Six Months with COVID-19 – What HR Should Have Learned

By Susan McCullah

While we didn’t climb out of our basements after months of isolation and find zombies roaming our front yards, the COVID-19 pandemic definitely shook up both our personal and professional lives in unexpected ways. Six months in, things have changed drastically. It’s now no big deal to avoid shaking hands at all costs, wearing a mask everywhere, and getting married on a Zoom call.

As we slog through the sixth month of this pandemic, we need to look at what we’ve learned and how it can shape the future in a positive way. Here are 7 lessons HR should have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Agility is Awesome

Work from home? Will do. Wear a mask at work? No problem. Perform different work tasks temporarily? On it. Meet virtually? You betcha. The list of required workplace changes could go on indefinitely. Adapting decisively shows a company’s ability to bob and weave when it needs to do so. This means having employees willing to adjust, and leaders capable of conveying the importance of the changes being made, while rallying everyone into agreement. Companies that tackled these changes early on progressed well with little risk to their employees.

A Strong Plan B Is the Bomb

Can we please stand up and applaud Plan B? Companies that had an alternative to Plan A were miles ahead when the U.S. got sideswiped with the coronavirus in March. Those that subscribed to “it will never happen to us” floundered and flailed to throw one together. HR should now realize like they never have before the importance of secondary plans such as employees working from home, being able to change up the workspace, and working alternating shifts.

Communication is Crucial

Getting a clear, concise point across was put to the test during this epidemic. Employees were scared of getting sick and worried about paying their bills. HR needed to be able to explain what was happening, how it would affect each employee, and how long it would last. In addition, communication was often virtual, making it even more challenging. The last six months have tested HR in a trial by fire on their ability to communicate clearly and effectively. HR always knew communication with employees was essential, and it should be even more evident now.

Digital Is Priceless

We know we are dependent on digital tools to function productively and efficiently, and this was never more obvious than during the pandemic. Virtual environments allowed employees to work from home with little disruption to the flow of productivity, and other tools were called to action to track progress and serve clients. Hotels, for example, implemented contact-less check-in. In the future, HR’s ability to creatively utilize digital solutions to keep employees and organizations functioning can be traced, at least in part, from the past six months.

Transparency Is Essential

Nothing creates stress and disengages employees more than worrying about their job security. HR teams that were successful at sharing plans and laying out specific goals were the ones that kept panic to a minimum and morale as high as possible. Frequent, detailed updates, even simple check-ins without new information, kept communication lines open and viable, which comforted and assured employees.

We Will Be Better Prepared Next Time

If we had a nickel for every time companies have said “we should have…” in the past six months, well, we wouldn’t be sitting here reading this article! While we could have never predicted this event, HR can use it to learn and grow. Emergency plans, helpful tools, and easy-to-adopt policies can be written up for the future. Doing this helps companies avoid stumbling badly like some companies did at the beginning of COVID-19.

And… an Emergency Is No Time for Rigidity, Negativity, or Lack of Leadership

HR should review what was done right and what could have been done better during the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic. Knowing how to react and what needs to be done is important, but so is knowing how NOT to react and what SHOULDN’T be done. Failing to react at all ended up being a big mistake, as did not having employees who could be motivated to get onboard and learn new tools. In addition, a lack of leadership cost some businesses big. HR should take these past actions and examine them to identify the weak points. Are there certain employees who hindered handling the pandemic successfully? Was leadership sluggish, or vacant? Were there other stumbling blocks? If so, these problems are big ones that need to be addressed appropriately.

COVID-19 is nobody’s idea of fun, but HR can take the past six months and learn from it. By studying each employee’s, and the company’s, response and adaptability, HR can proactively make the organization ready for if and when something like this happens again. Being prepared protects the company and gives employees greater confidence in staying gainfully employed.