5 Biggest Challenges Facing Employers in the Post-Pandemic World - and Some Potential Strategies and Solutions

Call Them Habits - Call Them Work Place Norms -

But Evolution Has Occurred

New Habits and Workplace Norms Have Been Created by Covid-19, and They Are Not Likely to Disappear Any Time Soon

They say it takes 30 days to create or break a habit (James Clear says 66). Even assuming that may be on the light side, it has now been fully a year since the Covid-19 Pandemic broke, and new work habits have most assuredly been developed by all.

We did a survey of some articles concerning the biggest challenges facing HR in 2021, and we have identified out Top 5 (with attribution, our own commentary and some fun pics). Here they are:

1. Flexibility Moves from Location to Time. These are the HR trends to expect in 2021 | HRExecutive.com

HRExecutive Says:

"Next year will see a rise of new jobs where employees no longer have an agreed-upon set of hours

to work and instead just focus on a set of outputs to achieve, regardless of how long it takes them

to achieve those outputs."

Time Management Will Take on a New Meaning in the New Age

We Say:

The 9-5 workday is a thing of the past (as is the 8-6 workday!) With more and more people

working from home, there are a much greater variety of work schedules. Yet, one thing stays the

same: Employers have a right to expect employees to get their work done in a timely fashion.

It used to be that regular face-to-face interactions would serve to "remind" managers and

employees alike of the existence of a given project, and the need for its completion. Gone are the

days when you would pass someone you put in charge of a product in the hallway and be reminded

to ask, "Say, how is that project coming?" So, in the post-pandemic world, establishing clear

deadlines for a project, as well as requiring regular, written milepost updates, is essential.

Employees and managers that lack sound communication skills will be greatly challenged to succeed

the post-Pandemic workplace.

And, be careful:

Covid Case of The Week - Wage and Hour Claims Added to Retaliation Claim - Aguayo v. Shield N Seal (Posted April 3, 2021)

Covid Case of the Week - Kofler v. Sayde Steeves Cleaning Service, Inc. - Termination of Employee Seeking FFCRA Leave a Violation of Anti-Retaliation Provisions of FLSA (Posted April 9, 2021)

2. Shift from Managing the Employee Experience to Managing the Life Experience of Your Employees. These are the HR trends to expect in 2021 | HRExecutive.com

HRExecutive Says:

"2021 will be the year where employer support for mental health, financial health and sleep will

become table stakes of the benefits offer given to employees."

Working From Home = More Siestas

We Say:

The 9-5 workday is a thing of the past (as is the 8-6 workday!) With more and more people

working from home, there are a much greater variety of work schedules. Yet, one thing stays the

same: Employees need to relax at night and get good rest in order to be most productive. The

starting place for securing the best path towards the mental health and sleep patterns of the

workforce is to recognize that a "Work From Home" environment does not mean that employees

are on call and expected to fulfill work duties 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. HR Managers

and company leaders must establish clear guidelines concerning issues such as start and stop times

for e-Mail communications, Zoom Meetings and work projects. No one wants to feel pressured

to attend an 8 p.m. Zoom Meeting or to respond to an e-mail at 11:00 at night. You may enjoy a

siesta from 3-5 p.m., followed by several hours of work to complete the days tasks. But expecting

an immediate response from your charges to a wonderful idea that hit you at 9:30 p.m. is just a bad idea.

3. Hiring and Onboarding in a Hybrid World of Work. Three big HR challenges for 2021 - The People HR Blog People HR Blog

HR Blog People Says:

"'HR managers are going to have to seriously rethink how they train new people” Rolf [Bax,

from Resume.io] tells me. “Onboarding packages will need to be much more thorough

and comprehensive in order to account for the lack of face-to-face introductions, walk-throughs

and hands-on experience new hires used to get.”

On-Boarding: More Planning Required Than Ever Before!

We Say:

The simple fact of the matter is, more people, from all levels of management within any given company, are now working from home a great deal of the time. Scheduling an inter-office meeting with any 5 employees can be stressful and time-consuming. Sure, it can be done, but many employees have gotten used to doing things remotely. Yet, remote meetings surely are more difficult to prepare for when training materials are involved. And, let's face it, meeting someone over Zoom is not the same as meeting them in person. Moreover, training is not a one-day operation (far from it!). So, what to do? A a new set of Training Modules need to be developed, and must evolve as new challenges are uncovered. They should involve a mix of face-to-face interactions, one-one one Zoom meetings and material review process that is effective and not simply boilerplate.

4. Quelling Employee Duress During a Time of Uncertainty. Top Five Human Resources Challenges In 2021 (forbes.com)

Forbes.com Says:

"'To quell duress during this time of uncertainty, HR leaders must take concrete steps to actively

engage employees, foster social interaction, provide additional mental health benefits and support

and remain transparent about the possibility of layoffs."

Communication: More Ways to Do It -

and More Challenging Than Ever

Remember when we just talked? That was so, well, simple. Sure communicating has always been challenging for human beings, but non-verbal cues, familiarity and constancy made it manageable. And, we can all agree, it is downright painful to wait for what we perceive to be a long-time for feedback, a response or an answer. A state of not knowing is an uncomfortable state; indeed, it can lead all of us to paranoia, wild speculation and fear. The goal for everyone is to figure out: 1) how to "stay in touch" on the regular to help develop a relationship; 2) how to put employees in a position where they feel comfortable providing feedback on workplace issues and their state of mind; and, 3) how to develop a system to routinely communicate company initiatives and policies so that employees feel connected and includes. These forms of routine communication will develop trust, and make it far easier when it comes time to communicate bad news, such as a layoff.

5. Identifying and Supporting Mental Health and Wellbeing Needs. Three big HR challenges for 2021 - The People HR Blog People HR Blog

HR Blog People Says:

"'The massive challenge here for HR, is going to come from two different angles in 2021:

There will probably be more people in your workforce struggling with their mental health

2. You’re going to have a much harder time spotting the signs."

Mental Health Affects Employee Productivity

We Say:

The CDC has found that over 40% of U.S. adults are dealing with mental illness during the pandemic. We all know that isolation has the affect of causing and exacerbating stress. When you see someone every day, you get to know their facial expressions, their mood, their temperament, their method of interaction. Hence, we can see when something seems off with a co-worker. We can ask them if they are OK. We can ask them to lunch. We can let them know we are here if they need anything. But, when communications are limited to e-Mails, telephone calls and participation in remote Zoom meetings (of which they may be one of many), it is virtually impossible to tell when someone is "off." This is especially true when there is little foundation to work off of (I mean, how much time have any of us spent with our co-workers over the past year?). Developing positive methods to help foster sound employee mental health is perhaps the most difficult challenge facing HR professions - and all of management, really. It is fair to say, however, that recognizing the challenge, and effectively addressing the first 4 issues raised above is a great starting point.