Over a span of two years, Covid-19 has immensely challenged companies, organizations and other associations around the globe. The greatest weight of this recurring volatility falls on the management. Among different sectors, human resources management (HRM) plays a significant role in facing this critical situation successfully, while adjusting the organization and the working conditions of employees to the new normal. Leading HR professionals like Au Chat Kwan are breaking a sweat to stabilize businesses, and overcome hardships caused by the pandemic.
Covid-19: The Unpredicted Challenge on Businesses
The deadliest unprecedented health crisis: Covid-19 emerged at the very end of 2019 and has been spreading around the globe ever since. However, 2020 caused a drastic change in everybody’s lives in many aspects. These sudden transformations in health conditions, social conditions, and the economic status around the world have had a huge impact on business organizations. Due to unexpected market fluctuations caused by health and social protocols, some businesses were dropped off from the race while others adapted themselves to the new normal to survive.
The rapid spread of the virus shut many companies down, and some never reopened. Travel restrictions, lockdowns, health protocols collapsed the supply chain, production, and even sales of many businesses. The human resources had to face the biggest challenge, because most of the workplaces were closed to prevent the spread of the virus. Organizations had to find new ways to continue working despite the absence of their colleagues or the usual work environment because manpower is critical to the survival of almost all businesses.
Anyhow, with great efforts, the HR management came up with several strategies to effectively cooperate with staffing, performance management, training & development, compensation management, safety & health management, and employees’ relations.
What is the New Normal?
As everybody says, because of the pandemic, masks became the new normal. This means, regardless of all other factors, prioritizing health protocols like wearing a mask, maintaining social distance, and sanitizing became the new lifestyle of all. Most of the offices were shut, however the ones that were still open had to take the responsibility of the health and safety of both the employees and the customers. The hard work was in the hands of the HRM. Managing employees and resources sustainably, monitoring safety protocols, creating new rosters, being agile and practical became crucial for them. In the meantime, encouraging and empowering the employees in this difficult time became a responsibility of the HRM.
As most of the workplaces had to be shut, companies brought alternative methods of continuing office work. Instead of bringing employees to offices, they turned homes into offices. The concept of working from home became the new normal for thousands of organizations around the world, and many found it to be convenient. Nevertheless, the HRM had to find new methods of monitoring employees, recruitment, and adjusting operation structures. Physical meetings, gatherings and communicating methods became virtual on platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, hence the HR department had to advocate and train the staff to handle technological devices and tools.
The pandemic caused repetitive fluctuations in the revenues, thus many organizations had to make tough decisions like salary and employee cuts. Despite these decisions of the director boards and higher authorities being unanimous, specifically the HR department had the responsibility of breaking them out to their trusted employees in the most humane way.
Successfully ending two transitioning years, now the world has come to terms with going ahead adjusting to the new normal. By now, most of the business organizations have stabilized their operations, and are mostly prepared for unforeseen circumstances. Some companies have reopened their usual workplaces under strict health guidelines, and some have discovered that working from home is better for both the management and the employees. However, just like everybody continues to wear a mask, the HR professionals have the responsibility of carrying out the operations of their organization by keeping both the employees and the customers satisfied through all these unexpected obstacles.
Au Chat Kwan as a HR Manager
Au Chat Kwan is a leading professional in HR and many other fields with years and years of experience. Facing countless challenges, Au has been fostering an extremely healthy, and efficient working environment throughout his career. He believes in kindness, empathy, and compassion to fill the gap between different power dynamics. His goal is to educate and monitor the younger generation to become excellent professionals in HR management.
