How HR Managers can Help to Future Proof Their Businesses

The last few months have been a confusing and uncertain time for everyone. In the case of HR professionals, health concerns and worry about their own job security have been compounded by concerns regarding the business overall.

If you have been juggling all the responsibilities of being an HR manager with personal responsibilities, you will be familiar with the challenge. The pandemic will eventually come under control but this will not end the uncertainty for you. HR professionals will be central to helping businesses recover in the aftermath of COVID-19. So, how can you help with this by making sure that your business is future-proofed?

Understand the need for contingency planning

If the global pandemic has taught us anything it’s that contingency planning is vital. It’s the type of planning that a business should hope it never needs but must have in place.

Contingency plans are there to minimize disruption and reduce risk, should an emergency happen. As you embrace the new normal in your business, you need to revisit your contingency plans and make sure that they are fit for purpose. Do this by:

• Listing your risks.
• Prioritising your risks
• Creating contingency plans for each event.

Remember that the plans need to be communicated clearly and effectively throughout the business.

Make sure that you hire the right people

There is likely to be a large number of people seeking employment as a result of the financial fall-out of COVID-19. If your business is in need of extra resources urgently, do not fall into the trap of hiring the wrong person because you have more candidates to choose from. You need to stick to recognised processes such as:

• Making sure that the candidate has aspirations that fit within your business.
• Vetting candidates thoroughly.
• Paying close attention to what candidates have to say and to what they ask.
• Allowing candidates to spend time with your team if possible.

Take your time to make the right choices. Doing so will be beneficial to the business in the long-term.

Be clear when communicating

As the world starts to emerge from lockdown, people will still have many personal and professional concerns to address. They may be confused from being bombarded with a lot of conflicting information.

This is why communication in your business is more important than ever. As Forbes recently reported, it’s a vital component of future-proofing the business. You need to make sure that all communications are clear, accurate and fit for purpose. You also need to ensure that employees are listened to and that their concerns and ideas are taken on board and responded to.

Make sure your business is a fair and respected employer

In order to survive and recover post pandemic, a business needs to attract the right professionals to work for it, as well as attracting and retaining a customer base.

In order for this to happen, you need to make sure that your business is regarded as being reputable and fair with regards to factors such as remuneration, career progression and equal opportunities. A large part of this will revolve around making sure that your pay structures, job evaluations, and appraisal systems are as fair and robust as they should be.

By making sure that you pay attention to all of these considerations you can help to future proof your business post-pandemic.

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