Aitch Are Gives You...
It can only get better...
...right? Yes, it's that time of year again to make predictions for the world of work over the coming months. This time around, given the year we have just been through as an HR profession, there is more at stake. For employers, for HR, for employees. It's been a helter-skelter 2020, so amidst the madness, what can 2021 possibly have in store for us HR types? Here’s my Top 5 Trends (well, thoughts, really) for 2021. And if you finish your left-over sprouts and behave yourself, I may throw in another one for free... At the root of my thoughts are "take charge". Don't let events wash past you. Don't be a spectator. Grab the initiative. We're not out of the woods yet, so there is still a real opportunity for HR to continue providing the leadership during the next year that we saw plenty of examples of over the past year. So, without further ado, here's my 5 (or 6?) thoughts for 2021. HR AT THE TOP TABLE Make the most of the central role HR have been playing of late in helping businesses through the pandemic. Make sure you have an opinion on, suggestions about, and even plans for, the following: - The ongoing "value proposition" for the business, including vision, mission, values, culture, strategies, actions, capabilities, etc... - What businesses need to do to make a transition to a more remote, dispersed workforce. More on this below. - Re-purposing offices from places where employees turn up for most of the week to in-person collaboration spaces where employees occasionally meet up with their colleagues. - Nurture and bring along the culture of the organisation. Covid led to rapid change in many businesses, so what impact has this had, and will it continue to have, on the way your company "gets stuff done"? - What can you do to make sure that the values, ethics and integrity of your business continue to adapt in the face of a continually changing environment? Many businesses continue to encounter unchartered waters, so make sure you are adept at navigation... FUTURE-READY ORGANISATIONS Build on the crisis of 2020 to make organisations more resilient, adaptable to change, and prepared to face future uncertainties. What does this mean in practice? - Keeping planning horizons sensible. - Possibly having more than one plan, to cater for different scenarios. - Keeping business continuity plans "live". - Providing managers with the ability to champion and lead positive change. - Being that critical partner to our leaders. Critical in terms of ensuring you question assumptions and encourage broad thinking, as well as supporting any natural inclination to act. FLEXIBLE WORKFORCES Embrace distributed workforces and set them up for success. - An office-based 9 to 5 is dead. Long live flexible and virtual working! Take time to understand the changed rules of engagement. Where do employees want to work from? And when? How can you lead and inspire them? - Equip managers with the tools to lead and motivate remote teams. - Make sure all aspects of your HR "lifecycle" are able to cope with a virtual world. Hiring, onboarding, learning and development, comms, engagement, leadership - everything! - Provide employees at an individual and a team level with the ability to be productive, regardless of where they are working from. - Recognize the need for a balanced approach to work/life flexibility. THINK EMPLOYEE Put people front and centre... - For every policy we change, process we create and system we implement, particularly in the current environment when many businesses are still transforming given Covid, ask yourself how will it improve the employee experience. If it has no impact at all, why do it? - As companies become increasingly distributed, we will need to work harder to stay connected. Make sure you invest time in building and nurturing relationships. Take in interest in what people are doing, how they are feeling about things, what's going on in their lives. - Covid shone a spotlight on occupational mental health and wellbeing. Keep that spotlight shining. - Think about new and novel ways to bring fun back into the working day. A lot of virtual goodness came out of lockdown. What can be maintained, and what additional initiatives can be introduced? - Empathy goes a long way. It doesn't take a lot of time to recognise someone for a job well done, or to show appreciation for the changes people have had to make, or for random, small acts of kindness. But the impact of these last a long time. Care for each other in 2021. As the graphic on the landing page for my blog says, "it's all about the people". EMPLOYERS EMBRACING ALLYSHIP Actually do something about diversity and inclusion!! The events of the last 12 months have built considerable momentum in this area but HR needs to ensure that employers move from talking the talk, to delivering real change. How? - Don't try and suppress conversations about what has traditionally been seen as something that should be kept out of the workplace. Create that safe space for conversations to flourish. - Encourage employees to educate themselves, recognize that problems exist, to be OK with the fact that they may feel uncomfortable about it, and that we can all make a difference. - Don't sit on the sidelines. Be active, call out injustices. - Look at all aspects of HR's operations, and challenge the business to find, hire, develop and retain diverse talent. Here's something I wrote about this back in June 2020 which goes into more detail: https://aitchare.weebly.com/blog/so-what-are-you-going-to-do-about-it UPSKILL YOURSELF Now, more than ever, HR need to be able to: - Balance an increasingly strategic people agenda with the operational and transactional requirements of the function. - Embed themselves in the business beyond the HR stuff. What's going on in R&D? Production? Sales? Technical Support? Marketing? Finance? And so on. What are the key business challenges, plans and deliverables? What can HR do to provide effective support? - Influence leaders. Even the best CEOs need coaching, or someone to be that sounding board. - Be a true change agent. Build on the transformations that had to happen in response to Covid to ask questions that lead to outcomes around what worked well, what still needs to happen, what other areas need looking at, etc. Make sure you build in org design and change management capability to your future steps. - Lead with data to ensure an evidence-based, impactful approach to your discussions at the top table. - Network. You may not have all the answers. But the answers are out there. So make sure you are part of a thriving HR network. - Don't forget to look after yourself, as well as your business, your leaders, your employees and their families. AND FINALLY... This time last year, we couldn't have imagined what lay ahead in 2020. The turmoil will continue well into 2021, but I am optimistic that we are better equipped as an HR profession to guide employers through this uncertain world. It's a huge opportunity for us all - let's not let this opportunity pass us by! That's all for now. Wishing you and your loved ones a peaceful and safe new year!it.
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AuthorSenior HR executive who has seen it all. On a mission to simplify the world of work. Archives
May 2020
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