Human resources departments are often tasked with adapting to change and coming up with internal plans to outline a picture of what adapting to change will look like in the wider organization. In the past, this may have been in response to things like diversity and inclusion as a result of a broader mix in the international workforce.
But nobody in HR could have predicted a global pandemic would come along and have a seismic effect on the human resources landscape. It has happened, and now it is all about the response - so HR managers and HR professionals are currently having detailed and lengthy conversations about reshaping company culture for life post pandemic when things eventually returned to normal.
All we can really know for sure, is that ‘normal’ will not mean a complete return to the way things were- all of the news and internet buzz points to a growing appetite for long term change in both how global employees deliver their services as well as the location they delivered him from.
It's a complex picture and the goal posts are continually moving - but as the world moves closer to comprehensive vaccination programs, a clearer picture is likely to emerge in the coming weeks and months -in this article, we will take a look at some of the things that HR professionals and senior leaders might undertake as they attempt to navigate the tricky landscape and reshape company culture for a new normal.
The future of the office
First up is the challenge of where to locate a globally dispersed international workforce - previously the model was very simple and usually involved a range of high-tech offices. Human resource professionals occasionally needed to source opinion from the workforce about how happy they were with the office, the general location and available amenities.
Now there has been a dramatic shift - many organizations are sending out surveys to their employees trying to gauge their feelings about a return to office life. There is clear evidence that the future of the office and the future and work in general is likely a hybrid model involving a few days in the office and the rest working from home.
Some very big brand names like Revolut and Microsoft have already heard enough and made the decision to embrace this model -they have taken steps to announce plans already about the future of work and a hybrid mix of remote working and office delivery. Some are already undertaking plans to make changes to their office so that instead of individual desks, they become collaboration spaces - places for teams to come together, connect, communicate and collaborate before going their separate ways again and delivering services remotely.
It is simply human nature to follow the path that industry leaders take so many HR managers and their teams will be looking to adopt similar models around remote working. So, the first real culture reshape will be in the look and makeup of the office and the identification and documentation of a new hybrid working model that mixes remote working with office-based collaboration.
New focus on wellbeing
The global pandemic has taken its toll on many global employees who have been forced to juggle home and family life with professional commitments. The new normal of working from home does not suit everybody and not every household is equipped with enough technology and space to balance parental working obligations with their children's education needs.
Stress, burnout and video conferencing fatigue have been a common feature of the last 12 months - there is therefore a greater need among HR professionals to put in place some documented guidelines with a focus on mental health and well-being.
Global employees need to be nurtured and cared for a little more right now in order to sustain productivity levels that are needed when working in a remote environment. Empathy, compassion and listening skills will become more important and HR teams will be focused on getting this message across to leadership figures in the organization.
Mental health and well- being can be a delicate subject but there is genuine scope for multinational companies to create long term employee loyalty if they make an effort in this area. We can expect to see more mental health support programs in action when company culture is reshaped in a post pandemic world -with a focus on positive changes to create a strong culture of well-being.
An increase in gender equality
This topic is one that has been given higher priority in recent years as HR departments have been asked to address some gender imbalance issues within the organizational structure. The company culture in a post Covid world may very well see an increase in the number of women returning to work.
Now that remote working is going to be a new normal and part of critical service delivery at organizations around the world, there is likely to be larger scope for women who still have current family commitments to participate in the global workforce while working remotely.
Remote work may have been treated with suspicion in the past but the last 12 months have shown that it can be effective in the delivery of business services. HR managers are now likely to be far more open to addressing any gender equality issues by looking to fill positions remotely and considering women who are interested in returning to work for open positions in the organization. The global pandemic has normalized working from home and with flexible working hours likely to become more common, there is greater scope for women to manage family and work commitments.
Post pandemic work and company culture represents an opportunity to take positive and progressive steps towards a more diverse workforce which includes previously under-represented groups.
Digital collaboration tools
The covid-19 pandemic created an immediate and urgent need for strong video tools such as network and video conferencing capabilities. Employees suddenly working from home needed access to all the documents and information to do their job as well as the communication tools to communicate effectively with colleagues located around the world in different time zones.
In a post pandemic world, with the culture change of working remotely likely to continue, the need for strong digital communication tools will remain but there is also likely to be a switch in focus from communication over to collaboration. This is about digital tools which help employees collaborate, brainstorm, share ideas and work in symmetry and union.
There are many new applications coming onto the market that are being specifically designed to cater for a remote workforce who needs something above and beyond communication tools. This particularly applies to people who work in creative fields like marketing, design and public relations.
HR teams will be examining with interest some digital platforms that previously focused on communication only, to find out what advances they have made in terms of collaborative digital tools. They will be looking at what specific technology and digital platforms can be the most helpful when it comes to collaboration, increase productivity and measurable business results.
Purpose and values
HR managers tend to be conscious of the need to reiterate company purpose and core values and are always on the lookout for the right time to introduce these conversations. The post pandemic company reshape is a good time to return to basics and remind all employees across the world what an organization really stands for and what it is trying to achieve in the marketplace.
HR managers will be engaging heavily with leadership teams for support on this matter and emphasizing to them the real opportunity they have to engage with the workforce as the company enters a new era of working.
It is quite likely that the purpose and values of the organization will have been severely tested by the challenges brought about by the global pandemic - it is also possible that some of the values and purposes are no longer fit for purpose in a post pandemic world and need to be dispensed with in favor of something more progressive or more reflective of a new working culture.
Companies are already looking at how to reshape their culture for a post covid-19 pandemic world -the most proactive are leading from the front, focusing on the right mix of people, technology and processes to deliver a sustainable future working environment. Others are adopting a more cautious wait and see approach on the most popular model in the marketplace. What is clear is that nobody can afford to ignore a detailed examination of culture and work - the business results and productivity levels for the next decade could be defined by the considerations and decisions made around company work and culture in the next six months.
