Human Resources Best Practices During COVID-19 -Subham Ghosh( PGDM Student at IMIS)

 

In times of crisis such as the one we are currently experiencing, HR is called to assess and contribute to a broader response that embeds our organization’s mission, values, and societal impact with a focus on the well-being of our staff, stakeholders, and the community. We need strategies for business continuation that also addresses how people can stay psychologically resilient. This is particularly important in the nonprofit sector, where dedicated staff are the champions of the continuation of services to their communities. Now is the time your people need you the most.

It is key for HR to promote a climate of calm while also engaging leadership to respond with timely, accurate, assertive, clear, and consistent communication from all levels of the organization. In addition, communication needs to be honest, open, and as transparent as possible to maintain credibility. The approach should always come from a place of empathy and understanding of the different impacts situations like these have on people, from the physical to the mental. Staff are our most valuable asset, and we need to look at our mission and our people together.

 

SIX HR BEST PRACTICES DURING COVID-19

1. Create/Activate an Emergency Response Team

• Ensure that HR is part of an Emergency Response Team. Provide input in the guidelines to be implemented, gather and share staff and client’s questions and concerns; inform the team of new developments in employment laws and benefits; share revised policies; provide strategies to manage remote workers; share risks related to the crisis; and make sure that values and equity are still at the center of decision-making.

2. Make Communication Deliberate, Consistent, and Over Communicate if Necessary

Communication and the actions you take should be thoughtful, clear, succinct, accurate, consistent, and as transparent as possible. This way of communication builds trust. Work with leadership and your internal communication team to build a robust internal updates framework and a communication plan.

• Be proactive! Anticipate answers to questions and concerns you will face. Make it easy for staff and clients to ask questions via a specific channel of communication that creates consistency and follow through.
• Create a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document that is easily accessible. Keep it up-to-date and notify staff of changes to the document.

3. Care for Staff! Employee Wellness and Safety Initiatives

Keep in constant communication with your employees on their physical and mental health. Staff should hear from leaders often and feel supported. Practice empathy and address concerns in a prompt matter.

Safety is basic and essential. Be forthcoming with hygiene and safety practices. Mitigate employee’s concerns and anxiety by proactively talking about your organization’s sanitary health practices, safety and health equipment that you are able to provide, and share the CDC guidelines for basic precautions.

4. Reconsider Leaves and Policies

• Stay updated. Monitor changes and updates on new employment legislation that impact employee benefits and leave, like the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), and communicate those with the Emergency Response Team to develop solutions around implementation and communication.  
• Define and modify policies, controls, and practices that address these emergencies. Communicate those changes with transparency through your leadership.

5. Implement Remote Work Strategies

Social distancing is key for helping slow down the spread of COVID-19. If working remotely is a possibility, HR should work with IT to ensure the smooth transition to a remote work scenario. 

Activate a Communication Phone Tree, to make sure everyone know the channels of communication in an emergency.

Create and share a quick guide for supervisors and employees with best practices for working remotely. This guide should address efforts to encourage health and well-being, work engagement, boundaries, and the rhythm and pace of remote work. Make sure you set up a live meeting to share these practices.

6. Avoid Bias, Discrimination, and Exclusion

• Xenophobia, Islamophobia and racism are spreading even more quickly than the virus itself, and HR must be attentive and continue to build leadership, respect and equity. Ensure that your organizations talks about this and supports an environment free from micro-aggressions within your workplace and beyond.
• Ensure that your staff continue to demonstrate respect towards each other and encourage staff to come forward to HR if they become aware of anti-race comments, behaviors or jokes. Have clear anti-discrimination policies in place and they are implemented equitably.

 

The ongoing Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic swept the world in a matter of weeks, drastically changing the lives of millions. The United States declared a national State of Emergency on March 13th and citizens have been asked to shelter-in-place, restricting their outings to only Responding To COVID-19. Ten Lessons From The World’s HR Leaders.

This week we had a webcast with more than 2,000 participants and spent 90 minutes listening to seven of the world’s leading HR executives.  The executives were:

• Diane Gherson, CHRO of IBM
• Eric Hutcherson, CHRO of the NBA
• Tripti Jha, Global Head of People Solutions, Novartis
• Bryan Power, Head of People, Nextdoor
• Analia MacLaughlin, EVP, People and Campus, PVH Europe
• Rich Hughes, SVP and Chief Strategy Officer for Human Capital, United Health Group
• Simon Brown, Chief Learning Officer, Novartis.

1.     Remote Work is Real and It’s Big.

Diane Gherson from IBM told us that today 95% of IBM’s workers are remote, and every other company essentially said the same.

Eric shared that the NBA’s “remote work” situation is creating a new normal. While this crisis resulted in postponing the season, it also provided a platform for players to engage fans, consider the future of the NBA telecast for fans around the world and in the meantime whether the NBA could be offering the virtual game, while we wait for the live game to return.

2.     Personal Safety and Health Is Paramount

There is overwhelming agreement that the human, health, and safety issues are #1. 

Not only do these HR leaders understand this priority, but it manifests itself in subtle ways. Do people shake hands any more? What are the new policies for vacation? When people come to the office for work where do they sit or stand? Should some employees receive hazard pay? (IBM is considering this, as is UHG) 

3.     Going Digital Is Imperative

There was a funny exchange. Tripti from Novartis noted that “we had a two year roll out for Microsoft Teams that was accelerated to two weeks.” Several of the companies mentioned that “doing a digital transformation” is now urgent, and that means tools, norms, culture, and behaviors.

4.     Caring, Listening, and Empathy Are Priority

Each of the executives expressed their own stories about caring, empathy, and listening. I was quite moved by the stories.

Bryan Power from Nextdoor shared the story of the “Neighborhood Howl” which takes place all over the country. People go outside their house and ring a bell or play a musical instrument at 7PM to recognize and

5.     Do Less With Less

As I’ve described in The Big Reset, all these companies are budget-constrained to a varying degree. Bryan told a wonderful story of how they “reused” their onboarding platform (a system with education and online resources) to turn it into a “work at home resource center.”

6.     Move Fast And Come Together

Every single story was a story of courage, collaboration, and action. Every HR executive described how they built “priority teams” that meet every day, global councils that meet constantly, and that many of the HR professionals shifted from “project work” to “crisis work.”

7.     Real-Time Data Really Matters

Rich mentioned (and I know there is more under the covers) that UHG, with more than 300,000 employees, did a massive redeployment of resources to make sure all the call centers, nurses, operations people, and other professionals could work from home. I know that this is possible because UHG has an amazing data infrastructure.

8.     Continuity Planning Is Vital: Black Swan Events Happen All The Time

One of the thoughts that occurred to me today was that “crisis response” is not something you do once every few decades. Every company will have a “Black Swan” event on a periodic basis.

9.     Leadership Matters. More Than Ever

The final message is one you already know. These executives really earn their pay in times like this. Not only are each one of us worried about our health and personal safety, these leaders are worried about revenue, executive and workplace safety, continuity, and offering sound and ethical policies to employees.

Key HR Challenges Managers Face During COVID-19

the essentials.

In these difficult times, many businesses are struggling to keep their doors open and all must find ways to keep their employees safe, comfortable and productive. The days ahead will present some of the most important HR challenges of our time. Identifying and implementing effective employee policies and support may make or break businesses in the coming months of uncertainty. HR teams that rise to the occasion will be integral in leading businesses through the storm. 

So, how can HR leaders best inspire, support and empower employees in the era of COVID-19?

1.     Provide direction, confidence and resilience. 

Employees look to leaders for reassurance, especially in times of instability. It is important that those in leadership roles communicate clearly with managers and staff and demonstrate a clear commitment to employee health and business sustainability. Let employees of all levels know the current plan and possibilities for the future.

2.     Be flexible.

One of the biggest challenges for HR that companies are facing during COVID-19 is the scope of the disruption. With schools and non-essential businesses closed or moving online, employees will need flexibility and understanding as they try to re-establish a work-life balance. Companies can support employees who are quarantined or self-isolated by expanding paid time off policies or facilitating remote work.

3.     Create guidelines and support networks for those working from home.

Although only 5.3% of employees worked from home in 2018, remote work has quickly become the standard model during the pandemic.

Employers moving to a work-from-home system can support employees by establishing norms and implementing a defined remote work policy that sets clear expectations for when team members are to be available, how to communicate (via email, Slack, or another platform) and exactly what each team member is responsible for. Make sure employees have the tech they need to perform the tasks expected of them.

4.     Keep workers safe by maintaining a healthy work environment.

For workers at essential businesses where work-from-home is not possible, it is up to HR departments to prioritize the health and safety of their workers. Businesses should make sure their practices are in line with recommendations from the CDC and consider nominating a workplace coordinator to manage office policy surrounding COVID-19. Keep employees safe and well by educating employees about transmission risks:

• Offer training and development to establish hygiene regulations (washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, etc.).
• Establish policies and practices for social distancing.
• Prominently display posters illustrating respiratory etiquette (coughing, sneezing) and hand hygiene.
• Perform routine environmental cleaning and disinfection.
• Provide no-touch receptacles and hand sanitizer.

5.     Look for opportunities amid adversity.

Facing the HR challenges presented by COVID-19 is a tall task. But try to think of COVID-19 as an opportunity to show your company’s empathy and demonstrate how it values its employees. Crisis Management is an integral part of an HR team’s repertoire, and the ability to drive and support strong business decisions even during times of great turmoil will prove invaluable.