by Kyle Armstrong, HR Coordinator
A great deal of uncertainty remains surrounding the realities of post pandemic work. Many human resources professionals are also wondering what the future of their role will look like.
Some of the biggest transformations that we have seen over the past year include:
Virtual Hiring
Video interviewing and hiring candidates remotely across different geographies has opened up the candidate pool for many roles. This has raised questions such as does an employer pay an employee more who is located in a higher cost of living region when the employer may be in a different geography. Two-thirds of organizations have reflected on their hiring procedures, and the leading ones have started to transform their existing processes. If organizations support hybrid and at-home work, why should they strictly hire from specific geographical regions? Similarly, leading organizations have started to realign their workforce priorities in ways that are assumed to maintain productivity improvements.
Virtual Onboarding & Culture Building
This new virtual world we live in has resulted in many new hires starting roles at new organizations without ever meeting their team or manager face-to-face. Many leaders have expressed concerns on what this means for culture building and integrating new hires so they understand the values and “unspoken rules” of operating within the organization. It is also more challenging to build trust and relationships over zoom compared to over a live coffee or lunch, so this has been an area of focus for many.
Leading in a Virtual Environment
Many leaders have been pushed outside of their comfort zone by having to lead teams remotely, and will continue to be stretched as we likely move to a hybrid model of virtual and in person workplaces. McKinsey & Company believes that it is inevitable that organizations implement a hybrid approach to working, where there is a renewed norm as to how much time employees spend in office on a weekly basis. This new norm will result in the restructuring of some existing HR positions. The question is, how can HR professionals prepare for this anticipated change?
Working from home throughout the pandemic has been difficult for many, but statistically, it hasn’t been all bad for many organizations. A survey conducted by McKinsey & Company confirmed that most organizations have actually seen rises in productivity, and employee engagement. Experts believe that a large contributing factor to this increased productivity is due to the need for more consistent contact amongst team members to discuss projects, share ideas, etc. This has resulted in the fostering of connection between employees, which is known to increase productivity in organizations. The next question is, how can organizations and managers sustain this increase in work-from-home productivity without reaching a plateau due to employees becoming too complacent when working offsite?
Nearly all executives and manager surveyed in this study, expressed how different managing remotely is. This presents the opportunity to establish new ways of structuring leadership that is molded to the present climate. Leading organizations have already demonstrated a shift in how managers are trained to lead during this time, but these organizations only account for half of the total that could see benefit from a shift in leadership training. A formal leadership coaching program could assist with ensuring that managers are equipped with necessary skills to become top-tier and see consistency in employees’ level of productivity even while working from home.
COVID-19 has had an effect on every little thing, HR and leadership are no exception. At PowerUp Leadership, we firmly believe that many could benefit tremendously from a leadership coaching program, to assist in navigating these uncharted waters. Learn more about our self-directed leadership coaching program, as well as other services.