The events that have occurred in the first six months of 2020 have had a major impact on companies across the world.
Business leaders and employees have had to adapt to a ‘new normal’ and teams have had to completely change the way they work in order to conduct business in the midst of a global pandemic.
What impact has this had on HR departments?
HR is a people department that relies on human contact; it’s called Human Resources, after all! While working remotely, HR teams have had to quickly adjust to new, virtual ways of working to continue supporting employees.
Additionally, HR professionals have been dealing with the added responsibility of assisting furloughed staff, supporting employees facing mental and physical health issues as the result of the pandemic, and trying to maintain employee engagement while the workforce adjusts to remote working. Also, many HR staff have been furloughed themselves, leaving a very lean in-house team to handle the extra pressures.
The effects of the pandemic will likely still be felt in businesses operating in a post-Covid world, however what are the main takeaways HR teams will have learned from the past few months.
1. Teams can adapt – and flexible working is do-able
Similar to other departments that have been working remotely, HR has quickly and successfully adapted to new working practices, which shows the flexibility and resilience of teams across the world.
Knowing that teams can adapt quickly to working from home potentially opens the door for new ways of working moving forwards. Flexible working is something that’s long been desired amongst employees, particularly those seeking a better work/life balance. As the requirement for social distancing looks to continue for the foreseeable future, employees will likely be able to continue working from home or working staggered, flexible hours within the office.
Some businesses may have even made the decision to work remotely on a permanent basis, which opens up more flexible and inclusive employment opportunities within your company. No longer are you limited to hiring candidates within a commutable distance of your office; you suddenly have a whole world of talent at your fingertips.
2. Technology is no longer ‘desirable’ – it’s crucial
The role of technology has changed over the past decade. Rather than it being a ‘nice-to-have’ to replace manual processes, it’s become essential in the way we communicate with our colleagues, customers and candidates.
This has become even more apparent in the wake of Covid-19. Whether it’s using a cloud-based phone system to ensure no disruption to your phone lines when working remotely, an applicant tracking system to manage your recruitment or video software to conduct meetings and interviews, there’s no denying the importance of technology to allow businesses to function as normally as possible.
How’s your technology faired over the past few months?
Putting your HR tech stack to the test in an extreme situation (i.e. a global pandemic) can make you realise that your tech isn’t performing as well as it should. This can help you to identify gaps in your software and define requirements for future tech. Although your budget may be stretched coming out of the pandemic, there’s never been a better time to make your case for technology.
(We’ve put together a guide, How to Build a Business Case for Recruitment Software, which relates to recruitment tech specifically, however much of the advice is transferable into other areas of HR tech)
3. You can operate more efficiently than you think
With many employees being furloughed, those businesses continuing to operate have had to work more efficiently with less staff.
As a result, companies are exploring smarter ways of working. Increasing efficiencies and identifying process improvements can sometimes be put on the backburner during a typical working week. However, the impact of Covid-19 has forced teams to explore ways they can work faster and smarter.
Because of this, many teams will come out of the pandemic better equipped to work more productively. Maximising efficiencies will no doubt be a priority for teams looking to achieve more in the future as they start to recover from the impact of Covid-19.
Are you currently evaluating your recruitment technology options? Book a demo to see Webrecruit ATS in action.
This is a topic that is near to my heart… Cheers! Where are your contact details though?
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this article and also the rest of the site is extremely good.
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning this article plus the rest of the website is also really good.
bookmarked!!, I like your website!
This is a very good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise information… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read post.
You have made some decent points there. I looked on the internet for more information about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this web site.
There is certainly a great deal to find out about this subject. I love all the points you have made.
Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Thank you, However I am having troubles with your RSS. I don’t know why I can’t subscribe to it. Is there anybody else getting similar RSS problems? Anybody who knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanks!
Aw, this was an incredibly nice post. Taking a few minutes and actual effort to make a good article… but what can I say… I put things off a lot and never manage to get nearly anything done.
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this post plus the rest of the site is extremely good.
bookmarked!!, I like your website.
Greetings! Very useful advice within this article! It’s the little changes that make the greatest changes. Thanks for sharing!
Saved as a favorite, I love your blog.
A motivating discussion is definitely worth comment. I do think that you ought to write more on this subject, it might not be a taboo subject but usually people don’t talk about such subjects. To the next! Many thanks!
Having read this I thought it was extremely informative. I appreciate you taking the time and energy to put this content together. I once again find myself personally spending a lot of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worth it.
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this article plus the rest of the website is really good.
I really love your website.. Great colors & theme. Did you create this web site yourself? Please reply back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to find out where you got this from or exactly what the theme is called. Many thanks!
I love looking through an article that will make people think. Also, many thanks for allowing me to comment.
Your style is so unique in comparison to other people I’ve read stuff from. Thank you for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this web site.
Goօd post. I learn something totallｙ new and
challenging on blogs I stumƄleupon every
day. It will alᴡays be excіting to read through content from other authors and practice something from other websіtes.
Very nice blog post. I certainly love this site. Keep it up!
Hello there! I just want to offer you a big thumbs up for your excellent info you’ve got here on this post. I’ll be coming back to your web site for more soon.
Hello, There’s no doubt that your web site may be having browser compatibility problems. When I take a look at your site in Safari, it looks fine however, if opening in I.E., it has some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Other than that, excellent site!
Wonderful post! We will be linking to this great article on our site. Keep up the great writing.
Having read this I thought it was really informative. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this informative article together. I once again find myself spending a significant amount of time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
This excellent website certainly has all of the info I wanted about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
This is a topic that is close to my heart… Take care! Exactly where are your contact details though?
Next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesn’t fail me as much as this particular one. I mean, Yes, it was my choice to read through, but I truly believed you’d have something helpful to say. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something that you could possibly fix if you weren’t too busy looking for attention.
Greetings! Very helpful advice within this post! It’s the little changes that produce the biggest changes. Many thanks for sharing!
Very good write-up. I absolutely love this site. Continue the good work!
An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a friend who was conducting a little homework on this. And he actually bought me lunch because I discovered it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending time to discuss this subject here on your website.
I’m amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s both equally educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The issue is something too few men and women are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I stumbled across this in my hunt for something regarding this.
Very good write-up. I certainly appreciate this website. Continue the good work!
Everything is very open with a precise description of the challenges. It was really informative. Your website is very useful. Thank you for sharing!
Spot on with this write-up, I seriously feel this web site needs a lot more attention. I’ll probably be returning to see more, thanks for the advice.