facilitators by default.

Digital HR:

Again, not only should HR be helping the business understand the human element of digital transformation, but we need to look at our own ways of working (as well the concept of digital wellbeing). Digital HR is a key foundation that creates a digital enterprise, but do we have the HR systems, practices and solutions that help nurture and normalise digital ways of working? We cannot expect others to do what we do not do ourselves. HR should therefore be taking a step back and looking at ways we can use technology more effectively as part of our operating model. We become more credible to the business, more commercial in practice, and more employable in the future.

Social HR:

Social media is a digital tool and it isn't just about customer engagement, marketing and branding. HR has an opportunity to reflect the reverse of the mirror and use social technologies to create engaged employees through; socialising the employer brand and employee experience; attracting, recruiting and pooling future talent both in and outside the organisation; as well as fostering communities of people via social platforms to learn, share and feel connected. HR should be using social technologies as part of their digital toolkit to help enable a positive employee experience - the full cycle, from end to end (A2A = attraction through to alumni). HR can help connect people through social technologies to create dynamic enterprise networks.

Workforce Continuity:

Workforce planning is something most organisations don't do well. Few actually manage or monitor this, and most focus purely on an annual budget/headcount balance. The current situation has proven that the planning of the past has gone out the window in a few weeks. HR needs to combine workforce planning and business continuity as concepts to create workforce continuity as a practice. We need to be navigating the paradox of now and next through what we do. This means we have to work with the business to help manage workforce needs, balances and blend in the immediate moment, as well as then adjusting for the future. This is not about simply having a plan or a policy, it is about creating the right platforms and practices that help you adapt. It is about scenario planning and testing. It is about trials and pilots. It is about creating an adaptive mindset and approach in the way we work to help sustain our business beyond simply survival. This is a new concept that we can create and facilitate.

Hopefully this has provided some food for thought anyway ... This is the world I work in and the world I believe we will be working in - this is the new HR for the new norm ....

#humanresources #human_resources #digitalhr #futureofhr #hr #futurehr