One of the areas that provided the most resilience, adaptation and reintervention during the crisis was the area of human resources. The problem began with cost control and strategies for possible staff reductions, so that actions were carried out in the most humane way and with the least damage to the organization’s reputation. Then there was a need to quickly understand and manage the temporary measures announced by the Government in connection with the employment agreements.
Of course, we should not forget about the adaptation of the verbose and practiced home office, which, in addition to remote performance monitoring, also raised the topic of remote management. In parallel with all this, care is maintained for the physical and emotional health of employees.
1. The dispute for talent tends to increase
The main challenge in the recovery period will be to attract and retain talent. This is because, in theory, all professionals whose functions are eligible for the home office are on the radar of companies from anywhere in the world. After all, it has now been proven that, with structure and good agreements, an employee can contribute to business results inside or outside the company. Thus, it is necessary to structure strategic and lean processes, however complete, so as not to run the risk of losing a professional to the competition.
2. The benefits package needs to be reviewed
Due to the trend towards stable compensation, companies should be attractive in terms of the benefits package. Healthcare is more highly valued than ever. Training assistance, a laptop, and financial assistance to set up a home office are new developments that are highly valued during a crisis and should remain in the recovery period. On the other hand, parking and transport tickets were not included in the list of the most frequently mentioned benefits.
3. Home office is no longer a benefit
Most of the employees surveyed said that they no longer see a benefit in the home office, but a new work model. Among employers who support remote work, there is an opinion that people should work where they feel most productive. This flexibility will increase the motivation and loyalty of the team, and the experience of working remotely during the crisis was good. The challenge will be to understand what the realities of the home office will be like when everyone returns to the freedom to come and go. How will distance learning take place? What are the losses due to insufficient knowledge sharing during face-to-face meetings? How to strengthen the organizational culture?
During the crisis, several paradigms were broken, and many legacies will arise. For human resources professionals, at this new moment, there is a problem of attracting employees at all hierarchical levels, which will force the team to think about this new norm. All with great humanization.