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Agility & Resilience
Agility and resilience are integral concepts in today's dynamic and ever-changing business landscape. For the HR team, this means strategies and processes must be fit-for-purpose in and agile workplace and ensure there is resilience across the workforce.
What is Agility in HR
Agility in HR pertains to an organisation's capacity to swiftly adapt to external and internal changes, whether they be market shifts, technological advancements, or unforeseen crises. In the HR function, this translates to the ability to efficiently respond to shifts in workforce demands and priorities.
Talent Flexibility - HR teams need to ensure that their workforce can easily adapt to meet evolving business needs. This may involve cross-training employees, implementing flexible work arrangements, or swiftly acquiring new talent when required.
Agile Processes - HR processes and procedures must be designed to accommodate change. This means exploring ways to streamline things like onboarding procedures and creating adaptable and scalable performance management frameworks.
Data-Driven Decision-Making - Access to real-time data is needed to inform agile HR decisions. By understanding workforce metrics and collecting accurate data, HR can make vital adjustments to strategy promptly.
Change Management - HR professionals play a pivotal role in managing organizational change. This involves providing guidance and support to employees during transitions, which can help maintain morale and productivity.
What is Resilience in HR
Resilience in HR relates to the functions contribution to the ability to withstand and recover from challenges and adversities. This encompasses the wellbeing of employees and the whole of the organisation.
Mental Health and Wellbeing - HR's focus on resilience includes nurturing the mental health and wellbeing of employees. This involves initiatives to manage workplace stress, provide emotional support, and cultivating a supportive workplace culture and environment.
Crisis Management - HR is instrumental in preparing for and responding to crises, such as natural disasters, financial downturns, or public health emergencies. Developing HR organisational resilience involves having contingency plans, emergency response protocols, and the mindset to swiftly adapt to unexpected disruptions.
Learning and Development - Proactively investing in employee learning and development can mitigate risks of skills shortages or gaps developing, adding to the workforce resilience. HR can support this by offering training programmes that improve employee skills, competencies, and adaptability.
Succession Planning - Part of HR's role in building resilience is developing a strong leadership pipeline within the organization. This ensures continuity and effective decision-making during challenging times.
Weathering the Storm: HR strategies for the cost of living crisis
With 75% of HR leaders reporting an effect on employee performance, the cost-of-living crisis is having a significant impact on employee wellbeing and productivity. More people are looking for similar jobs with higher pay, and almost half of employees report feeling reduced motivation or morale at work.
Whilst the UK has weathered the initial storm, 88% of adults asked in 2024 were still concerned about the cost of living crisis. It is clear that despite some improvement, the challenge for employers and HR leaders is far from over.
Download this free white paper focusing on HR strategies for the cost-of-living crisis to:
Gain strategies to support your existing workforce through the crisis
Understand how the crisis is affecting employees and the knock-on impact reported by HR professionals
Find evidence to compel senior leaders to take action, through statistics that show the impact on the UK workforce
Not only will this valuable resource help HR leaders and employers to support their workforce, but these strategies can also help give organisations a competitive advantage to attract and retain top talent.
This whitepaper was produced by BHSF, a health and wellbeing provider who have been empowering workplaces to thrive for over 150 years.
Why Agility & Resilience is Important to HR
Strategic Workforce Planning – HR embraces agility and resilience as part of strategic workforce planning. HR professionals must continuously monitor and anticipate changes in workforce needs, both immediate and long-term.
Employee Engagement - These concepts directly impact employee engagement. A flexible, resilient organisation fosters a sense of security and trust among employees, which is a building block for higher job satisfaction and commitment.
Talent Acquisition and Retention - An agile HR function can rapidly identify and attract the right talent when needed. Resilience ensures that the organisation retains its talent during tough times.
Legal and Ethical Compliance - HR must be adaptable to evolving legal and ethical standards. This includes issues related to diversity, inclusion, health & safety, as well as data protection and privacy.
In summary, HR needs to adopt an approach that incorporates agility and resilience as vital considerations for navigating today's rapidly changing business environment. HR professionals play a strategic role in adapting to shifts in the workplace, fostering resilience in the face of challenges, and positioning the organisation for long-term success. These concepts are not just buzzwords but essential strategies for modern HR to meet the dynamic demands of business landscape now and in the future.