HR Industry Brief

According to a new survey, many businesses believe that COVID-19 is mostly in their rear view mirror:

• 46% of business owners report they are fully open and operational.
• 42% are open on a limited basis.
• 12% are closed but plan to reopen.
• Of businesses that are closed, half plan to open by July and 25% will open as soon as they are allowed.
• 45% of respondents think it will take three or fewer months for their businesses to return to pre-COVID norms.
• 57% think it will take seven or more months for the U.S. economy to return to normal.
• 19% of businesses say they’ve already returned to pre-COVID revenues.

• Maintaining customer relationships (23%).
• Managing business as usual (21%)
• Reducing expenses (14%).

As the pandemic has created work priorities and processes, HR leaders need to take a fresh look at workforce and employee planning, management, performance, and experience strategies. According to a new survey, organization are already identifying a new focus for their efforts. For instance, 32% are replacing full-time employees with contingent workers as a cost-saving measure; and nearly a quarter are using technologies more frequently to monitor employees via virtual clocking in/out and other efforts. Watch for these trends post-COVID and start preparing now:

• Increase in remote working.
• Expanded data collection.
• Contingent worker expansion.
• Expanded employer role as a social safety net.
• Separation of critical skills and roles
• Emergence of new top-tier employers
• Transition from designs for efficiency to designing for resilience.
• Increase in organization complexity.

In times of crisis and stress, a healthy workplace culture can help prevent conflicts. Now is a good time to conduct a culture check-up and make sure you are addressing key hot buttons:

• Unconscious bias. As diversity and multiculturalism increase, unintended stereotypes often surface. The first step is to be aware of these biases. Then institute solutions such as role modeling, consistent employee evaluations, and equal division of support tasks.
• Social intelligence. Ensure your organizational leaders’ ability to recognize and negotiate the social dynamics of the workplace. This includes modeling empathy and understanding the impact their words and behaviors have on others.
• Pre-existing mindsets. People carry different perspectives with them and often see theirs as the correct one. It is important to encourage respectful behavior and the ability to seek and understand others’ viewpoints. Teach healthy conflict resolution skills.
• In- and … [Read more...] about (6/11) Addressing the Six Sources of Workplace Cultural Conflicts

The pandemic, economic uncertainties, and social/political turmoil can be distracting for your employees. However, there are some steps you can take to keep your teams focused and productive during challenging times:

• Make sure you’re okay. Acknowledge and address any anxiety or stress you may be feeling so that you don’t impose your uncertainties or negativity on your team.
• Acknowledge that these are challenging times. Encourage your employees to voice their feelings and concerns.
• Foster self-compassion. Encourage your workers to take care of themselves and seek any help or support they need.
• Be directly. Ask people what they need; have open, honest one-on-one conversations.

Part of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019 is an effort to expand retirement plan coverage to part-time workers. Here are a few details you need to know before you act:

• To be eligible, employees must work between 500 and 999 hours per year for three consecutive years.
• The new rule only applies to elective deferrals; a plan can impose a service requirement that excludes many part-timers.
• A plan may impose age requirements for eligible employees.
• It applies to all 401(k) plans, but not other types of elective deferral plans (such as 403(b) and 457(b) plans).
• You need to start tracking hours beginning next year.

Diversity is more critical than ever as organizations move through the pandemic. The Times Up Foundation has released a new Guide to Equity and Inclusion During Crisis, which includes several steps leaders can take to model equality and show care during this challenging time:

• Pay attention to the impact management/operations/hiring/policy decisions may have on the diversity of your workforce. Factor this into your decision-making.
• Think about who is in the room when you’re making critical decisions.
• Organize a task force that includes a cross-section of employees at all levels to advocate for and represent the people you employ.
• Be aware of which employees are moved out of “better” spaces, such as further from amenities or less visible to clients, if you must reconfigure your workplace to meet social distancing guidance.
• Commit to include a diverse group if meetings or events are limited in size.
• Understand that … [Read more...] about (6/8) Time’s Up Urges Employers to Maintain D&I Momentum During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic, experts warn, is far from other. Your organization will need to continue to function and, in fact, up its game in some areas. Finding and keeping the best and the brightest will take on a new urgency. To be prepared, take a few key steps:

• Reframe your perspective on turnover. This may be a common problem, but don’t think of it as business as usual. Calculate the real impact of turnover and develop a strategy to identify and address the reasons employees leave. Consider pandemic-related reasons for turnover, such as workers don’t feel you’re doing enough to keep them safe.
• Do away with exit interviews. Find out what employees are thinking and feeling before they’re heading out the door. Schedule short (20- to 30-minute) discussions with employees, ask open-ended questions, and listen without judging. You don’t have to do these all at once; schedule a few each week. Ask managers to identify employees who seem bored, restless, or … [Read more...] about (6/5) Retaining and Attracting Frontline Talent During a Pandemic

Whatever your thoughts are on the current situation playing out in cities across the country, it is important for organizational leaders to be transparent and demonstrate empathy. Here are a few steps you can take:

• Consider a virtual town hall to reaffirm that you stand behind the company’s anti-discrimination policies. Stress that you will continue to function in accordance with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines and regulations.
• Use surveys and other means to identify potentially disruptive issues and to keep your finger on the pulse of employees’ feelings, fears, and concerns.
• Address change holistically. Don’t be disingenuous. Be sincere and make sure that everyone has an opportunity to express their concerns, suggest ideas, and recommend areas for improvement or change.
• Practice empathy and offer support. Offer assistance for those who are grieving or otherwise hurting.

While half of employees in a new survey say the pandemic has increased their use of online learning programs, just over a fourth still worry they lack in-demand skills to succeed post-COVID. Among other findings:

• Remote workers are more likely to say they have pursued online learning. Of those who set out to learn a new skill, about half said they did so because they have more time. A third say they just want to be more “employable” in an uncertain economy.
• The most popular skills workers pursued are adaptability, creativity, and time management.

High turnover during and right after a pandemic is likely to create unnecessary chaos and instability. Take a few steps to prevent this problem and maintain a stable workforce:

• Prioritize employee development. Realize that employees care about more than a paycheck. They want to grow, learn, gain new skills, and be more effective in their roles. Make sure you give them continuing education and training opportunities, despite the pandemic.
• Avoid decision-making based on gut feelings and personal experience. If you must make tough decisions, do so on facts and reliable information.
• Communicate transparently about layoffs. If there will be layoffs/furloughs, be honest about them and transparent about how/when they will happen.
• Listen and talk. Confusion, fear, stress, and panic are common during a crisis. Be prepared to communicate, share information, and respond to questions and concerns.