6 things HR managers prioritize in the COVID-19 era

“As the COVID-19 crisis disrupts organizations across the globe, HR leaders must respond quickly and comprehensively, considering both immediate and long-term talent impacts,” said Brian Kropp, head of research in the Gartner HR practice.

The vast majority (88%) of organizations have encouraged or required employees to work from home, regardless of whether they showed coronavirus-related symptoms or not, according to a survey of 800 global HR professionals.

The Gartner study shows that organizations trying to balance employee needs and financial realities are taking a variety of approaches to time-off policies in response to COVID-19.

To manage remote talent during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gartner recommends HR leaders do the following:

Provide direction, confidence and resilience.

Employees depend on leaders at all levels of the company to step in and set the tone. Communication from senior business leaders to managers should prioritize health and business sustainability. Communicate regularly with employees by maintaining an open dialogue. Gartner's survey found that 56% of organizations have communicated an action plan to employees in the event of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Contextualizing the coronavirus to the organization.

Managers must be a trusted source for accurate and up-to-date information about the coronavirus and how it is affecting the organization. Avoid sharing information from social media and use reliable resources such as www.coronasmitte.dk. Contextualize information and data as much as possible so that it specifically relates to the organization.

Encourages intentional peer-to-peer interactions.

With reduced or no face-to-face contact in the office, employees must maintain regular professional and personal interactions with their peers. Gartner's survey found that 40% of organizations have created additional virtual check-ins for employees with managers, and 32% of organizations have introduced new tools for virtual meetings. HR leaders should encourage employees to leverage communication platforms they already use, either at work or in their personal lives, to create new ways of working together.

Create team guidelines.

Telecommuting looks different for each employee depending on their needs and the needs of the family. With unprecedented school closures, many employees must take on a dual role as they support their children and families throughout the workday. Organizations can meet the needs of employees by empowering teams to adapt to their conflicting time demands. For example, teams can set “core team times” when all team members are available to collaborate.

Provide flexibility for employees' telecommuting needs.

As you prepare for employees' eventual return to the office, allow employees to make choices that best suit their needs and comfort levels. Where possible, allow employees to decide when to return to the office. Enable key employees whose work requires them to return to the office to choose the times that work best for them to return to avoid peak times.

Your employees have a focus on the spread of disease – you should too.

After this time, there will be an increased focus on disease transmission through handshakes, hugs and interaction. Hand sanitizer and distance will be deeply embedded in your employees when they return, which is why it is important that you take this into account. Be sure to meet their needs and increase your efforts to surprise your employees. Invest in tools to reduce disease transmission. For example, with simple ventilation you can reduce the risk of disease transmission.
At ÅBN, we have developed an alarm that we call "THE CLOUD". It tells, collectively, when the indoor climate is good or bad by lighting up either blue or red. In this way, everyone can help to ventilate and maintain a good indoor climate, which increases performance and minimizes the risk of disease transmission.

Read much more about the CLOUD and its benefits right here .