A global pandemic came along and changed so much for how HR leaders, teams and departments operate. Now human resources have to deal with new hiring practices, remote on boarding, remote recruiting, hybrid working and remote working as well as managing stress levels and trying to find new ways to help a globally dispersed workforce still feel connected and motivated in their working days. These are just some of the wide array of challenges that HR professionals have been facing in the last two years.
HR leadership teams are now focused on what kind of innovations they can bring to the working life as we get used to this new normal of remote and hybrid work in a post pandemic world. In this article we will look at just a few innovations that HR professionals may wish to consider in 2022 and beyond.
Flexibility for care givers
The pandemic really blurred the lines between work and home life- the world suddenly and immediately went indoors and anybody who could work from home was instructed to do so. As the weeks and months of the pandemic passed by it became clear that many global employees had personal responsibilities in their homes, in terms of caregiving either to children or elderly or sick relatives. Managing all of this while working from home became a real challenge for employees, which contributed to a lot of workers suffering from stress and burnout, due to not being able to find the right work-life balance.
When commuting to an office, while these challenges still existed for employees, there was a sense of being able to separate and distance themselves from these responsibilities for a short period of time while they worked. Now, when working from home or working hybrid, this distance cannot be achieved so easily- HR professionals need to consider how they can introduce more flexible work options to their employees who have caregiving responsibilities.
A possible way to do this could be to offer nonspecific working hours- allowing employees to work in the mornings or evenings and then take time off to focus on caregiving duties such as hospital appointments or school pickups. This level of flexibility and adaptability might be greatly appreciated by those still struggling to juggle the responsibilities of home and work, as it is still the norm to be largely working from home.
As HR professionals, giving employees such options with flexibility could create a more supportive work environment and contribute to enhancing the employee experience. Recognizing and understanding that employees have duties outside of the workplace that are of equal importance and value to them could make employees feel more comfortable in approaching their HR department with any concerns that they may have. This could contribute to your company having a higher retention rate and better employee engagement, as well as improving the overall workplace atmosphere.
Wellness apps
The topic of stress and burnout was covered widely in the media during the global pandemic. Home and work life became blurred as employees’ homes also became their office and the standard nine to five working hours did not seem to apply. Due to living in such a digitally connected world, people easily lost track of time and found themselves focusing on work tasks well outside of office hours. This was perhaps easier to avoid when commuting into an office in a pre-pandemic world and offered a more concrete division between home and office life.
It was simply easier for workers to set the boundaries between their personal and professional lives and be able to stick to a more fixed routine or schedule. When home and work take place in the same location, these boundaries tend to slip, and this can result in additional stress and sometimes mental health consequences for employees.
As human resource professionals attempting to solve this issue, one solution could be to make digital wellness apps or mental health courses available to global employees. Perhaps by providing a subscription to Headspace, or other wellness resources that help people prioritize their mental health and switch off from work duties, could be the right step forward when it comes to easing the stress and feelings of burnout that employees are facing.
This type of innovation could be greatly valued by all employees in the workplace. It could also result in a calmer, more balanced and productive workforce-such innovation is unlikely to be majorly expensive, but it could prove to be a very worthwhile investment in the long run.
On demand pay
The digital payments landscape has exploded in recent years and there is strong evidence to suggest that global fintech companies are looking hard at payroll and HR departments. The reality of today's world is that people have become accustomed to digital innovation in their personal lives and there is an inbuilt expectation, as well as a desire, to experience digital innovation in their working lives too.
One of the areas of focus that could be of interest to global employers and HR leaders is the introduction of on-demand pay. This is essentially enabling the global workforce to access their wages as they earn them or at various periods during the month as opposed to the traditional end of month paycheck.
This could help boost the employee experience and offer workers the feeling that they have more control over their earnings and potentially even offer employees more peace of mind. Instead of counting down the days until their next payment, knowing that it would be possible to access your new wages on a more flexible scale, should you need to, could grant workers a greater sense of security in their personal finances.
Many employees can reasonably ask- if I have earned my wages, why do I have to wait till a fixed date at the end of the month to access them? While this would be an innovative approach, it is one to consider with caution. It would mean integrations with fintech and payments providers as well as a real HR and Payroll culture change. But it would also demonstrate a commitment to employee well-being and would be a real digital step forward in terms of innovation and next generation technology.
When it comes to considering new innovations for the workplace, the few that were discussed in this article could be valuable options for HR teams to think about. By offering more diverse flexibility for employees, as well as making mental health a top priority, the employee experience could be significantly enhanced. Additionally, employees now have lots of options when it comes to job availability due to remote work being the standard in so many companies and employees also talk to each other about their personal experiences within certain businesses. HR leaders now need to focus on these kinds of innovations to enhance the employee wellness space, which may result in them becoming a more attractive employer in the ongoing war for talent.
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