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Human resource outsourcing Challenges of Workforce 2021

Are we HR fraternity ready to handle the challenges of our workforce in 2021? Since going through the consequences of the vast pandemic in the present scenario and not seeing any ending phase of this.

Would we be able to make a fine balance between employee and employer business challenges? Before COVID all the aspects were meeting the expectations of employees whether that’s to provide them the learning environment, work-life balance, career management, growth, industry matched compensation, etc.  HR leaders have been continuously dealing with losses in business profitability and pessimism in the workforce due to the difficult times of the era.

HR department and professionals should evaluate and plan a new approach for the upcoming year.  Some points that can be worth considering are:

Lack of communication and understanding

Since a number of employees are working from home, they don’t get to meet and interact personally with their new co-workers and bosses. This might create a communication gap. HR Professionals should be able to anticipate and handle these issues in advance. They should ensure proper induction of new employees with their co-workers and juniors.

Adapting to the Digital Workflow

With digital work, artificial intelligence and smart technologies becoming the new normal, the HR professionals need to be rapidly innovating and adapting to it to cope up with the future uncertainties.

Retaining talented individuals

There might be scenarios where the company has to fire the workforce and apply salary cuts due to profit erosions. Talented individuals might feel de-motivated in the absence of their peers and maybe induced to look for new opportunities.

Employee Engagement

The style and modes of working are going through experiments and changes. An HR professional must motivate employee engagement with the organization for a positive environment and productivity.

Balanced Work

HR managers of organization could sit with managers of sales, accounting, production, etc and devise new approach to ensure a professional and personal life balance of employees.

Focus on the health and well being

COVID-19 has brought the need to focus on the employee health and well-being whether it is physical, mental, or emotional health perspectives. For the future agendas, there can be 2 sides, one is the employees, that needs to include policies and tools that can plan their day to day activities to minimize stress at work and concerns for changing benefits of leave policy and health hazards, while the other is the operations side, which can use tools that can track sentiments of employees, help in their support and thus ensure great employee engagement and productivity.

Attracting new talent

Amidst the pandemic, the expectations of the workforce have gone through changes. Before joining an organization, people are looking for safety standards and hygiene. Individuals have developed a concern for health and well-being over the last few months.   

Change in the hiring process

Due to the epidemic, there has been a great impact on the hiring process too as the professionals have started with the use of applicant tracking systems through online processes or virtual interviews.

Flexible Work Arrangements

Millennial love to work in flexible hours and shifts. They want their performance measured in terms of results. Covid-19 pandemic has forced employers to think beyond the 9-to-6 approach.

Motivated employees

 Employees around the globe are looking to cope up to increase pressures of work.  The HR department will play a key role to motivate the employees and in turn, increase their productivity.

Return to office

People have been working from home and are feeling alienated in their homes. A number of them are returning to the office and adjusting to old ways of working.  HR could take steps to ensure a healthy and cooperative corporate culture.

Thus the first and foremost approach of the HR professionals would be to act as the great motivator and torchbearer for any organization to bridge the gaps between business profits and the pessimism in the workforce system. They need to play the role of a coach to make a strong team to hit the goal in one direction even in adverse situations. All need to first come into one direction to enhance the growth of the business through continuous hard work. Everyone needs to come forward as a volunteer to perform. Always there is a light after the dark and that’s where 2021 is waiting for a better and brighter future for everyone.

Let’s move on.