When we look around it feels as if the COVID-19 pandemic is almost over and fading, but with all its unpredictability, we are still here again with it. The pandemic endlessly impacted how we work and how we see work fitting into the rest of our lives and us fitting into the new workplace. For the foreseeable future, there is high probability that organisations will be establishing new ways of working. Along the way, there will be a great number of challenges to cope with especially from a human resource (HR) point of view.
Emmanuel Zvada
HR professionals have certainly not imagined the challenges that COVID-19 has brought. The uncertainty of the pandemic has crumpled the economy, employers and employees and HR professionals were not spared since their top priority is now crisis response and how to keep the employees engaged, provide the right communication channels and tools for remote work and more. What is really the future of HR and what are the challenges we are likely to face as HR practitioners in the post-COVID-19 era? The following are the challenges we are likely to face:
Ability to remain flexible post-COVID-19
The future and even the present now needs experts in flexibility and I don’t just mean flexible ways of working, I also refer to flexible ways of operating. In the post-COVID-19, companies will have to remain flexible and be willing to engage employees around issues of workplace policies and culture to ensure they remain appealing. Flexibility is fast becoming a key component in how they make their work fit into their lives and support from the organisations they work for is going to be highly valuable to those people. Flexibility from all ends can radically change the HR function, but practitioners seem not to be moving at that pace. The need for transformation to flexibility is key, the sooner the shift happens, the higher the chances of survival.
Remote working aftermaths
One of the major things this COVID-19 has done to the information technology community is that it has accelerated the adoption of technology in business transactions. Lockdowns forced even the most traditional of companies to take action and embrace remote working. With more staff able to work remotely, offices could become venues for fast-moving, high-value tasks only. Some roles are best suited to offices, including those that require special equipment or that need a secure, regulated environment and others can be done from home.
Even though many companies managed to adopt remote working in a short period, it still poses plenty of challenges that HR managers may have trouble overcoming. The successful implementation of remote work demands that businesses invest a lot of time and effort in their new corporate culture and all this must be spearheaded by HR people. The biggest question around remote working has been how to deal with security. This is a concern shared both by the employee and the employer. The employee wants to be sure that nobody is listening in to the connection, while the employer wants to be assured that the data from employees working away from the office is not inadvertently leaking.
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Dealing with virtual brain drain and multiple working
The pandemic has made “brain drain” even worse than expected. With physical borders closed and virtual ones open, highly-skilled technical workers are getting poached by international companies and some are even working for two employers virtually. To avoid the virtual brain drain, HR can also propose remote working so as to improve employee retention. Losing valuable employees is one of the biggest challenges that a company could face. The provision for remote working could be all you need to keep your employees happy and willing to work for you. Offering remote working as a benefit of working for you helps you attract young, skilled professionals that would usually not be interested in your organisation.
The psychological impact of COVID-19
The possible mental health impact of COVID-19 has been widely documented, with the World Economic Forum predicting that lockdowns will result in a secondary epidemic of burnouts and stress-related problems. Employees are being affected mentally by not knowing what the future holds for them. The HR teams are struggling to put everything in alignment. Wellness, and in particular mental health, has become a key priority for employers as we slowly shift into a post-pandemic world.
Coping with new digital communication tools
Communication applications and technologies changed dramatically during this pandemic. Digital adoption has taken a quantum leap at both the organisational and industry levels. During the pandemic, consumers have moved dramatically towards online channels, and companies and industries have responded, everyone is just providing the services online through digital channels. HR’s new headache now is creating a techno savvy environment and embracing IT at workplaces.
