2020 has been quite a year. Between COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, many companies realized they aren’t equipped to handle the challenges 2020 has brought. Siloed systems, the inability to provide real-time solutions or up-to-date information, and disconnected or overwhelmed employees are some of the issues HR pros are experiencing. For the remaining months of 2020 and well into 2021, HR must be prepared with solutions in these top six areas.
1. Workplace Culture and Relationships
The pandemic means more employees are working remotely—and they are more disconnected than ever. Nearly half of remote workers say working from home has negatively affected their sense of belonging. COVID-19 created an urgency to solving the negative impact remote work has on employee trust, well-being, and performance. But it’s hard to build culture when employees aren’t physically together. HR needs technology specifically designed to build culture to solve workplace culture risks.
Solution to consider: Bonfyre gives employees the digital space—separate from productivity tools—to create an inclusive community where employees feel like they belong, resulting in higher employee retention and satisfaction.
2. Diversity and Inclusion (D&I)
The BLM movement continues to show companies they need to take action to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces. D&I is more than a buzzword or a check in the box for a tweet supporting BLM. Today, it’s an imperative competitive differentiator crucial in attracting and retaining top talent. In fact, four out of five employees want companies to have more inclusive hiring practices, and nearly all of 18- to 38-year-olds said they wished they worked with a more diverse set of colleagues.
Solution to consider: Nakisa’s organizational design software helps companies stay on top of their D&I initiatives and data by providing HR with a better look at D&I statistics and how structural changes, such as mergers and acquisitions, will affect D&I within a company.
3. Global Talent Mobility
As companies embrace a remote and distributed workforce during COVID-19, the reality is that work is happening anywhere and everywhere. Doing business in multiple states and countries is a good thing—and increasingly necessary for growth and expanding business opportunities. It can, however, lead to costly tax exposures, as employees can create many different types of tax liabilities every time they work in another country or state.
Solution to consider: Topia Compass helps companies protect against tax and payroll audits, save taxes, and optimize compliance risks created by global talent mobility.
4. Financial Wellness
Employers are reconsidering benefits, especially for newly remote workers. Workplace perks like Ping-Pong tables and free lunches were already on their way out as a tactic for hiring and retention; COVID-19 has made these perks passe. Instead, companies are looking for new, unique solutions to entice employees. Support to help employees manage their finances is rising in popularity at a time of economic uncertainty.
Solution to consider: SmartPath’s platform connects financial coaches to employees to aid them in setting up a road map for where to hold or make investments.
5. Employee Relations Case Management
Managing employees from a distance is difficult, and almost every company is running into this issue now. And just because we are all working remotely doesn’t mean employee issues will magically disappear. A survey found that 85% of employees know how and where to report issues, but many lack confidence that their issues will be addressed fairly and are afraid of retaliation.
Solution to consider: HR Acuity’s platform enables management to identify, track, and investigate employee issues while keeping employee relations in mind.
6. Change Communications
There are so many different preferred modes of communication that it’s hard to know if an e-mail or a text will grab an employee or be left unread. With remote work, many organizations are beginning to see the gap in their communication efforts and, in turn, their business goals. Now is the time for organizations to reevaluate their communication modes to ensure targeted experiences that reach, engage, and change employee behavior to achieve critical business goals.
Solution to consider: GuideSpark is a change communications platform that helps companies manage, measure, and scale internal communication effectiveness.
Loni Freeman is the VP of HR at SSPR. Freeman has 20 years of experience working in HR and has an SCP from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Editor’s note: The solutions mentioned throughout this article are not paid endorsements on behalf of HR Daily Advisor, these are just suggestions by the author.