The last few months have been the strangest I have experienced in my whole HR career.  In fact – in my whole working life!

HR Trends

For the main business I support, I started this year exploring ways of us introducing flexible working in a business that has both day and shift communities.  Along with the all-important focus on the mental health of our employees.

Another hot topic was HR technology – understanding how to move our very manual HR function to a more electronic way of working.

Suddenly, we found ourselves forced to fast forward projects and strategies to fit with our ever-changing world.  During a global pandemic at a business that was deemed ‘essential’ and required continuous running 24/7!

We have accommodated a mixture of home working, flexible working, and shift swaps.  Successfully partnered with a mental health charity to support our people and have progressed fantastically with HR technology.

Sure, the transition was rushed and yes, we are still finalising policies and finishing touches.  But all in all, we have adapted incredibly very well to the new normal.

Success?

I feel that it has not all been a success.  We have had new starters, leavers, even new baby announcements that we have dealt with in a completely de-personalised manner.

One leaver was unable to work his final weeks with his team, due to being classed as vulnerable and self-isolating.  He left after many years of service to a printed photo card, online vouchers and the ‘promise’ of a leaving event with the team, when it is safe to do so.  Yes, a few of us called on his last day – but that is not enough.

I personally celebrated my fortieth during lockdown, at home.  This was not the celebration I had planned and when I finally get to celebrate (if I do), the birthday buzz will have surely passed.  So, I know as well as the rest, that delaying the celebrations for our employees, is never going to be the same as it should have been.

Our new starters have not had the right introduction to our team and still do not even know what most of their colleagues look like.  It is hard enough starting a new role and building relationships.  Just imagine doing so right now.

These things could not have been helped.

Being Human

My door is always open at work.  While I sometimes joke that the ‘surgery’ is open, I genuinely love that people feel happy to pop in and get something off their chest or run something by me.  My unique selling point is my character.  My ability to influence positively and gain the trust of others.

I feel like I am losing this.

Less people in our team are comfortable starting a conversation over Skype and more and more people are communicating electronically.  Something I prefer not to do.  It is so easy to misunderstand an intention when you are reading it electronically.

We are turning our HR team into a remote support centre, that could be based anywhere in the world.  This is just not me.  For me, the part I love most about HR is the people – that is my thing.

There are naturally many restrictions on our site, due to having more people than space.  But none the less, I need to find a way to reintegrate with my colleagues.

Adding Value

I have started to attend the site once a week, utilising certain days when any other member of staff is out of the business, to keep numbers manageable.

Our workforce is sensible, we have COVID related checks when entering and have followed all guidance around social distancing.  So, there is no reason why I should not be doing this.

I am surprised to hear from many other HR professionals in my network that they feel they may prefer to be home based full time for the foreseeable future.

In some cases, the full or at least a majority of the workforce is a adopting home working, so I get this.  But I question, in a business where many of the workforce are not home based, is this right?  Can we not at least support an informal pop-in?

Sure, we need to stay safe.  But if we reasonably CAN stay safe, we should try to be around for our people, right?

I do not want to lose the human in HR, because this is where I, and most of us, add so much value!