Vicissitude in Human Resource Practices in 2020 will continue in 2021 with sitch changes....

We all are witness of drastic change in our personal life and professional life due to COVID-19 impact this year and this is also fact that its reflection of impact will continue in coming years too.

This pandemic situation, that negatively had impacted to careers and businesses of many of us, still during this hard time, we have also discovered alternate options to continue business houses and found way to continue work from home activities in a best possible manner.

During pandemic period, business operation and managing employees were not that much easy as it looks now, as it was new experience for everyone. So, here HR leaders played a key role to handle this unpredictable situation by implementing proper policies and revamping the functions which was need of the hour. Human resource managers were most engaged during this period to keep their organization goal achievable and employees motivated. While managing business operative activities and those things which ran parallel to it were explored and modified or revamped as and when required, whether we talk about expectations or motivation factors of employees, technology change or working infrastructure etc.

Previously, it was hard to accept the fact that desk work can be done and managed from home but now it seems possible and organizations are planning strategies and process to continue same as it is cost effective and spare space in office which can be utilized for business expansion or for that manpower whose nature of work needs their presence in office premises. By adopting this new culture, organization can shrink their expenses in managing their staff without procuring new space for business operations etc.

In this new normal, we have seen many changes in our ideology and business practices in personal and professional front. During this pandemic wherein organizations have experienced a scenario where business operations were almost inactive and for some organizations it was completely dormant due to lockdown like manufacturing units, plants, and other NON-IT sectors. This pandemic shaken us from inside so be it Organization or individual in many ways.

Organizations are now enthusiastic to accept technology implementation in their system to avoid further such losses in similar kind of situation, which was earlier just a matter of discussion of board meeting but was never given that importance considering such activities unnecessary cost to company. Similarly, now employees are taking saving their income seriously for future and showing inclination towards contribution in government sponsored welfare schemes like EPF and ESIC for securing their future. It was seen in general practices that most of the employees used to focus on higher in hand salary and for that they were ready to opt out from government sponsored welfare schemes too. During this pandemic period, government has extended their support to their contributors by allowing withdrawal of EPF contribution made by employer and employee to run their normal life during this pandemic. All these factors have changed mindset of most of the employees.

In April 2021, new labour code is going to be implemented so that would be another factor which will bring significant changes in our hr practices but will discuss some other time post implementation, but as an organization or employee, we must prepare ourselves for those changes and their effects in our professional practices.

So, let us discuss here the changes we can implement, or we can see in coming time in our different processes in certain hr domains. 

Recruitment –

Now, this is alarming situation for those professionals who wait for right time to learn new things. No, now this theory will not work. Now, HR leaders will focus on those employees who are agile, active, self-learner and tech savvy. Such employees will be asset to organization, and they will be able to survive in tough period like we had this year in 2020. Such skill set gives them flexibility in adapting new changes in this VUCA world. Such employees reduce the cost of training if they are tech savvy or having skill set which makes them adaptive for upcoming changes.

Role of recruitment team also increase here, as we all know that COVID-19 is still with us and we need to use all precautionary action to protect our organization and employees as well. HR leaders needs to use cloud based Recruitment tools and techniques to perform end to end recruitment process to avoid human interactions in initial stages of interview of any candidate.  Recruitment team must ensure that if someone is coming to office for final round of interview or the completion of joining formalities should have one day or max two days prior CORONA test report and Antigen report with them as per requirement. Such practice will certainly reduce the possibilities of spread of infection. We should have a separate cabin for those hiring, in which human interactions is required and technology cannot be used specially in blue color hiring to avoid spread of infection in others. We should keep stationary and official documents in other locations or same cabin in locker to avoid unnecessary interaction of other staff with those items to restrict spread. If we notice carefully our day routine of work process, we can implement many things which can be beneficial in this circumstances.

Diversity and Inclusion-

Diversity and inclusion policies were earlier limited to the HR handbook for many organizations but now most of the organizations are exploring this practice to cut down their financial loads in manpower hiring and in other hand to make their recruitment strategies more effective. For business perspective, diversity in work place helps the business unit to understand their stakeholder and customer insight for doing well and provides data to meet the needs of stakeholder or customer as well. A well-executed Inclusion strategy makes a happy workforce, attract qualified employees, brings job satisfaction and ROH of employees. HR leaders need to ensure that everyone gets an equal opportunity to grow within the organization irrespective of their diverse factors and inclusion policy should nurture and empower employees so that they feel included irrespective of who they are or as what they identify themselves as. HR leaders need to prepare proper diversity strategies as it differs from industry to industry. For instance, hospitality diversity factors will be different from the real estate or IT sector. Without proper policy and strategy, the execution of the D&I policy will be inconceivable. This is the time to implement THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, 2016 to interpret real meaning of D&I and to name CDI (Corporate Disability Inclusion). As per one survey conducted in 2019, only 34 lakhs of the about 1.34 crore people with disabilities (PwDs) in the employable age have a job in India, according to Equiv.in, a recruitment platform that cited government data for the numbers. That is an unemployment rate of more than 70%. Similarly, we have proficient female employees who had to leave their running job due to maternity and could not get better job or job opportunity post maternity considering they are not able to focus on work from office, but this COVID-19 pandemic situation has proved that work from home can be done easily and manageable with these working professionals because for them their cabin has shifted from office to their home, and now they are ready to manage things as earlier they used to do it from office. We have opportunity to find the ways to incorporate our talent search with these professionals who were out of main stream of working environment due to less opportunities. Reach of recruiter will enhance with inclusion of these two manpower segments for which all we need to frame proper work policies and monitoring system. 

Organizational Change

We all have seen the drastic change in our working method and working culture in last one year. Top to down, working culture and its functionality got changed at some extent or at some positions additional job responsibilities were incorporated without defining proper job roles. Such action is understood as it was adhoc situation but now when things are getting normal and everyone is coming back to office to resume their routine jobs so this moment HR leaders need to redefine the job responsibilities, KRA and goal setting for every employee to avoid conflicts on work place specially post COVID -19 scenario.  

Clear objectives of organization, team and individual are most required thing at this moment for any organization. Organization must clear their objectives and expectations with employees & team leader which should be clear with objective of organization and expectations from team. Leaders should be more agile in connecting with peers and team members to motivate them. Clear expectations with leader will help to mould themselves and team with new goals. Gap of communication may hamper organizational goals. Employee should also be given opportunity to opt their KRA and goals to perform better. The platform should be given where employee can discuss their goal’s performance with peers to improve their output and to relate with organization’s goal. Employee survey should be conducted for knowing ESI (Employee Satisfaction Index). ESI analysis will provide desired information and clarity on redefining the organization’s policies as per need of the amendment in respective policy. Such survey helps HR leaders to draft proper factor comparison, skill competencies, employee wellness program and R&R policies etc. which are required to keep employees motivated. Organizational structure revamping should stand on plinth of equality where each employee classification will get equal opportunity to grow and one who is working from home or remote areas should not be treated less performer/ less required compare to those who are working from office. Performance assessment process should be same for each employee within organization. A better organizational design and structure in this new normal will help everyone to understand their role and their alignment with organization’s goal. 

Performance Management

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a lot of fuss for HR leaders when it comes to PMS (Performance Management System). HR leaders must share organization’s expectation from individuals and or team for coming period. For previous year, HR leader must take performance review according to goal’s achieved by individual or whole team during this pandemic situation and ROI of their efforts. HR leaders should not forget to appraise those efforts which could not produce the result but individual or whole team given their best efforts during this pandemic situation which was new thing during WFH environment. Recognition of efforts of one is more important for keeping them motivated. It is important that employee and their respective team leader has proper communication which will bring clarity of goals and expectations as clear goals and expectations of organization motivates employees to perform better. HR leaders should ensure that team leaders are well connected between their regular office team and remote team to avoid communication gap. Organization should use Performance Management tools which helps to narrate accurate job profiles and expectations, create relevant objectives that align with the company's goals and mission, document performance, and writing the appraisals.

Onboarding Process

During pandemic situation, we have understood well that social distancing is key to safe ourselves from infection. On remote location joining will depend upon your traveling to reporting office then moving to joining location. Employee coming for joining may spread infections in visiting place unknowingly so to avoid such instances, we can conduct online onboarding with the help of various joining tools in market. Web-orientation can be done, and team interaction can happen online which will be safe process of joining. HR leader must introduce and adopt technologies to enable online onboarding, induction and joining process end to end to make entire process paperless and safe without human interactions and in future it will reduce the traveling cost per hire.

Learning & Development Process

HR leader needs to restructure L&D policies for giving equal opportunity for learning and development for remote employees like regular employees who are working from office or work location. As L&D specialist should be focused to align employee’s goals and performance with that of the organization’s. Identification of skill gaps among employees (employee working from office or remote employees) to develop and deliver proper training to bridge the gaps. Facilitating employees by L&D, will help to attract and retain employees, motivate, and engage them, create value-based environment, and will flourish their capabilities. L&D team needs to work with IT team to create platform for providing online learning space parallel along with regular employees to keep each team member on same page of learning.

Employee Engagement Program

Remote employees were existing earlier, but post COVID-19 number of remote employees has increased drastically and every passing day its rising. Recognition is something which is more valuable than any monetary benefits. HR leader should define process for regular interaction with remote employees virtually so that they should feel they are engaged and connected with team working from office. They should be invited online for celebrating any event or occasion. For appreciating contribution or efforts of remote team can be addressed by sending local gift cards which can be redeemed later by employees later.  Remote employees can be given opportunity to learn online through platforms like Udemy, LinkedIn Learning & Vskills by providing discounted or free online courses which will help them to grow professionally in a time where they might feel stagnant. HR leader should define proper standard operative process for developing proper system and execution method.

If I conclude this conversation, so in this new normal HR Leaders needs to prepare and implement those human resource policies which should be one size fits all considering all factors and areas of human resources department. Attentiveness is very much required as we all have entered in that era where few team members are coming to office and some are working from home but better hr policies can erase the difference between these employee classifications. 

Ankur Gautam | Strategic Human Resource Specialist | Email: [email protected]