Were we prepared for this? NO! Was there a ‘how to manual’ out there for organisations, leaders, and teams to follow? NO! Was there a defined strategy to follow for the right outcomes? NO! But during this time – leadership teams had to step up, quickly develop a strategy, and then implement it into the business to preserve both the organisation and the people within it. Which at times, was a challenge all on its own. What was relevant today, changed tomorrow after an announcement by the government and it meant back to the drawing board…

HR professionals played a pivotal role during the pandemic from:

• Developing policies & procedures
• Developing COVID-19 strategy plans & implementing these
• Having tough discussions in the business from stand downs to reduced hours through to redundancies
• Managing all behind the scenes calculations and documentation
• Driving communication – updates on COVID-19, business changes, welfare checks + more
• Creating engagement initiatives – i.e. Meditation, Trivia challenges to organising, water cooler catch ups
• To now transitioning people back to the workplace

They have been focused on ensuring employees are supported (both emotionally and technically), kept up to date on changes, driven engagement, productivity and retention while still focusing on the business goals and outcomes. But the question I have for you is…

Most HR professionals have been the go-to person for the business – managing leadership and employee queries, reassuring people and managing complaints, engagement initiatives, etc. But very few of my HR clients have been asked the simple question of how they are doing/coping… It does not have to come from the Exec team only – it can come from anyone!
Sometimes it is the small things that can make a difference – so make a point the next time you chat with your HR Admin / Coordinator / Advisor / Officer / Business Partner / Manager to check in on them and ask them how they are!