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.