As we head towards the mid-point of 2020, the COVID-19 crisis continues to take centre stage in our personal and professional lives. Emily Douglas summed this up perfectly in her recent blog.
Remote work, social distancing, economic changes, new work practices and Covid protocols. How are you addressing these new challenges?
Workplaces today are facing these key issues, so how can assist you drive engagement, boost productivity and deliver measurable results?
Preparedness to return to normality differs from country to country and company to company. This is leaving many employees confused about the future, and their role in the “new world order” which is not a great situation for employers.
Many have accepted that our old way of working may never return, but it does not necessarily follow that this new model will not be as good.
Indeed, this should be an ideal time to rectify many of the issues of the past, but unfortunately, we are seeing HR Managers slow to react, often with no clear strategy in place, particularly around talent retention and attraction and engagement.
Business leaders and HR Managers need to step up to the plate and take this challenge on board and seize the initiative. It is important to note that this does not mean that businesses will not or cannot return to their levels of productivity, creativity or profitability. They surely can.
If nothing else, COVID-19 will dramatically change companies’ policies and procedures – both in the short and long term.
Long term changes will impact working arrangements in many organisations.
Pro- active business leaders have been the ones that have adapted quickly to the impacts and acted to survive later. In particular, many are focussing on the following important areas of the business:
Mental wellbeing – Acknowledging the importance of mental wellbeing across the workforce and the varied degree of impact it can have on people, especially those working from home.
Digital strategy – Emphasising the power of digital and the importance of investing in collaborative technology which connects the workforce, irrespective of their physical location, so that businesses do not rely purely on face to face meetings, which isn’t always required to produce high quality outputs and maintain relationships.
Culture – Maintaining a high performing culture and redefining organisational structures and performance management or coaching in a virtual world.
Going forward, many employers will be looking at talent acquisition. Companies who choose not to invest in talent acquisition, and perhaps more importantly, retention, risk falling behind.
Unfortunately, the workforce has been impacted meaning that a significant amount of talent has been made redundant. This is an ideal time to look at the talent market.
People will remember how business leaders dealt with COVID-19. People understand that it is a difficult time for businesses and in most cases acknowledge that changes may be required due to changing business pressures. Doing the right thing by your people should be a top priority for management.
What are you doing in your organisation to address these challenges?
We can help. We are working with thought leading organisations around the globe to ensure high levels of talent retention and attraction to drive the business.
If you would like to discuss how Brownie Points can help your business, call us today on +61 (0)3 9909 7411 or email us at info@browniepoints.com.au
