Coronavirus | What are HR's essential concerns in the 'new normal'?

It’s undeniable that the world of work has changed drastically as a result of the coronavirus pandemic – with the HR perspective now dominating discussion on the future direction of business.

The virus that swept across the UK in March, causing a national lockdown and throwing the HR function into a quagmire of remote working, physical and mental wellbeing challenges, legal duties of care and, not least navigating the brand-new prospect of the Government’s unmitigated and often changeable job retention scheme. For some, all of the above needed direct attention whilst the business itself floundered as the country delved into economic uncertainty and for a significant portion – around 100,000 businesses, according to McKinsey – no recovery was possible.

Speculating about the future of work – a future permanently altered by the effects of coronavirus – may seem like a fruitless endeavour. After all, HR is still very much actively dealing with continued changes as a result of the pandemic. Next month, the Job Retention Scheme will conclude, leaving thousands of businesses with stark choices to make about whether staff can return, or whether mass redundancies are the only option. For the record, analysis by the Institute for Employment Studies shows that the current estimate for Autumn is a further 700,000, bringing the figure for 2020 to over one million. Yet, speculation about possible outcomes, analysis into what the ‘new normal’ could be, what it could look like, how HR needs to prepare, are exactly what may well save jobs and keep companies on some form of roadmap to recovery.

The rise of remote working