Every organization is currently experiencing unprecedented challenges running HR under COVID 19. Typically HR’s role is to evaluate and add value to a larger scope that surrounds a organizations’ mission, values, and societal impact with an emphasis on the welfare of employees, and other stakeholders i.e. community at large. HR under new normal shaped by pandemic COVID 19 need strategies for business operations and growth that also addresses “how people can stay psychologically resilient”. This is particularly important for service organizations, where dedicated employees are the champions of providing quality services to their consumers and other stakeholders.
HR needs to understand that, these are the times your people want you the most. HR departments must encourage an unruffled environment while also engaging leadership to respond with clear, accurate, timely, assertive, and unswerving communication from all levels of the organization. Furthermore, communication needs to be open, honest, and as transparent as possible to sustain integrity. Empathy and understanding should be the core of this approach; to deal with various effects of situations like these has on people, from mental to physical. Missions have strong connections with valuable employees and both are sewed together. Organizations’ in Pakistan needs to activate a dedicated team to deal with any emergency, over-communicate if possible with elements of consistency and honesty, rethought the slogans and initiatives “Care for Staff! Employee Wellness and Safety”, revise policies i.e. leave and medical policies, restructure and introduce cohesive “Remote Work Strategies”, build workforce competencies to work with the latest technology in their relevant field and last but not the least avoid exclusion, bias, and discrimination.
The core of the current HR strategy under pandemic should be to show your humanity and your compassion. HR needs to devise an action plan to make employees physiologically resilient in the midst of these strange and difficult times. Right now, it is not business “as usual”. We do not know the future of this “new normal”, therefore it is better to change our traditional views and get ready for new routines. This pandemic will have long-lasting effects and uncertainty may carry on with economic and social impacts on universities and also other organizations. HR’s role in organizations needs to mirror the changes in business and social environment. It is high time for HR professionals to re-assert their leadership to shape new means of working which generates sustainability for organizations and their stakeholders particularly employees.
The writer is Assistant Professor in HR and Head, Department of Management Sciences, SZABIST Larkana Campus.