If there is one organisational function that is under enormous pressure today to catapult itself into tomorrow, it’s HR. The seismic impact of the pandemic on the profession has (once and for all) necessitated a digital transformation in HR - a rude awakening for any HR team that was hoping to hit the snooze button a few more times.

The new world of work that has dawned on us has new rules, and HR must learn them very fast.

On the positive side, COVID-19 has provided HR the perfect opportunity to prove the function’s clear-cut business value. For example: managing a rapid shift to remote work and a very new Employee Experience (EX), “return to office” location strategy, a seismic shift towards focus on health and wellbeing and – in some industries – a rapid reallocation of talent to the frontlines of the pandemic.

The crisis is offering HR an opportunity to reflect on, reimagine, and reinvent the function. Here are five high-level ways HR can drive greater business value:

1.     HR needs to start thinking macro.

The pandemic will leave behind a long list of macro-economic challenges, which are almost overwhelming in their diversity. Demographic changes, economic volatility, skills shortages and shifting work environments, to name a few. HR have an exciting future if they elevate their thinking to a macro-level and start to add value to their business by helping the organisation to think through the people implications of the changing shape of the workforce - and work itself.

2.     HR must get to grips with the new definition of the workforce

A post-COVID workforce will operate very differently compared to a mere six months ago. Reinventing workforce models, learning how to apply these models and - go figure - applying them will be a big focus area for HR.

Additionally, the new age of the blended workforce (office-based, remote employees, and gig workers) poses a considerable challenge to the linear thinking style HR is used to when organising and managing the workforce. Strategic Workforce Planning will be firmly in the spotlight.  

HR should embrace the power of non-linear thinking to optimise the new workforce. Take this opportunity to reimagine:

·       Organisational design beyond the rigid hierarchical structure

·       Workforce planning beyond the current inflexible employment models

·       Job demand and job design, enabling managers and people to succeed in a new world of work

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3.     One size fits all HR management is no longer viable.

In hindsight, it never was. HR has a duty to think innovatively, in order to:

·       develop tailored strategies for all types of employees in the blended workforce

·       deliver a positive employee experience both virtually and in-person

·       enable employee productivity for both a connected and dispersed workforce.

To achieve this, it is pertinent that HR reimagine how they attract, retain, engage, and develop talent that want to work within their organisation.

4.     The modern workforce has different expectations

And while we are on the topic of positive employee experience, HR must understand that the modern workforce has different expectations. The workforce will expect their experience at work to look and feel like their consumer experiences (CX), especially as the boundaries between home life and work life continues to blur. HR has to think of employee experience (EX) as the linchpin to their digital transformation strategy. The goal should be to match the internal EX, with the external CX on offer. Magic happens when these internal and external experiences converge. 

5.     HR must solve the technology and data puzzle.

In other words, HR must bridge the gap between the HR tech solutions they are currently deploying, the tech tools employees need (and want!) in order to work better and the skills required to run them. By “consumerising” HR technology - i.e., creating a social, mobile, and consumer-type experience for employees inside the company - HR can start prioritising and empowering employees, focusing on their motivations, purpose and progression. This will come back to the business in improved productivity, enhanced employee performance, happier employees, by inference happier customers, and ultimately improved business outcomes.

Additionally, HR needs team members who can quickly learn and leverage new systems and big data, and who understand how to put data to use in strategic as well as every day decision making. Data is HR’s biggest asset, and people analytics is a powerful HR management tool to enable change in the organisation and improve business performance. A final thought here - not only do HR have to transform themselves into a data-driven function, but they have to enable the organisation and the workforce to do so as well. In other words, HR has a role in encouraging their own digital transformation as well as their organisation’s.

This list may seem overwhelming, but if the last few months have taught us anything, it’s that the HR function has the power to act quickly and drive real business value in times of need. Let’s channel this momentum into sustained transformation to propel HR into a new data-driven, business-focused era.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hanadi El Sayyed is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of gigthree. gigthree is an end to end advisory and technology solution that connects fully-vetted professional talent with remote jobs and projects, quickly and on demand. With over 18 years of experience in the HR industry, Hanadi brings a track record of improved capacity, growth, and transformation. She is an HR industry analyst who collaborates with organizations to set the vision for Human Resources and to build a different people management practices and experiences that are aligned with their business strategy. She is also a remote work strategist who helps companies to start, strengthen, and leverage virtual workforces. Hanadi specializes in advocating for the impact of workplace transformation on corporate and economic growth. 

She received a Bachelor of Science from the American University of Beirut and a Masters of Economic Development from University of London. Follow Hanadi on Twitter @Hana_ElSayyed and on LinkedIn. She can be contacted on hanadi@gigthree.com