TheGlobal crisis has changed our work culture in entirety. We all agree work will never be the same. Work has changed, forever.The pandemic has forced a fast workplace response to employee safety, facilities, and workplace services to ensure business continuity.
While remote work was trending upwards before COVID-19, the pandemic has accelerated this shift to remote work and amplified challenges that come with reinventing the way we work. Employees have seen their home and work lives blend and it’s up to employers to help empower their people to navigate a path that works for themselves and the business during these trying times.
As the world adapts to the ‘the new normal’ and economies begin to reopen, the dialogue is shifting from crisis management to prioritize employee wellbeing and how we manage these different ways of working, long-term. Put simply, companies are shifting their attention from survival to recovery in a changing environment.
“The experience of recent months has taught us a lot about the resilience of our employees, the fragility of our routines, and has shaped new definitions of the workplace. Encouragingly, the COVID-19 crisis has also opened the possibility for employers to be even more creative in how they address employee needs.”
Radha Shreeniwas, Senior Director – HR for Asia Pacific Japan at ServiceNow.
The next normal is about orchestrating the transition from working-from-home to working-from-anywhere. And CEOs are looking to CHROs to help lead the recovery towards this new way of working.While preparing for the next normal
Radha Shreeniwas –HR at a digital workflow organization narrates working agenda for COVID-19 era and beyond:
Reinventing the way, we work
Technology has made it possible for people to stay connected, engaged, and maintain productivity away from the office. As the weeks and months have passed, it has also become clear that in the next normal, the “office” will become a more fluid destination with an entirely new rhythm.
Leaders are reworking the workplace to manage the complex workflows required to keep employees healthy and workplaces safe. Every process has been tested during the pandemic, and leaders are looking to digital workflows to future-proof every step, from recruiting and onboarding new employees virtually, while figuring out how to best maintain a connection to the company culture across a distributed workforce.
We are entering the new era for the employee experience where business functions work much more closely together. Systems and access must be easy, seamless, safe – and available across devices. Accessibility is key, so that employees can self-serve, if they prefer, whether they are at home, in the office or out in the field. Those aren’t options with yesterday’s legacy technology and slow, outdated manual processes.
Locally, we have a unique advantage in shaping the next normal.
By 2025, Gen Z will comprise 75% of India’s total workforce. By 2030, India will have the largest Gen Z workforce globally.
These digital natives are a ‘self-serve’ generation, not only wired to actively seek out better ways of working, their consumer expectations of enterprise technology are already transforming how we all do things.
The post-COVID workplace sees CHROs leading the workplace transformation with digital technology and highly personalized solutions that make work, work better for everyone – and Gen Z will be the key to unlocking this.
The technology should be used in the service of people. And giving employees choices is the way forward in this new world of work – choices in how, when, and where they get things done. Simply put, having a choice helps people work better, together.
“My strongest piece of advice for CHROs right now is: even if you don’t know exactly what your “next normal” will look like, make sure your employees know they are at the center of your universe.”
So, how do you make all of that happen? There are three critical areas where digital workflows can support the business objectives during this transition:
1. Let your employees know your plans
Communicate in a way that works for individuals. Make it easy for employees to find up-to-date information, wherever they search. Many of our customers are prioritizing employee access to knowledge and data with apps built on our Now Platform – for example, true HR self-service portals with consumer-grade search functionality.Survey your people. Measure their sentiment about your communications, your empathy, your IT support, whether they feel safe, and their productivity. Where needed, take action based on their feedback.
2. Automate new micro-moments that matter
Digitize processes for employee and workplace readiness – it’s all a workflow opportunity. Health monitoring, PPE management, smart badging, janitorial notifications, and guest registrations are a few such processes. Use digital onboarding and ramp-up guidance for your new hires. Get them up to speed quickly in a mobile-friendly way.
3. Safety above all else
Digitize workplace janitorial requests and reporting. Make it easy to schedule when employees and guests will be on site. Make the on-location policies and any new procedures available digitally so everyone knows what to expect. Digital workflows not only remove friction and break down siloes, but they also build trust with employees by ensuring their safety as well as their ability to work effectively wherever they’re needed.
Leverage your data – out-of-the-box reports and dashboards can give your managers a real-time view of both workspace reservations and reservation thresholds across floors, buildings, and sites.
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to manage this shift, there is a non-negotiable for all organizations: lead with compassion and take a people-first approach.
Around the world, we are seeing that companies further along the digital employee journey are much better equipped to manage through this time. They’ll emerge from this crisis with a productive and engaged workforce, and more operationally ready for their employees to return to their workplace, stay working at home, or a recalibrated balance of both.