There is a common saying that necessity is the mother of innovation. The Covid Pandemic has made it sure that humankind will not be able to return to the ‘Old normal’. It has made a humongous impact on the economy and forced organizations to come out of their comfort zones and think innovatively Reinvention was not a gradual progression anymore but a need of an hour for the corporates around the globe. Crisis has paved the way for many entrepreneurs to evolve and look for  opportunities. The distress situation compelled corporates to respond quickly and understand the market needs and create a solution in quick turnaround time. Agile entrepreneurs started to reinvent quickly through disruptive innovations and creating processes and systems to scale the business quickly.

Purposeful transformation was rampant for eg fashion brands pivoted themselves and started making masks. Non-medical device manufacturers like Jyoti CNC started manufacturing Ventilators. The list goes on.

New ways of working evolved - Usage of technology to cut the loopholes, Engaging more with internal as well as external stakeholders, Reinventing HR policies to put your employees first, Promoting the culture of Upskilling, Constant innovations, and implementing more ways to adapt remote working.

Though some trends have been ongoing for a while now and are simply accelerated by the year’s development, many are drastic changes that the organization have had to go through and in some cases are still facing. Some of these major shifts are-

Home as the new office

One of the most visible changes that we have seen over the last year was the global overnight shift to remote work from home.. While we don’t expect every other company to follow the work from home routine post the pandemic, but we do believe working from home will remain an important part of how we work.

Many of the companies have returned to work. However, companies like Twitter,Square & Capital One have recently announced that working from home is here to stay post Covid-19.

Innovation and Sustainability 

Innovation in offering products and services, identifying new channels to offer solutions, innovative ways to engage with your manpower. As such, the shift to remote work has an impact on several other HR trends. 

Activities like recruiting and onboarding  are forever changed. These activities, as well as performance management and even firing decisions, have relied on in-person conversations. HR needs to reinvent current practices to effectively deal with these situations in a digital world.

Many companies have already made use of online tools to foster a culture of togetherness despite physical distance. Virtual happy hours have started to replace after-work socializing. Regular departmental check-ins have become increasingly important. In the coming year, we may see companies begin to test additional virtual, structured experiences to simulate the camaraderie and exploration that was once only possible organically.

Policy and process change and the role of HR 

HR will become the backbone of businesses in framing the future path. Focus more on engaging with your employees, new policies to promote strong organisational culture and increase employee satisfaction, promote upskilling, promote internal telnet mobility, focus on AI based technologies and tools to hire the right talent match.

HR will have to redesign the employee journey and measure the virtual employee experience. Elements like work life balance, well-being, connection and collaboration will be crucial for both employee satisfaction and the optimisation of business outcomes.

Learning and Skilling

Focus on promoting Skilling activities by HR. Promote collaborative learning environment and give more control to the HR.

Though there was a strong need for upskilling the HR professionals before the Pandemic but the COVID-19 has now made it necessary for the companies to up-skill the HR department. Upskilling in the areas of data literacy, business acumen and digital integration will make the HR department ready for the future.

In that case, the employees should also be continuously encouraged to up-skill themselves. Continuous learning encourages employees. When management promotes learning as a culture in the organization, employees feel valued and important; this in turn improves productivity and reduces redundancy. Improving skill set and continuous learning not only improves employees’ capability but also improves organisation’s capability. It is through continuous learning and development; employees’ are better ready for the next level, next promotion and next venture. Employees must not expect that they should get promoted only because they have been at a particular level for some years, rather promotion to a next level should be given only because an employee has shown improved skills which has brought improvement in the job process or there is a value addition in the organization.

Learning and innovation go hand in hand. With improvement in skills and continuous learning, an employee is more prepared for different and difficult situations and problems that arise in a complex market.