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Last month furlough dominated the headlines. For HR, it’s not just about what financial support the Government is offering but about how they can include staff in general company life if they have been furloughed…
Furlough care
With furlough extended until October for some staff there will be increased worries about how to communicate and involve staff in company culture whilst they are not working. Harriet Shurville, Chief People Officer at Iris, explained that engagement should be at the core of this. “One of the biggest things we tried to do with this is make sure that furloughed employees still feel part of the company family. It’s really important they feel part of our community even though they are not working. We’re ensuring that furloughed employees still have access to support networks and are invited to team social events – to be clear, they are not working but still have access to the social connections we know people come to work for. It’s important that they feel part of the culture that we’re creating – even though that’s via Zoom now,” she said.
New ways of working
One of the few positive aspects of the coronavirus pandemic is that it has some HR thought leaders thinking about what the future of work might hold. It could even be beneficial for HR. Kevin Green, ex-CEO of The REC and ex-HRD, told HR Grapevine that any changes could be beneficial for how the people function is viewed. “HR’s role after the crisis could be that it is more valued and more listened to. I think there will be a couple of things that they will need to think about though. One is remote working and the benefits a new organisational design may be able to offer to a firm – such as reduced premises space and more collaboration. There will also be benefits to the individual, such as a better balance of work and personal life. They have to understand that there are advantages to an organisation that can provide a personalised work environment; the issue of personalised work will become more of an issue,” he explained.
Inflexible bosses
With lots of stories regarding positive feedback for flexible and remote working during the pandemic, there are some bosses who just don’t want to move from the old ways. In a story first shared by The Cut, a CEO was accused of describing those working from home during this difficult moment as ‘not working’ leaving employees feeling disgruntled as a result.
