Canadian HR Reporter

C O L U M N S www.hrreporter.com 43 I N S I G H T HR should continue to enhance the value of its strategic role, stay close to the front lines to understand the issues at stake, rally the various parties to work together toward a common goal and adopt an agile approach THERE'S no doubt that the pandemic is quite out of the ordinary. It has led to unprecedented new measures, has had an undeniable impact on the lives of each and every one of us and has posed enormous challenges for organizations. From the very beginning, they have had to be more agile and creative than ever before. It's now time to take a step back and learn some lessons from recent months to help us adapt to the accelerated transformation of the world of work. Management approach: The pandemic has underscored the importance of being open to trust, autonomy and responsibilization. The situation has brought managers and employees closer together. The empathy and personalized approaches elicited will have to continue into the future. Since the experience acquired in these few short months can't change the reflexes of a lifetime, managers will need help in developing their leadership skills. This shift requires a review of the leadership skills we prioritize to focus on human qualities rather than mainly expertise. Telecommuting: One of the major outcomes of the pandemic has definitely been the democratization of telecommuting on a broad scale. Although working from home has many advantages, we can't ignore its risks, which include isolation and the impact on mental health. Once the context improves, a hybrid remote-office model that ensures a healthy balance between the two seems to be a promising path for the future. We'll then have to make sure that in-office work provides added value. The challenge for the future will be to maintain the organizational culture and replace the informal person-to-person exchanges that have been so valuable. Psychological health: Although the pandemic has affected everyone differently, no one has been spared. It has certainly contributed to eliminating taboos about mental health and highlighted the importance of taking concrete action. While employers can't take full responsibility for mental health, the pandemic has forced them to play a front-line, facilitating role and to step outside the box by expanding their range of action. They have to concentrate on a healthy environment by working on management practices tied to workload, recognition and development. Communication: In this time of crisis, the democratization of communication, under- standing the meaning of work and, above all, listening and staying connected are key factors. It has become clear how important it is to maintain strong ties despite distance. Many workers have taken the opportunity to rethink their priorities and goals in life. Employers should follow suit and take this chance to listen to employees so they can effectively communicate the primary purpose of the work to be done and promote employee engagement and retention. Digital shift: The pandemic has shown that organizations have some serious catching up to do in terms of digitalization. Changing consumer behaviour has made it more crucial than ever to innovate product and service delivery options. Priority issues for a successful digital shift naturally vary from one organization to the next, but digital literacy is a good place to start. We should never forget that human beings are at the heart of technological change. HR professionals must be an integral part of this transition and take their rightful place. Developing future skills and versatility: Since we can't predict the future, we need to focus on the agility, versatility, adaptability and future skills of the workforce — a workforce that would accordingly be better prepared to deal with whatever turmoil lies ahead. Since labour shortages are still a reality despite higher unemployment rates, the challenge of reskilling the workforce will require investment Manon Poirier CRHA from all players in the world of work. Reviewing work structures and frameworks: To adapt to the ups and downs of the world of work and to employees' varying needs, frameworks will have to be revised. Rigid, frozen-in-time policies will have to give way to an approach based on personalization, humanization and flexibility. As well, the trend toward contractual, part-time and freelance employment could increase, not only to reduce the financial pressure full-time jobs exert on organizations but also to adapt more effectively to rapidly changing organizational needs. Collaboration: The pandemic has proven that it is possible to work collaboratively and in solidarity to attain a common goal. Strong solidarity has brought co-workers, employers, unions and government opposition parties to work together constructively despite their differences. They have been motivated by empathy, collegiality and agility, and this motivation has made it possible to accomplish great feats in record time. We should, therefore, continue to develop this solidarity to ensure that constructive collaboration lasts well beyond the current crisis. The contribution of the HR profession has been essential to managing the pandemic in the workplace and will remain so to meet the challenges ahead. HR professionals should continue to enhance the value of HR's strategic role, remain close to the front lines to understand the issues at stake, rally the various parties to work toward a common goal and adopt an agile approach to meet the coming changes. It will be no easy task, but they have a vital role to play. CHRR Manon Poirier is CEO of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines (CRHA) du Québec in Montreal and a member of the Canadian HR Reporter advisory board. For more information, visit www.ordrecrha.org. LESSONS FROM THE PANDEMIC FOR THE FUTURE WORLD OF WORK While employers can't take full responsibility for mental health, the pandemic has forced them to play a front-line, facilitating role and to step outside the box.

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