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What Should Be Top of Mind for HR Leaders in 2021 and Beyond?


2020 has negatively impacted businesses at almost every level, human resources included. In the midst of massive layoffs and work-from-home transitioning, HR leaders have been assigned the most challenging task of guiding a business, and its employees, through a global pandemic. Rather than succumbing to the pressure, many HR executives have successfully navigated some of the outbreak’s most complex challenges.

With experts predicting long-term business effects from COVID-19, HR leaders will have to take the lessons learned in 2020 and adapt them to the new year and beyond. One of which is that the future is unpredictable. Other lessons learned include the need for flexible planning, the involvement of other departments such as IT to support remote-work transitions, and the need for timely, relevant, and strong communication across the organization at the management level and downstream to managers and individual contributors. No matter what, organizations are looking to HR to lead them through crisis and change.

HR, along with other leaders in the organization, should be focused on building and creating a strong organizational culture centered on a clear mission, vision, and core values in the post-pandemic environment. Get leadership, management, and employees aligned to this culture to achieve buy-in.

Embedded in the culture should be a strong emphasis on planning. Develop a robust planning process that enables your business to adapt to the absolute worst possible expected outcomes. Go so far as to create plans for the plan -- and then implement processes to manage that plan. Keep in mind that supporting the business is the absolute #1 HR priority. Not having the right structure, resources, plan, and people to quickly pivot was the unfortunate reality for too many companies in 2020. Now it’s important to implement more robust human capital management strategies in 2021 and focus more on planning to overcome some of these unpredictable challenges.

The Biggest Issues Facing HR Leaders

How companies handle the global coronavirus pandemic depends on the strength of their human capital management. As economies, industries, and businesses change, HR leaders must be prepared to accommodate all of the adjustments and to do so smoothly to minimize disruption to the business. Put simply, that is what makes HR the ‘people’ department. Because no matter the size, location, or structure of your business, every organization has people.

COVID-19 may be one of the greatest obstacles HR departments have ever encountered. This is because a global pandemic poses complex problems and threats at every level. As workforces continue to commit to remote work, HR leaders need to establish brand-new policies and structures that accommodate at-home office environments. This has essentially forced HR executives to rebuild their procedures, channels, on-boarding/off-boarding processes, and corporate structures from the ground up. This is partially due to the fact that remote work presents additional challenges beyond that of hours, breaks, and wellness.

The most difficult part about being an HR leader during COVID is the uncertainty. It has become more difficult than ever to prepare for every possible circumstance when you don’t know what those are. Whether you like it or not, COVID will continue. And HR leaders in 2021 need to be ready for it.

Lessons to Take From 2020

One of the biggest reasons why the coronavirus was so devastating for companies in 2020 was because HR leaders had no prior experience to draw from. With almost a year of pandemic living behind us, HR leaders should be able to learn from their missed opportunities and their victories, however few, and better their human capital management in 2021 and beyond.

Develop a Plan For Emergency and Disaster Situations

If 2020 has shown us anything, it’s that no business is immune to the effects of global disasters. For HR leaders to plan for all types of events and disasters is not a realistic expectation. But just because you don’t have an exact plan doesn’t mean you still can’t be prepared. Therefore, HR leaders should try to develop a work plan that can adapt to all types of emergency situations, rather than those that are specific.

Maintaining flexibility is key when navigating the constant uncertainty of a post-COVID world. Regardless of the event, an adaptable emergency work plan should be able to effectively mitigate risks while safely managing employees’ health and productivity. This starts with building a planning-oriented culture.

Focus on Employee Well-Being

Independent of the changing work landscape, quarantine life has been physically and emotionally taxing on everybody. Trying to maintain the productivity of employees whose well-being is neglected is close to impossible; it also threatens an already low retention rate.

To avoid high turnover and low worker efficiency, HR leaders should look to empower their employees’ general health through adaptive wellness programs. This could be something as simple as an allocated wellness budget or as complex as an online fitness program. Remember, the health and happiness of employees has long-term business implications. That is why experts are predicting that mental health support will become the new normal in 2021.

Workforce Priorities

Maintaining a skilled and productive workforce extends far beyond just wellness program initiatives, however. It also involves coordinating talent, acquiring talent, and rewarding talent. The best way to support a business is by providing it with a component and competitively skilled workforce. To do that, you must manage and evaluate certain HR policies and methods, such as compensation and benefits. This is because the average cost of hiring a new employee is about $4,000. And businesses that are laying off workers cannot afford their remaining staff to jump ship as well.

Therefore, workforce priorities should be evaluated regularly in order to maximize business output in the long-run. Additionally, a strong workplace culture can be a huge incentive for current and potential employees to want to work with the business long term.

Establish Strong Communication Channels

A plan is only as effective as its quality of implementation. The best way to do that is through active communication channels. Developing comprehensive emergency plans is futile if they don’t get integrated or employees don’t follow them. By establishing regular touchpoints with upper leadership, HR should be able to review and discuss situations and events as they arise. It also allows HR leaders to better their own human capital management by receiving feedback from others. This is imperative in a corporate environment where objectives and obstacles are constantly changing. To accommodate all of this change, and the frequent planning made by HR leaders, communication is key. Again, if there is a strong corporate culture being communicated, in times of uncertainty and chaos, it helps employees understand their purpose and how their job responsibilities contributes to the organization’s mission and goals.

Frequent Planning and Revisions

Cultures, objectives, and needs differ in every business. They also tend to fluctuate on a semi-regular basis. That, combined with the uncertainty of a global outbreak, means it could be unproductive and possibly devastating to stick to one rigid plan. The best way to navigate this problem is through consistent planning and creating a planning-oriented culture.

All solutions and challenges presented can vary based on a monthly, weekly, and even daily basis. Frequent planning, and revision to said plans, can better equip a business with the necessary roadmap to hire, train, and retain employees in a pandemic environment. Similarly, a strong supporting work culture can facilitate the plan’s evolution and feedback loops in addition to supporting the workforce.

Contact NB Business Solutions for Human Capital Leadership

Every company is unique. At NB Business Solutions, we listen to gain a deep understanding of the current landscape. We engage top executives all the way down to front line leaders to understand their pain points and concerns. We then engage with HR leaders to prioritize and plan how to support the business. We assess what would be the most effective way to communicate at all levels during times of change and uncertainty. We provide a detailed roadmap for any change and address individual business processes that need to take place.

At NB Business Solutions, we consider ourselves business people first who are imbedded in HR departments to help solve the toughest people challenges. We are trusted advisors to leaders and are available to help them from beginning to end with strategy, planning, and managing.


To learn more about how we empower HR leaders, review our Human Capital services today. We look forward to working with you.

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by Tam Nguyen

01/04/2021

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