Reimagining HR Productivity in the new world of work

As we inch closer to a post-pandemic world, many business leaders are realising that the ‘return to normal’ is an unchartered territory where we don’t know what the new normal will actually look like. Especially, considering that even prior the COVID pandemic, we faced a huge set of systemic problems that must still be resolved.

One of these complex challenges is the workplace and HR productivity puzzle – an issue that HR has a tremendous opportunity to overcome by moving away from being reactive towards reimagining. However, this is not easy in the current situation, as HR leaders are already under tremendous pressure.

HR leaders are overwhelmed. Even prior the pandemic, many initiatives around digital transformation and the future of work already existed. However, since the pandemic, countless new HR ideas have been circulating too. Some of the HR topics that have emerged or been enlarged since the eruption of the pandemic include: being more agile; cutting costs/driving efficiencies; focusing on wellbeing and mental health; changing your culture; creating resilience; harnessing uncertainty; upskilling; creating super remote teams; using technology and digital in all aspects of work; becoming more diverse and inclusive; expressing appreciation and gratitude; doing end to end work design; using, embedding, and relying on people analytics, becoming a purpose driven organisation… and the list goes on and on.

HR leaders in such a situation face two simple choices. On one hand, they may choose to ignore all the advice and just get on with whatever works – but this may result in missing out on important trends and actionable ideas that can actually positively impact HR value creation. On the other hand, they may decide to chase fads and seek silver bullets. However, this is probably even more dysfunctional, and can result in many failed initiatives, leading to vicious cycles of hope and despair, and creating cynicism and resistance from all parts of the business.

A better, though perhaps less simple solution may be to navigate this paradox to become both more pro-active and strategic. We somehow need to cut through the fog of HR initiatives and focus on actions and capabilities that bring desired results.

In addition to this, HR leaders are overworked and under resourced – even more so than ever before. It is not rare that they have been putting in 10-12 hours every day over the last year. We have already had to make remote work work; changing some, whilst maintaining other aspects of culture to meet changed workforce expectations resulting from the changed circumstances. And now – whilst putting in a massive amount of work just to keep the ship afloat – we need to think about when and how people will return to the office and what the new future of work will look like. In addition, we are also faced with a massive challenge as a tsunami of attrition is on the horizon right after the pandemic, so we need to act fast to ensure we keep critical talent in a tighter job market.

So how can we improve HR productivity and find critical time for thinking and reflection to shape and future proof the organisation? How can we effectively manage the paradox of fulfilling both short term objectives AND delivering long term results?

Join this masterclass, where we shall explore how HR can rid itself of its unproductive legacy by steering through complexity; focusing on the right business capabilities and employee needs; aligning through agility; and reimagining the organisation and the HR function.