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Managing the Change

Managing the Change

Megan Veldman

With COVID-19 cases on the decline, the population in general is wanting to start exploring life again. Organisations need to be ever vigilant during these times and all protocols must remain in place. Employees who can work from home and have managed the process well should continue to do so as transmitting the disease within the workplace could have disastrous consequences. 
 
Human Resource fundamentals are ensuring that policies and procedures are adhered to and they are executed fairly within the business. Since the disruption of the pandemic some of these policies are no longer relevant as employees may require different working hours in the case of flexibility for children, health concerns, etc. Policies should not be re-written as the pandemic may eventually dissipate and the policy would need to change back. 
 
An addendum could be added outlining changes in the event of a pandemic or similar crisis iro working hours for example. Policies should be reviewed annually to comply with the changing environment or as changes occur if they have an impact. HR is required be flexible and to implement systems that will complement the new environment going forward or as changes occur. Never before have things changed so rapidly in such a short space of time and are ever changing as new developments occur. Sue Bingham’s article for Harvard Business Review: “How HR Leaders can adapt to uncertain times” - HR leaders need to adjust and develop a new core capability: a complexity mind set.
 
Looking into the areas where complexity would be relevant, discussions and information on these were found across quite a few platforms. Trust, culture, values and collective intelligence are to name a few. How can we bring these complexities into the current working environment?
 
Trust – In any organisation trusting employees to be honest about performance and productivity is essential. Output is more relevant than time spent on projects/work and employers are happier to see progress rather than amount of hours an employee puts in. Trust works both ways as the employee needs to know that they are trusted and that the employer values their hard work and dedication, especially in times of a crisis. Employees who know what is expected of them are more likely to be more productive, happier, work in teams and have integrity. Transparency and communication during tough times is invaluable.
 
Culture – For most organisations, culture is important to the business. It is difficult to uphold a culture when there is little or no human interaction. There are ways in which new employees can understand the culture by continuing to do virtual fun days, ensuring employees are continuously contacted by their peers and managers and knowledge/skills transfer takes place. An organisation should have templates and Standard Operating Procedures to ensure the new employee follows the guidelines and picks up on the culture. Virtual on-boarding is the new norm and essential to the process. Making on-boarding interactive could also ensure the culture is picked up on.
 
Values – In times of crisis, Management should take the time to think about the best course of action for the business and employees and develop a plan. This plan may change as new developments occur and HR should guide Management ensuring that there is a fair process. This may be a good time to set up a buddy or mentor system to measure the well-being and performance of the employees. Mental stress and burn-out are common during a crisis and employers need to ensure that they are mindful of these issues. If employees are not productive or are withdrawn, more interaction should take place to find out what the underlying issues could be.
 
Collective intelligence – Employees are the best sounding board in times of crisis as they will be experiencing various problems first hand. Establish group sessions and get the team to enter the meeting with solutions. Employees must be encouraged to share their knowledge and opinions without pressure or judgement.
 
“The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example.” John Wooden