It can be difficult for HR to know what to prioritise when heading back to the workplace following coronavirus, so we’ve come up with the main areas it should be focussing on.
Flexibility
Remote work and flexible hours have been crucial to help businesses adapt in this time. Many employers would like to continue with some of the new ways of working, yet developing the best approach may involve some careful consideration.
Flexible working resources:
- Will coronavirus prompt a flexible working backlash?
- Working Families names companies providing best flexibility for parents and carers
- Flexible working: the best of the bunch
- Can you force employees back to work?
Holiday
With international travel at a standstill for much of the year employees have not been taking as much annual leave as usual. This has also been compounded by colleagues on furlough, as the remaining employees’ workloads have been stretched – leaving them feeling unable to take the time off.
As travel is set in motion again, and many more people may be able to make it to the workplace, it is worth planning the next steps for employees’ holiday entitlement.
Holiday entitlement post-pandemic:
- Managing employee holiday entitlement during COVID-19
- Practical tips on holidays and furlough
- Coronavirus and its potential impact on employee rights
Bereavement
The loss of a loved one is difficult at the best of times, but during a pandemic, employee’s bereavement experiences may have been much different.
For advice on providing the best support for bereavement and grieving:
- National Bereavement Service launches grief support and counselling service
- CIPD calls for bereavement leave and pay for all employees experiencing close family loss
- How organisations can compassionately support bereavement
- Steps to address grief in the workplace after lockdown
- All change is a form of grief
Redundancies
An inevitable part of any economic downturn, HR handling of redundancy can make a huge difference to people’s lives and an employer’s ongoing ability to attract future talent, and so the process should be handled with care.
For advice on redundancy see:
- Businesses and ministers need more than redundancy pay law to protect employees
- UK employment law after Brexit
- Chancellor details plans to to end furlough scheme
- Investing in infrastructure could create more than a million jobs, says TUC
Culture
A lot has changed for people recently, both in and outside of work. And various socio-political movements may have further shifted their expectations.
If you’re thinking about ways to go about cultivating the right kind of post-COVID culture, further resources can be found here: