A letter to the HR

DearHR Bravehearts,

Congratulationson having battled one of the toughest times in workplace history. While a lothas been put into practice for streamlining and actualizing digitaltransformation, your work has just begun.

Aswe settle further into 2021, employees and leaders alike will look up to youfor humanizing the new world of work we have embarked upon. As you findinnovative solutions for workforce skilling and capability development, youwill have to develop a new skillset too. As you clock in more ROI, more productivityand more savings, you will have to deal with challenges of employee engagement,culture realignment and change management. You will have to #DisruptTheNEW, and do itnow!

Dear HR Bravehearts, buckle up, you are nowin the driver’s seat

Owingto the pandemic and remote work, the adoption of digital learning has seen anexponential rise. It is not just howthe learning is delivered but there has been a paradigm shift in ‘what’learning needs to be delivered to the employees. As businesses realign theirgoals to stay relevant and agile in these unprecedented times, developingmulti-functional skills, fostering inter-team collaboration, nurturinghigh-potential leaders are being prioritized. Honing leadership skills such asemotional intelligence and empathy is also given importance as organizationsrequire leaders to navigate their workforce through these trying times andbeyond. The onus is on you to make these happen at a pace that is rapid and relevancethat is on point.

Dear HR Bravehearts, make technology your BFF

While technology becomes a necessity in the virtual world of work, don’t let it cripple you. Use it only as an enabler to achieve your end goals and objectives. Remember, people need people, not tech disguised as the shiny new thing. So find ways to humanize processes and tools.

Leveragetechnology to make the task of recruitment, payroll, employee training,performance evaluation, rewards & recognition, employee engagement moremanageable. While it may be tempting to choose the highest-rated orleast-expensive solution, it's important to do your research and find the toolthat's right for your business's needs.

Dear HR Bravehearts, make learning the new working

Theonly way businesses could survive and thrive in the uncertain times was byupskilling their workforce to adapt faster and better.

2021will be the year when Digital LearningPlatforms with capabilities for VirtualInstructor Led Training (VILT), Integrationwith third party tools, OfflineMobile Learning, SocialLearning, and ArtificialIntelligence will make inroads into organizations of all shapes and types.

Itwill also be a year when buy-versus-build content calculus will shift in favorof Ready-to-use off-the-shelfcontent as the need to be agile and relevant dials up.

Inall, employee capability development will become tablestake for all companies.

Dear HR Bravehearts, overhaul the employeeexperience

Withour homes becoming our makeshift or even permanent workplace, you will have to gobeyond managing just a finite 9-5 employee experience to a 365x24x7 lifeexperience of the employee as employees no longer work from home, but work for home too. Elements like work-lifebalance, wellbeing, connection, and collaboration will be crucial both foremployee satisfaction and the optimization of business outcomes. So as youbuild these programs into the fabric of your company culture, lead with empathyand compassion. Your people will need a pillar to lean on in tough times and aleader that puts them first in all situations.

Dear HR Bravehearts, fail fast and failforward

Foryou, success will have a new meaning. It will encompass navigating through acomplex and rapidly changing environment. It will no longer only be a case of “what got us to here, won’t get us there”,but “what worked last week, won’t work this week”.  To deal successfully with rapid change, youwill need rapid experimentation. And with rapid experimentation, comes failureand learning, which is an essential part of growth and forward movement. Sodevelop curiosity and willingness to learn. Oftentimes from failing fast - astrategy of trying something, getting fast feedback, and then rapidlyinspecting and adapting.

Dear HR Bravehearts, don’t leave your ownskilling behind

Intoday’s world, technological skills are no longer a bonus, but a necessity forevery HR professional. With technology evolving at breakneck speed, you need tobe more agile now than ever before. Be it finding the right talent on socialmedia or virtual onboarding or handling employee grievances in a non-physical/phygital setting, digitalskilling is a must-have in your arsenal.

Notjust tech skills, take time to develop future skills too. Findings from BPP’sreport Skills for the future: AsiaPacific identifies the below skillset for the HR of the future.

As my letter comes to a close, I, once again, congratulate you on everything you have accomplished, and wish you the very best for the months to come. If you think I can add to your journey in any way, connect with me on LinkedIn/ drop me an email. In any case, I will be rooting for you all the way to the finish line. Lead on!

Best wishes,
Your learning partner & well wisher