Challenges and Mitigation Techniques for Increased HR Load in Pandemic
“You cannot mandate productivity; you must provide the tools to let people become their best.” -Steve Jobs
And that’s how this unprecedented situation (pandemic) has been increasing the workload of HR by leaps and bounds.
This article is an extension to my previous one, where I’d talked about the shape of HR that’ll take place in the future, the strategic changes, and many more.
Expectations of providing innumerable tools, software, digitization, controlling redundancy, upgrading of competencies, etc have been growing tremendously.
HR is considered to be the people’s leader and so, the responsibility of shaping an organization with the new norms is one heck of a job.
Let’s take a look at how the new normal is challenging 5 major HR domains and what possibly could be the mitigating techniques.
Workplace Relocation
For techies, to equip them with the WFH option might have simplified the role but it has taken a toll on the manufacturing concerns. Where, on the one hand, HR’s couldn’t get time to re-vamp their workforce management process, the employees, the laborers had to suffer monetary loss, job loss, family loss comparatively on a bigger scale w.r.t this sudden health crisis.
This has relatively increased the pressure on HRs of every sector. However, we need to know what challenges does ‘working remotely’ poses and how to mitigate them.
Challenges :
- Workforce management especially for manufacturing units
- Work-life imbalance resulting in untimely employee grievance calls
- Less impromptu meetings ultimately delaying the decision-making
- Less emotional connect with the organization
- WFH may cause fatigue and, as a result, less productivity
Possible Mitigation Techniques :
- Remote work guidelines can be issued
- Workforce mobile app (for the resolution of grievances and the distribution of significant notices, etc)
- Introduction of Project management tools
- Gaming apps that can be used during fatigue can be introduced, and be designed with limitations to avoid productivity interference
- A virtual employee support program could be incorporated to strengthen the employee-employer bond
For example, DHL Express, the courier company, has framed guidelines that dictate their own work-from-home norms and have made them available to all their 3,200 employees. (source: www.india-briefing.com)
Recruitment and On-boarding
The fondness of getting an interview call, dress up in your formal attire, prepping, and finally getting selected. What a feeling!
No matter how advance we get with the technology, the real business vibe comes by physically stepping in the office and receiving a warm welcome thereafter. Nothing literally can replace that.
This virtual scenario has lowered the morale of a new joiner and has increased the HR’s responsibilities in terms of making their hires comfortable and high on motivation while delivering the right corporate feel. Let’s see how?
Challenges :
- Impact on candidate experience due to Virtual interview sessions
- Virtual recruitment has resulted in a large number of candidates sitting for numerous interviews, providing them with a wide range of job opportunities, and ultimately leaving firms without prior notice of not joining
- Flow of communication during orientation might affect and result in several unsolved queries
- Virtual job description and non-clarification of the same may change employee and manager expectations
- Logistical problem, resulting in delayed setup (eg, delayed delivery of laptop, necessary office supplies, etc)
- Employee background checks is a time-consuming process now
- Online body language cannot be deciphered
- Less walk the talk concept as team meetings are now virtually handled with no coffee breaks (if you have heard that great deals are done on a coffee break)
Possible Mitigation Techniques :
- Emphasis on internal hiring (Data from LinkedIn shows a 20% increase in internal mobility)
- Regular pre on-boarding meetings with new hires
- Communication tools to be readily available (eg, group messaging tool, video conferencing software, etc)
- Buddy system is a must (both with the departmental project and HR)
- Introduction of proper task calendar
- Be a mentor in terms of providing emotional and technical support
- Pre on-boarding engagement activities will be a lot of help (sharing stories, publishing past achievements, etc)
- Casual video conferencing on a regular basis
Compensation and Benefits
Whatever engagement activity we talk about, Comp and Ben have nothing to compete with.
This always stands as an integral part of an employee working in an organization. Actual existence always affects the satisfaction of answering questions.
Hence, no matter, if the payroll is outsourced or is in-house, the challenge is, the clarification of virtual doubts becomes difficult lowering the satisfaction level of an employee.
Not only that but there are a lot of varied obstacles to overcome, as detailed below.
Challenges :
- Keeping employee data up-to-date is now a chore due to obstructed communication flow
- To maintain an imperative approach towards equitable pay system keeping cost control in view
- Maintenance of fair incentives and benefits
- Keeping a verified track of reimbursements
- Leave policy (high demand of paid sick leave)
- Due to physical restrictions, bank and government processes are hindered
Possible Mitigation Techniques :
- Online medical counseling, health screening, and webinars to be increased
- Enhancement and flexibility in health insurance policies
- Reward, promotion, and incentive pay could be put on hold for senior/top management employees
- Spending modification for senior administration
- Extending sick leave may temporarily require a half-paid sick leave policy
- Key payroll and finance staff must be properly equipped with office supplies and technical support to work from home
- Readily available aide to be provided, as, the actual signing of the form, government policy procedures, exemption process for visiting government officials for important duties, etc
Learning and Development
As they say, If the organization will grow, employees will grow.
I’m sure we all accept the importance of teaching in our lives and how it helps us to achieve our dream goals. The same goes with our corporate goals too.
The more we learn, the more we shape ourselves and help the organization grow.
The point is, since recruiting new talent now involves a lot of new virtual hurdles and costs, up-scaling the old ones will certainly make a difference.
This domain never stops growing and gives unimaginable positive results, though it too comes with its own set of complications.
Challenges :
- Technology hiccups while the simulation training
- Lack of motivation as not much physical activity is involved (games, team-building exercises, etc)
- Reduced budget and changed expectations
- Shifted focus to running the main business operation than skill upgrade
Possible Mitigation Techniques :
- Discounted or free online courses and plan for shorter sessions
- Offer employees, tips for maintaining positive mental health
- Organize group chat session every week, where everyone can put forward their concerns
- Make training a journey not a program
- Introduce peer to peer learning
- Group assignments to be given to increase social interaction virtually
Separation
Human Resource is the change agent now.
Trust me, nothing more pains the HR than signing their once on-boarded employee’s relieving letter. My HR readers will definitely agree with this.
As much is it difficult to manage the talent and retain the employees, the more difficult task is to understand the reason for their separation from the organization.
Challenges :
- Less time and value given to exit interviews
- Improper virtual knowledge transfer sessions lead to high-cost training of new joiners
- Bonding farewell is a miss now
- Retention has become tougher (thus connecting the second challenge of recruitment and on-boarding)
- High logistical cost (sending back the laptop, office equipment, courier charges for relieving letter, etc)
Possible Mitigation Techniques :
- Proper exit strategy is to be designed (rather than just filling out the exit interview form, take the time to listen and grasp the true concerns of employees)
- Keep the doors open for employees returning to work
- Consider re-configuring work hours to retain the employee
- Adjust layoffs with the prospective exiting employees
- Keep employee survey a routine process
COVID’19 has increased the value of HR for businesses but is less visible to employees now.This certainly has increased the trouble for HR and demands proper channelization.
Rather than aligning themselves with the company’s vision, HR now has to guide both, the company and employees while getting digitized. Though every business function has been affected in this COVID’19 era, we simply can’t ignore the dramatic shift that has taken place with HR on a global level.
And, I won’t miss a chance to applaud my HR realm for wearing so many hats of responsibility, simultaneously.
Signing off, with the hope that you will be able to use some of these mitigation techniques to navigate this shift and help to build the organization’s new future.
Think of these challenges as opportunities rather than hurdles to overcome the pandemic and prepare for the next.
