“Alone we can do little, together we can do so much”- Hellen Keller, American Political Activist and Lecturer

What is a high-performing team?

A team that comprises highly-skilled individuals who share common goals, respect each other, stay motivated and encourage clear communication delivering excellent productivity.

Do you wish to have such a super-duper team in your company? This article will help in understanding the way to build a super team. So read on.

Attributes of a super-performing team

1. Teams have crystal clear goals that align with the company’s mission.

This is where high-performing teams differ. They think and perform alike. Their focus and priorities become synonymous with an organization over goal. Teams align their individual goals towards this single motive.

2. Teams have precisely stated roles and responsibilities

The number one reason for conflicts in teams happen when the members are unaware of their roles and responsibilities. Great performing teams never let that happen. There is clear SOP of who plays what roles and has what responsibilities.

3. Teams encourage open and clear communication

Performance of a team remains at stake, if there exists no clear communication between the team members. Each member of the team must know who, when and where to communicate. They must know how to put opinions in a healthy manner.

4. Teams never stop learning new things

Growth comes from continuous learning. Teams who stay updated and learn from their own or other mistakes have immense calibre to grow.

5. Teams place unshakeable trust on each other

Team members value each other’s opinions and ideas and pay respect to each other’s’ roles. They must trust their teammates that helps everyone in developing innovative ideas and execute them together.

6. Teams manage their time wisely

A high-performing team will prioritize their tasks and pay utmost attention to them. This helps in proper utilization of time without any wastage, as work gets done on a priority basis.

7. Teams celebrate their wins together

A high-performing team stays together at falls as well as at ups. They do not blame each other, take it as a team task and mend the problem. When it comes to success, they celebrate together and recognize individual contributions.

Perks of high-performing teams

We are sure that the characteristics of a high-performing team has already benefits it can bring to an organization. Who wouldn’t dream of having a super team that stays motivated, engaged and focused on the collective business goals? You can expect your business to reach the unreachable with such super-performing teams. The overall efficiency and productivity of a business is enhanced beyond words with a team who is ever-ready to grow and take risks together.

In today’s competition, when businesses are striving hard to stay at the helm, an efficient task force is the only way forward. They support the business with their shared capabilities in drifting ever-changing face of the business world.

The secret sauce of building a super team

1. Choose the right candidate

Building anything requires the right composition of ingredients. Nothing differs when it comes to building a super-performing team.  This is possible only through the right hiring process. As a leader or manager, you must be experienced enough to choose the right skills and mindset for your team. Another major factor is building the perfect team is keeping the size just right. Neither too small nor too big. This is vital to keep up the productivity of the whole team.

2. Create winning team dynamics

Selecting right team members is crucial for a great team. But equally crucial is the team dynamics. High-performing team requires the team member to understand the organizations’ mission, values and goals. This is where team dynamics comes into play. Team dynamics incorporates a mutual agreement of the goals and objectives. The team must share a common vision which is the accomplishment of their organizations’ bottom-line goals. Team dynamics helps the team to stay motivated and energized in achieving the same.

3. Foster continuous learning

Skill gaps should never be an issue in a super team. As leader or manager, encourage your team to stay updated with the latest technological developments. Always stress on continuous learning through regular training so that no team member lags behind each other. There are various online platforms such as Udemy, Sampliner and more, that offer industry-recognized certificate courses to enhance their knowledge base.

4. Use measurable metrics

As a team leader or boss, you must evaluate the overall performance of your team. This helps in strategizing the work flow further to achieve the desired goal. You as a lead will have a better understanding of your team performance and can align both high and low performers together to attain increased efficiency.

5. Vouch for peace and harmony

Conflicts in a team are bound to happen. Because a team has people with different perspectives and opinions. Conflicts can lead to inefficiency and lack of productivity. Some conflicts can be due to the disagreement in the work process while others happen on a personal basis. Regardless of the type of conflict, a collaborative approach to resolve the conflict must be put into action. Team lead or the senior authority must take extra precaution to resolve matters and bring peace in the team.

6. Individual addressing is real NO

The team that you built with trust, coordination and commitment. Their deeds should be acknowledged collectively. Senior authorities must never address individuals and appreciate or blame them. If the team has not performed well, then direct your opinions and feedback to the team as a whole. Alternatively, one-to-one discussion can also help if the team leader wants to address performance issues.

7. Set measurable and effective goals

Setting realistic and measurable goals can keep the team motivated and aligned. Having a common goal helps the team attain them faster. Rewarding the team for their smaller achievement will help them achieve more.

This is an age when people seek a meaningful career path. Most of us have these questions in our mind: From here now where? This requires a preparation and deliberate thought process envisioning your second half of the career. In this article, we will help you with some concepts and tips that will help you climb the ladder and up your career.

Before we jump into the tips there are a few concepts that must be considered to reimagine your career in the second half. Five core concepts to keep in your mind are:

Entrepreneurialism: This is something exciting and not many have ever thought of getting our hands into it. Running a business? No ways. But before you scroll down to the second point, let us tell you by the time you are thinking about the next phase of your career, you as a person have gained immense experience; personally and professionally.  As we said this is a concept to keep in your mind, there are umpteen choices but decision is purely yours. A transition that requires you to adopt the entrepreneurial mindset requires a great amount of effort but also makes it open to attract opportunities that you can grab and convert into successful ventures.

Self-confidence: Every human’s life is unique. So does yours. At the stage you are now, your unique life experience of how you overcame the various life obstacles is a story untold. This life experience will help you find the right path. Simply embrace your experiences and knowledge gained so far. Because that is something of yours and it’s unique. This will help you pursue more and learn new things.

Continuous learning:  The times have changed, the world is fast-paced with ever-evolving technological trends. There is only one means to keep yourself updated through constant learning. Read books and blogs or listen to podcasts and audiobooks. Engage with people who were on the same page as yours but found a path later on. Try experimenting new things in your life. There may be failures, but that shouldn’t stop you. Through this you will learn, experience and evolve.

Continuous improvement. Once you are ready to put your effort in upskilling and experimenting, the next focus must be on applying the outcomes to your life. We may think that being skeptic to experiment and improve can be a hurdle, but they say it is only good to be so. Being skeptical will make you be on constant lookout to do and find the best way to do anything. By bringing a mindset that is fixated on continuous mindset will gear you up for the second half of your career.

Reinvention: Seize all the opportunities that come your way. Do not deny or let go any opportunity. Make the most of it as this mindset will pave the way to reinventing yourself. Nothing stays static in this world. You may not be able to stay employed forever if you aren’t ready to reinvent yourself.

These five concepts are a preparatory mindset shift that will help you gear yourself. Next let us tell you with some tips to recharge your career.

1. Create a career plan

If you think that without a plan you can work up the best second half of your career, then there are some misconceptions to correct in the first place. Know what you want to do. Take a moment and ask yourself this question of “ what exactly is your plan?” If you don’t know it now, never mind. Research and plan for it. Get a clear picture and know the factors that really matters

2. Create a career plan

Now that you know what you want to do, the next thing should be to create a career plan. This is an important step as you will know where you’re heading and a path to reach there. It could be either to gain better or additional qualifications, get trained with some extra or new skills, or try your hands on new projects. By sketching a plan, you will know how and where to reach your goals in the second half of the career.

3. Find your obstacles

People begin investigating openings and chances before they have set the time to choose what it is that they need during the rest of their lives. So set some devoted time to truly consider “what exactly works for you? It will include all those things that you need from your next work that will keep you cheerful. Attempt to circle the ones that are ‘major issues’. With this step, you will understand your capabilities and focus on your abilities more profoundly.

4. Learn more and boost your education

Acquiring further courses and training displays a significant message on your CV. You are focused and learned for life. It also depicts your keen interest to stay updated on your field. This will additionally aid you in creating experiences and better approaches towards your life and career. Educating yourself helps you to reconsider, rejuvenate and discover what you are actually good at. And these components will help support your profession in your second half.

5. Pick the right training

Before considering a course or training program know what companies or recruiters are looking for?. Ensure the course is relevant to your interests. You must also make the choice of course based on your current situation. They make doable choices. Not imaginary. Suppose if you are into a full-time job and decide to pursue a course, then pick the right one considering your existing situation.

6. Put your education into action

Learning is fundamental, not only because it keeps you updated but also helps you stay employed. So preparing and improvement ought to be a fundamental component of anybody’s profession. Also, you must be able to show the recruiters that you are readily looking forward to putting your education into action.

7. Network

Create a network of people from whom you can learn. Conducting some internet research could be an option but not as great as going out and interacting with people. Target the people who belong to your industry or sector. Brainstorm with them and ask questions about their career choice and how they reach there. Networking gives you information, ideas and a path.

People are losing their jobs. Only skilled and experienced are making it to the top. There are no secret mantras to win this rat race that everyone is running. Except to hone yourself on those highly demanding skills that every employer is looking for.

Be it a graduate who wants to set their foot in the industry or anyone who wants to secure their second half of the career, getting yourself trained on those industry-specific skills has become a must. Most of us can get these hard skills training easily from numerous courses available in the market. But there is another vertical that you need to touch and win- the development of soft skills.

We can’t stress enough the importance of soft skills in the current competing world. To keep up with the pace, it’s vital to hone yourself on some important soft skills along with the much-required hard skills.

So here in this article, we will help with the top soft skills to get hired and prepare yourself for the future workplace:

• Listening

This is a skill that needs lots of preparation. Though talking out your opinions and ideas clearly and concisely is important, listening to others has its benefits. When we say listening, it doesn’t mean simply hearing what others say but imbibing the information with complete attention. Becoming an active listener enables you to perceive others ideas and enhance your improvement.

• Problem-solving abilities

The workplace has ample challenges. These challenges can affect our work productivity if left unsolved. Here’s where one’s problem-solving skills come into play. Every recruiter will look at this skill as they need a problem solver and not a conflict maker in their organization. Problem solvers will turn any negative environment into an opportunistic one. So if you are looking for a promising career then make sure to develop this gem of a soft skill.

• Critical thinking

Quick decisions without putting much thinking into them may not always be the right ones. With a huge list of tasks on our plate, certainly, that’s what we may be tempted to do. Using critical thinking will help you analyze the situation and you start to become more self-aware of your acts, develop foresight and become an active listener. This skill helps you in deciding what is right and wrong for you as well as for your organization.

• Time-management

One of the most competitive skills is the effective management of time. Proper time management will allow you to get more things done. This skill is a hit in both professional and personal life. People need to establish the skill of time management at a young age as they get to use their hours efficiently.

• Resilience

We humans face numerous failures in life. It’s inevitable but how many of us come back strong is what matters. Resilience is all about that. A resilient person does not care about their failures or setbacks rather focus on improving themselves and their situations. Resilience makes a person focused on long-term goals. They are more ready to accept challenges and are risk-takers. If you have this skill, consider yourself lucky. Because we feel you are a winner already.

• Better communicator

A hot skill that’s never outdated. If your communication skill is good then there is no way you can stay unemployed. You will be on-demand, as people who beautifully communicate their ideas or pitch that strikes their audience is a skill that needs a lot of preparation. Improving your verbal and written communication is equally important.

• Empathetic

In this fast-paced life, we all forget one thing. That is to empathize with our fellow humans. Showing respect, understanding others’ situations and creating meaningful interaction are the qualities of an empathetic person. Being able to empathize with your coworkers and other staff will help in the long run.

• Tech-savvy

No one wants to hire someone who isn’t aware of the changing landscape of technology. If not fully trained but an employee who has technical skills is a must. If you are lacking these skills, we request you to take up some training related to your field. We are sure you will never be at a loss.

• Learner

An employee who is ready to learn, unlearn and relearn is in high demand. We live in an era where new skills develop now and then, businesses need people with efficient learning skills and who are keen on growing their knowledge base.

• Agility

Businesses are agile so are their expectations for their employees. Being agile makes you ever-ready to meet the needs of your organization. Employees who adapt themselves to the changing landscape of the industry are always on demand.

• Creative

In this ever-evolving time, one needs to keep one mind pumped up with ideas in favor of the organization. Asking questions, staying curious, and becoming a team player, are some of the qualities of a creative employee. These qualities are much required when the team wants new ideas and concepts to put on the table.

According to a study conducted by Harvard University, “85% of your success at a workplace depends on your soft-skills and 15% on your technical skills”

It is much evidence that your hard skills may get you qualified for a job but soft skills certainly help you grab, sustain and grow a job. Concluding with a thoughtful quote by Peggy Klaus- Author and Coach

 “Soft skills get little respect, but they will make or break your career.”

At some point of time, all of us have to deal with someone who is difficult and toxic. Your efforts must not allow these difficult people and personalities to create difficulty within workplaces. As we spend most of our waking hours at work, you fully deserve to deal with such matters in a way that gives you a peace of mind. Let these people not hurt your career. If none of the above steps help you then avoidance is a viable option in some circumstances.

A friendly and supportive work environment is what we all dream off. But this doesn’t happen to everyone. Some of us are unfortunate enough to face some worse experiences through our peers. A bad co-worker can make your otherwise difficult life worse.

Can I change them? No

Should I ignore them? Yes. No. Maybe

Unsure how to deal with them. Let’s help you with some tips. But first, let’s understand four difficult people you may have to face at the workplace.

Four Types of Difficult People at Workplace

• The ‘Attackers’

These are people who intervene with their ideas while you make your point. They will make your idea look less thoughtful. They try to score points with the boss by making points against yours instead of focusing on the topic.

Tips to handle:

Never stop yourself from suggesting great ideas, no matter how toxic co-workers you have. If you get interrupted or attacked in a meeting then try to bring back the focus to the topic of discussion. Give a shot by resolving the matters and asking them what steps can be taken to start a better relationship.

If you feel that things are going above your control, then seek help.

• The ‘Resentful’

These kinds of people will envy whatever you have. A resentful coworker will want what you possess. Your achievements can make things worse for them as well you. These envious coworkers can also be attackers.

Tips to handle:

Try to be less communicative to these people. If you wish to solve the matters, then give it a shot by being friendly for better workplace conditions. You can say that you want that both of us should have a peaceful and healthy working environment. If they do not change, then leave it there.

These are the types of co-workers who are insecure about themselves. You can encourage them to find a project that works our best for them or try helping them find a skill to keep things interesting for them. These acts of yours will ensure you are trying to be supportive and expecting them to be the same. But if things go beyond your control, then escalate the matter to your HR.

• The ‘Bully’

Just as you had bullies in your school and college, there are coworkers who can be intimidating to you. An intimidating boss is different from an intimidating coworker. The latter has the new-recognized and ‘made-up’ power over you, that he/she thinks they can embarrass or hurt you.

Tips to handle:

Train your mind to respond assertively to these bullies. Being angry with them will not resolve the matter. Mould yourself to become more assertive than angry. Stand up for yourself and do not tolerate them in silence. Create a physical barrier and keep distance from these coworkers. Having proof of their wrong attitudes towards you during your interactions such as an electronic record can be useful, if you wish to approach the HR in this regard. 

• The ‘Passives’

These are the kind of coworkers who remain passive while letting others do all the hard work. You may have helped them during a project, after which they are likely to take advantage of you every next time they need help. This can spoil your workflow and lead you to lack behind at your own projects.

Tips to handle:

The only way to deal with these self-centered coworkers is by being open in communication. Learn to say NO. Tell them that you are busy and not ready to help as you are unable to meet your deadlines.  Suggest others whom they can seek out for help.

Bonus tips to deal with these difficult people at your workplace

• Never try to change them

Trying to change the difficult people around you will never work. This act will make them worse for you to deal. So stop trying to make an attacker more calm, a resentful more positive, a bully more humble and a passive one more active.

• Talk to them. Understand them

Again this is a step to deal with all kinds of people around you. With difficult people around, you must always be more open to them with a language that makes them feel valuable. You can also let them talk and be all ears, so that they can feel relaxed and more open around you.

• Never tolerate toxicity

Such people can be the cause of various negative feelings and emotions that you may be experiencing like depression, anxiousness, worthlessness, and unhappiness.

As said by Epictetus “Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them.”

If you like Coffee more than a Good morning wish, if you like planning events for your friends, if you are good in communication and Multitasking is your superpower, then trust me you are HR material.

Often, we hear people say HR is the simplest profile in a corporate world. Little do they realize that an HR manager has a lot of responsibilities on their shoulders. Their dedication to the company is often overlooked. HR is the prime component that knits together the Company by creatively managing the workspace culture. At times HR may also be your Unofficial Psychologist, Peacemaker, Lawyer, and teacher. It’s truly said, “You can’t spell HERO without HR”.

In this piece of content, we will look into Human resource management and why HR is more than just recruitment.

 History of HR management

Let us take a brief look at HR’s past to better understand its meaning. The term “human resource” first appeared in John R Commons’ 1893 book “The Distribution of Wealth.” It is important that the significance of human resource management was not widely understood prior to that time. In the 1960s, the HR job title was mainly used for people who served as liaisons between laborers and management. The primary purpose of HR as a job title was not limited to hiring. The HR department handled all of the tasks of looking after the employees’ well-being, ensuring proper salary payment, and so on.

 Imagine a corporate world without an HR Manager…

Let’s assume that the corporate world has no profile such as HR Manager. The below points will give you a hint of such a world:

• An unbalanced Hiring Model
• Roles appointed on the wrong shoulders.
• Not so Engaging work culture.
• A slow rate of growth in the company.
• No development in the skills of Employee
• More people leaving their current job because of lesser satisfaction.

HR is more to a company than a simple recruiter

The above cues are just the highlights, that the role of HR is more than recruiter. The HR’s role is similar to any superhuman with powers. Some roles are never appreciated but they cannot be undermined just because they are working Backstage. Here are few reasons to rethink the power of HR;

• Aids in Company Success.We often see CEO and Team managers in the front view of major success stories. They are appreciated for the strategic moves and style of leadership. However, we shouldn’t minimize the significance played by HR and its contribution to success. Playing in the background is the style of the HR department. They make sure that employees have a safe working space. They take a holistic view of all the specific talents which a company needs in acquiring its milestone.HR supports the employees in various stages of the career and ensures they receive all the aids to work in full potential.
• Development of Employees

According to Human Capital trends “As companies build the organization of the future, continuous learning is critical for business success”.

94% of the employees are more likely to stay in a firm which focuses on their career development. So, the HR department plays a tremendous role in sustaining the company and aiding it in the development. Organizing Training programs, educational programs and Seminars provides continuous development in the employees. This also helps them to gain up-to-date information in the respective field. This will directly reflect in the performance of the employees.

• Remuneration for Services

According to a survey, 52% of employees are looking or would consider leaving their company because of compensation, 43% career advancement, and 19% lack of recognition.

HR identifies the needs of the employee. HR realizes that a happy employee is the greatest asset to the company.HR makes sure that the employees receive accurate payment for their services on the same hand manages a good profit margin for the company.

The compensation may include primary and secondary compensation: Primary being the basic pay monthly payments. Secondary compensation is the Extra benefits to the employees, yearly vacation tours, flexible work hours, company add ones, pensions, etc. At the end of the day, the main intention is to keep the teammates motivated.

• Identifying Pure Talents

If discernment is a talent, an HR manager is a pro at it.HR manager rates the performance level of all the employees and identifies the potent employees. In cases where the company loses key players, HR recommends the next potent employees who can take over the senior post. The basis of evaluation is done on a vast level. So, the significance of the HR manager should never be underestimated.

• Ensures Health and Safety of Employees

An HR ensures that the employees are given adequate support for development. They also ensure that the employees are well aware of all the policies formed to support them and the ways to use them eg Health insurance policies. The HR Department also ensures that the company is in complete statutory compliance.

• HR facilitates Organizational Alignment

Most of the employees fail to identify their personal goals with the company goals. The HFR helps the employees to see the pattern and help them to identify their position in the company. HR supports the alignment to the organization by introducing tools like interactive organization charts, which show us how different teams fit together for a purpose.

• Conduct disciplinary actions

This responsibility may be why HR tends to get a bad rap. When navigated inappropriately, disciplinary actions can lead to the loss of a valuable employee and can even result in litigation or a poor reputation. But when handled appropriately, disciplinary action can result in the success of an employee.

In the end, we all must realize that there is more depth to the role of HR than a recruiter. The role played by HR helps us work smoothly as employees. Thank your HR Today!

Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India (HMSI) introduced a voluntary retirement scheme on Tuesday as it seeks to “realign its production strategy” and improve overall efficiency in these “uncertain times,” the company said in an internal circular to its employees. Employees above the age of 40 or who have completed 10 years in the company are eligible for the scheme.

The development at HMSI, India’s second largest two-wheeler manufacturer, comes a fortnight after Honda’s car manufacturing arm, Honda Cars India announced re-aligning its production. As part of the move, it has consolidated the manufacturing operations for vehicles and components at its Tapukara plant in Rajasthan for all domestic sales and exports, it said on December. HMSI’s communiqué doesn’t share details on re-alignment.

With a combined annual capacity of 6.4 million units HMSI has production facilities at Manesar (Haryana), Alwar (Rajasthan), Narsapura(Karnataka) and Vithalapur (Gujarat).

“In order to maintain existence in this competitive two-wheeler market, it is essential to continue with high efficiency and competitiveness. Therefore, keeping in view all the above reasons, the management has introduced a ‘VRS’ for all the associates who want to retire voluntarily from the company before their fixed retirement age, so that they can be relieved from the company gracefully,” Naveen Sharma, Division Head – General Affairs, HMSI, said in the circular, a copy of which has been reviewed by

Business Standard. The Directors of the company are not eligible under this scheme, he wrote.

The scheme will be effective from January 5 and will remain open till January 23. However, the management at its discretion can change the scheme without prior information or notice and may extend its time period, the letter said. The management will have full authority to decide in this regard, it said.

The formula for the VRS package includes three months gross salary into completed year of service, one month’s basic plus Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) into remaining year of service — and ex-gratia of Rs 22,000 into completed year of service. The scheme also has an ‘early bird incentive’ of Rs 5 lakh each for the first 400 accepted applicants. If the VRS application exceeds 400, additional Rs 4 lakh will be paid to all the applicants, the letter said.

The company has also capped the maximum amount for applicants for permanent workmen and Junior Engineer (JE) and above. For instance, for senior manager or vice-president, it has capped at Rs 72 lakh, for manager Rs 67 lakh, for deputy manager at Rs 48 lakh and Rs 15 lakh for assistant executive.

First Published: Wed, January 06 2021. 09:24 IST

Source: https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/honda-motorcycle-india-s-second-biggest-two-wheeler-maker-announces-vrs-121010600224_1.html?fbclid=IwAR0SvWKgWsVAe55Nw87cjBMGIUqCDfaWfEyLkr9aLdcMmjkZYDRt9LxNtfA

Most organizations have started focusing on scenarios for planning and taking necessary operational responses to ensure business continuity post-COVID-19. Organizations need to focus on building Communication, Trust & Transparency related to the coronavirus pandemic to restore productivity and deliver on employee experience.

Organizations have to make a lot of adjustments to their business plans and the way of working post-COVID-19. They need engaged employees more than ever to get through this challenging period. The employees might struggle with feelings of uncertainty, isolation, not being in the know, and more. Thus, the Role of Change Agents that is of the HR professionals becomes crucial in this scenario. With social distancing being implemented and practiced, it is difficult to have standard methods of process, policies & engagements leading to a new challenge for HR professionals.

Considering all these challenges into account, the human resources are going to be the lifeline of any organization and they need to handle this post-Covid situation with utmost care and diligence. Above all, these challenges revolve mostly around People Aspect of this Global Pandemic and we can see a transformational shift in HR role post-Covid.

Thus, the new role of HR can include the following few activities, though, it can go manifolds looking at the impact of the Global Pandemic.

Counseling and collaboration – To ensure communication efforts help engagement, HR Managers must have a two-way dialogue with employees. Offering proper counseling sessions with employees to help them offload their isolation anxiety, vent their fears, or just de-stress.

Sense employees’ need for support – Employees don’t want to be viewed as faceless cogs in a larger machine—they want to be recognized for the unique value each brings to the company. This uniqueness is something employers are beginning to embrace too. HR professionals need to recognize this aspect and provide the required support and communication. To enable regular conversations between the Line managers and employees, HR should provide managers with the necessary guidance on how best to approach sensitive subjects arising post-COVID-19 pandemic, including job security, alternative work models, impact to staffing, and prospects tension in the workplace.

Reinforcing Organisational values – Work well-being has the greatest impact on feelings of psychological safety — an unpleasant employee experience can negatively impact psychological safety by up to 35%. To make matters worse, during periods of uncertainty, employee misconduct increases by as much as 33%. Apart from modeling the right behaviors, HR managers should encourage whistleblowers to call out unethical behaviors, remind staff of the channels for reporting misconduct, and highlight punitive measures for non-compliance, post-Covid.

Recognizing employee efforts – As COVID-19 generates significant disruption, and undercuts employee engagement, HR managers need to redouble their recognition initiatives & efforts. Effective recognition motivates the recipient and the same time serves as a strong signal to other employees of behaviors they should emulate. Recognition can take many forms other than monetary rewards such as public acknowledgment, tokens of appreciation, development opportunities and low-cost perks. This reinforces the organization’s commitment to the long-term success of the employee.

Driving engagement through innovation – Present unprecedented time of change and disruption demands innovation and risk-taking becoming more important for employee engagement and organizational success. The disengaging effect of constraints on innovation and risk-taking are particularly severe for high-potential (HIPO) employees who can feel demotivated. Even when the organization has constraints on new investments, HR managers need to emphasize the need and provide opportunities for process improvements or incremental innovation.

Educating and equipping the workforce – Educating and equipping the workforce with the right information on COVID-19, safety tips, nutrition information and so on are crucial and jobs for HR Professionals. The HR needs to communicate measures taken by the company during this situation. HR can create interesting posts about escalating events and topics around this issue on the activity feed.

Focus on Employee Wellness – After understanding the anxiety and stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, HR will need to put more focus on the mental health and overall wellness of the employees. Holistic benefits are a common way of introducing wellness to a company. These benefits address all aspects of well-being, including mental health and financial security. While these plans will differ in offerings, the idea is to provide employees with benefits that help improve their well-being beyond standard health coverage.

Employee upskilling – As the employee personalization trend illustrates, employees want to be appreciated on an individual level. One way employers are showing their appreciation is through upskilling, Learning and development initiatives. Not only does this help employees feel valued, but it also helps fill knowledge gaps within the company. According to a report by Deloitte, the “inability to learn and grow” is the top reason why employees leave their companies.

Framing New Age Policies – Considering the business continuity plan to deal with such exigencies, Post COVID-19, organizations need to have system, procedure and policy in place. Organizations need to review policies on workplace flexibility, remote working & contractual staffing and should review and clarify polices around pay and benefits if an office or factory is closed or impacted.

Looking forward

While these initiatives have become the new roles of an HR Professional, all these might not necessarily work for every company. However, in a post-COVID-19 environment, where employees have had to adjust how they work, all the HR should shift towards a more human-focused approach.

An HR professional, collectively, these initiatives can go a long way to reinforce employees’ trust for the organization and improve their impressions based on how the HR professionals react or respond in the face of crisis and uncertainty.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors’ and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors’ and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house

Without doubt, the benefits of working from home are many. Employers are cutting down on costs, while employees feel they are more productive. Tata Consultancy Services has announced that it will move 75 per cent of its employees to a permanent work-from-home setup by 2025. Flexible work timings was a concept frowned upon, until the pandemic came along forcing everyone to stay indoors 24×7. Today, organisations are also talking about a hybrid way of working, where half the workforce works from home while the other half goes to the office. This model of work is expected to ensure the safety of the employees, while avoiding any disruption of work.

However, having spent the past six months at home, glued to their laptops, endeavouring to give their best, people have now started experiencing a sense of fatigue. Many believe it can dent creativity and restrict innovation. It is an accepted fact that social relationships and human interactions breed creativity. It gives enough fodder to employees’ imaginations for ideation. Social connectivity is known to result in collaborative productivity, which helps a company improve communication and efficiency.

Research has proved that while working from home, employees miss the ability to walk up to a colleague’s desk and discuss an issue. Therefore, the question is, ‘Can a remote working setup in the future compromise the creativity and innovativeness that employees otherwise bring to the table?’

Jayati Roy, director-HR, Barco India, was relieved to go back to office. “I think this constant sitting at home and working is causing fatigue amongst people. This fatigue is impacting creativity and innovation. There was a time when the occasional webinar was eagerly attended by everyone. Now, there is a deluge of webinars, and they all appear to be the same — mere rehashes of the same topic. A lot of us, especially I, used to spend the one and a half hour of commuting time, reading. With work from home, one is expected to be available at all times and capable of dialling in anytime. The energy and mind space required for creativity to thrive is diminishing.” Roy also points out that discussions that took 15 minutes to close, with people sitting across the table, interacting and sharing thoughts, now take 35-45 minutes to arrive at a consensus.

Some HR experts also believe that in India, watercooler conversations have taken a big hit. These were breaks looked forward to after a few hours of focussed and intense work. Now, for such conversations, one has to excuse oneself from a meeting perhaps, and connect.

However, there are also other HR professionals who feel creativity and innovativeness are just a state of mind.

Rahul Sinha, president-HR, Pidilite, firmly believes that it’s all about mindset. “Individuals alone were responsible for most innovations that have taken place around the world till date. Creativity and innovativeness are not a function of corporate life. It is a function of the mindset. Several novels were written during World War II from within jails and in solitary confinement. So how does creativity get impacted by whether one is in office or at home? It gets impacted by the environment in which one is operating and to that extent, the company has the responsibility to provide a conducive environment. That is fundamental to who we are as an individuals,” Sinha asserts.

Amit Das, director- HR, Bennett, Coleman & Co (Times of India Group), reminds us that human beings are social animals, and physical proximity-led social interactions release the hormone oxytocin in our brain, which makes us feel happy. “We can invent alone, but innovation needs collaborative effort. Creativity is all about collective intelligence having fun with diverse ideas and perspectives.”

He rightly points out that a creative work life requires social relationships and serendipitous interactions. Therefore, as an obvious transition to the next normal — with hybrid work arrangements across organisations — when a substantial part of our workforce will need to work remotely away from office, we need to deal with the associated challenges. That will include impact on the sense of belongingness, emotional connect, workplace bonding and inclusivity amongst the employees. Hence, it is imperative that we leverage the new-age technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) driven social- enterprise tools and sociometrics, to drive collaboration and engagement. This, in turn, will stimulate the workforce to participate and actively contribute to idea generation. It will push them to think innovatively as creative disruptors, beyond their defined scope of work. However, “We need to keep in mind that although we can simulate the physical office environment through innovative technology-driven virtual platforms, with constant access and connect, it is impossible to replicate the same to the extent where we can touch, feel, see and smell the brick and mortar workplace.”

Sachin Narke, head-HR and chief learning officer, Forbes Marshall, seconds the thought that innovation cannot be constrained by distractions. “In fact, in the last few months, the shift to ‘virtual’ has led to many innovative practices. It has really pushed people to think out of the box. In my experience, many new ways of working have come up. For instance, we are in a business where we have always believed in establishing a relationship of trust with the customers. As a part of our business policy, we must build a rapport with the customers and visit them. Going by that logic, now that we cannot meet them physically, our business should have gone down. However, our customers also understood the circumstances and appreciated our new model of operations, which makes us confident of getting business even if this situation prolongs,” Narke points out. He agrees that while the warmth of meeting people is deeply missed, new ways to enhance innovations have emerged. To prove his point, Narke goes on to inform how virtual inspection, which was unheard of before, has become a reality now.

With such diverse points of view on the subject, the question that comes to our mind is, ‘What can companies do to endorse a healthy work environment, which can bolster the creative process?’ Roy suggests, “We have to start building an ecosystem around work — what can one do other than work? Once the pandemic is over, people can engage in hobbies because I believe absolute zero human interaction is not going to help. At least not in our generation. May be the next generation that is getting schooled this way may manage.”

As for Sinha, the answer is simple. Companies must ensure that engaging and interactive activities continue even when not working in the office environment, to bring in variety to an employee’s life. “Everyone has a core job which they do for a living and which they have adjusted to doing in the new normal, in the past few months. But a counter balance is required, which can be achieved by assigning them other projects that will give them some variety, and encouraging them to participate in engagement activities and other social engagement setups. They can communicate with people who are not doing the same job.” He also insists that employees should get a chance to socialise and make work more engaging.

The HR fraternity seems divided on whether or not remote working stunts creativity and innovation. However, given the fact that remote working may become a permanent reality in many places in the future, this is one more aspect that HR professionals may want to look into!

The last couple of years have seen some interesting things happening in the HR industry. On the one hand, cutting-edge technologies have found their way into HR software, and the post-globalization internet economy continues to change workforce patterns in a big way. At the same time, companies are struggling when it comes to creating a work environment that makes employees feel nurtured, productive, and creative.

In the 2019 Deloitte report on Global Human Capital Trends, a whopping 84% of the respondents comprised mostly of CXOs said that they need to reimagine their workforce experience if they have to improve productivity.

Given that such an overwhelming majority of executives feel that the workforce experience is broken, there’s a lot of thinking that needs to go into designing and executing our HR practices. This is especially true for young, high-growth companies where employee passion and engagement is often the key driver of success.

2020 will bring with it some major shifts in HR that have the potential to solve this major problem. Here’s our breakdown of the biggest trends in HR next year and how companies can get ready for them and stay ahead of the curve:

#1 The Gig Economy can make or break things In the United States, 42% of the workforce aged 18-34 did freelance work in 2018. While the numbers may not be as high in India, the trend towards freelancing is growing to be a strong one. In this technology-centric, post-globalization era, skills occupy a place of supreme importance — whether it is in programming, project management, content marketing, data architecture, or something else.

Hiring remote workers and freelancers open up a global talent pool for companies that are looking for specialized skills for a limited time. While the freelancers get the flexibility and autonomy they need, companies get access to some of the most expert minds out there, without the complications of hiring them on the payroll.

Unfortunately, developed economies seem far ahead when it comes to exploring more flexible work arrangements. In fact, companies like Zapier, Articulate, Edgar, and Buffer operate 100% remotely.

Unless Indian organizations reimagine their work structures to incorporate more flexibility, they might end up losing world-class Indian talent to global companies.

#2 A more diverse and inclusive workplace won’t be desirable but mandatory

The numbers speak loud and clear: diverse workplaces are simply better for business. According to a Harvard Business Review study, diverse companies are 70% more likely to report that the firm captured a new market.

And an EY study says that companies that are in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to have above-average financial returns, and those in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15% more likely. These trends go both ways; according to a Glassdoor survey, 67% of candidates preferred to join a diverse team.

The Indian corporate structure is also trying to make room for more diversity and inclusion; in fact the top Indian business schools like IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, and XLRI, Jamshedpur have changed their admission criteria to favour a more diverse classroom.

This also seems to be reflecting on the hiring decisions. According to a report by HRTech startup CutShort, women have a (how much higher?) higher shortlisting ratio on their platform than men. But there is still a lot of room for improvement for Indian startups to how maturity and prepare for a fast-changing workplace fabric.

#3 Cutting-edge technologies will become essential to manage increasingly complex HR operations

AI (Artificial Intelligence) has been transforming all parts of the HR function. For starters, AI has transformed the recruitment process — whether that’s candidate sourcing, screening, lead nurturing, interviewing, or matching.

As per Nikunj Verma, CEO of CutShort, an AI based recruitment startup, AI is not only able to save 75% time but also increase success percentage by 300% by letting recruiters focus on the right things at the right time. Apart from automation-led efficiency, AI is also helping HR executives overcome human-bias in decision making.

AI is also transforming HCM (Human Capital Management) by helping HR teams reimagine talent processes and improve the employee experience. AI impacts a number of areas including performance management, workforce planning, career pathing, mentoring, and leadership.

Finally, AI allows companies to delve into the root cause of employee dissatisfaction and come up with in-depth solutions for employee engagement. AI-powered tools like intelligent surveys, real-time feedback platforms, personalized rewards and recognition programs, etc go a long way in building meaningful and lasting engagement.

#4 Gen Z is entering the workforce for the first time and will have very different expectations

While much of the discussion in the last decade has centred around millennials and how they approach the workplace, its now time for Generation Z to enter the workforce. Gen Z comprises people who were born after 1997.

Unlike millennials who were mobile pioneers, Gen Z is a mobile-native generation. They have unprecedented levels of ease with mobile devices to the extent that 80% of them actually feel distressed when kept away from their mobile devices. Unlike millennials, who are more idealistic and focussed on experiences, Gen Z tends to be pragmatic and focused on saving money.

When it comes to the workplace, they prefer to work with brands that feel authentic. Similar to millennials, they really value an empowering work culture along with a high potential for career growth. As this generation enters the workforce for the first time, it’s important for companies to keep their unique outlook in mind and tailor employee engagement accordingly.

#5 Employee Engagement will need to be improved or companies will see increased attrition

In the last decade, employee engagement has become increasingly but it’s only now that companies are designing their entire HR structure around employee engagement. Employee engagement has so many facets to it that it can be hard to compartmentalize.

Worklife balance and wellness is a big part of employee engagement. In fact, 87% of employees expect their employers to support them in maintaining a work-life balance.

Another critical aspect of employee engagement, especially when it comes to startups and other high-growth companies, is alignment to the vision and mission. If the top leadership does a good job of showing employees the ‘big picture’ and how their work impacts this big picture, employees tend to take much more ownership of their work.

In fact, employee engagement now starts even before the employee joins the company. In fact, it begins at the interview stage itself. A CutShort survey of over 1400+ modern professionals reports that more than 50% of candidates said they really value professionalism in an interview process.

This includes things like transparency, timely communication, and respectful conduct. In fact, this plays a major role in candidates deciding whether they will join a company in the first place.

At the end of the day, most companies are struggling with building a workplace that people truly love being at. These HR trends reveal key insights into building an employee-first approach and designing a workplace that really works for its employees.

These trends underline major shifts in the entire HR function and it will be interesting to see how companies respond and adapt to them. Those that adopt a flexible and proactive approach should see major gains in productivity in the coming years.

As technology is evolving, so is work culture. With the rise of the gig economy and decentralised workspaces, employees are beginning to look for meaningful work experiences. This year, HR will step back and invest in solutions that enhance employee experience, going beyond looking at just productivity and efficiency.
Seamless learning & development: Companies will invest in micro-learning models, AI assistants who could recommend modules or answer questions, and a platform that connects employees with mentors within the organisation. Companies will also increase investment in upskilling their workforce by introducing advanced learning modules and even collaborating with other companies for training. Managing user-generated content is a big focus for many companies, and curating existing open source content like TED and YouTube is on the rise.

AI to streamline HR processes: AI would be able to help recruiters screen and summarise resumes to fit job descriptions in an unbiased manner. AI chatbots can also be used to answer questions on company policies, assist in navigating through tasks like letters or applying for leave, or helping employees understand tax implications by various combinations of the company’s flexible benefit plans. AI-driven processes provide companies with more data to be able to understand employee behaviour and accordingly make decisions on hiring, engagement, policies and enhancing culture.

Investment in HR tech to continue: Cloud-based employee experience platforms will offer better employee experience, real-time data and better insights. Well-being is also going tech with AI tools and platforms. Apart from bots, NLP (Natural Language Processing) will support HR in making better decisions through the employee life cycle from hiring to engagement to training.

Diversity and inclusion: Practices to become a more diverse workspace will remain a focus area this year and beyond. The epitome of the modern world lies in diversity. Workforce talent is a competitive advantage for companies, and when employees feel ‘included’, it builds a virtuous cycle of success. Companies would, therefore, focus on either introducing impactful solutions or sustaining previous initiatives to ensure a lasting impact.

The author is vice-president, HR, Ingersoll Rand India. Views are personal