Impact of Covid -19 on HR Practices

• The covid-19 corona virus is becoming the accelerator for one of the greatest workplace transformations of our lifetime. How we work, exercise, shop, learn, communicate, and of course, where we work, will be changed forever! 

• It has taken just a few weeks for the covid-19 corona virus to shut down many restaurants, bars, shops, gym, as well as mandate or encourage 88% of workers to work from home, regardless of whether or not they are showing symptoms of corona virus. 

Let's discuss the top HR challenges that managers are facing due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

1.) Mental health and wellbeing. 

The sudden shift in work culture took a toll on overall employees health and wellbeing. Stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues have always been there, and it is no new story. Organizations have always been initiating wellness programs and providing employees with security, health benefits and flexibility to help them overcome their health issues. But the sudden Covid-19 outbreak has brought the employee's mental problems in the front seat. 

2.) Managing Remote Work. 

The transition to remote work culture is not seamless as it seems. Before the Covid-19 outbreak, less than 50% of companies had a remote work program. Banks, regulated industries, and many financial services companies didn't encourage remote working. Now almost all of them rushing to build remote work strategies. 

HR manager are trying to build seamless routes and strategies to overcome the challenges than it brings. 

3.) Lack of Agility. 

One of the major reasons why HR teams are struggling is due to the lack of agility. 

Many HR teams are not designed for agility. And this affecting the HR professional big time. In this crisis, it is critical to respond fast and move quickly. But there are many approvals to take before taking action. This slows down the process of collecting data and take immediate measures that a crisis demands. To become more agile in their approach and re-prioritizing company goals and to have the right communication and alignment among middle management and executives is the need of the hour now. 

4.) Employee communication. 

Communication is another major challenge that is on the priority list. Communication, in itself, is a critical aspect that needs to be taken into account whether or not the workforce is working remotely. Without the right communication channels, it becomes difficult to manage a workforce. The Covid-19 crisis had the HR professionals on toes and kept them looking for the right remote working tools that suit their culture. Though tools like Zoom or Slack are commonly used to meet the needs of the workforce, it certainly is not enough to get everyone on the same page. 

5.) Employee engagement. 

The ultimate company goal is the productivity of its employees. It becomes challenging to keep the employees engaged when they are working remotely and that too, in a crisis. The internal communication is compromised, and keeping everyone on the same page becomes tough. With remote working, it is difficult to follow a routine and even except a systematic workflow. When the teams are cross functional, you have little power to manage them. Not updating them regularly or not arranging meetings can impact their morale to a great extent. 

Conclusion

Human resource department should ensure that all the employees have capable work laptops to complete their day-to-day tasks. It is during such times that traditional old-fashioned set ups including those of our Governmental department structures, face trouble as their operations are crippled. This move saves the employees from risking their lives to reach office amid lockdown as they can now work from home, a concept that is increasingly being accepted in INDIA. 

With the hope that mankind learns from, what appears to be yet another global pandemic, Harvard global health institute's research fellow, Peter sands' eloquent explanation "Neurobiologically conditioned, as we are, to pay attention to stark contrasts and sudden changes, we often overlook slow moving changes in our environments that may Herald disastrous consequences" From 'outbreak readiness ans business impact' can be taken as a case-study. With a heavy heart, there is something for every HR professionals to take home to think about the cause of the working man, amid a global pandemic! 

Arzoo

Mba(2020-2022)