The COVID-19 pandemic caused a disruption in our routine. It is a crisis that primarily threatens life and, in some cases, people's livelihoods. We find ourselves in a new, atypical crisis context that affects us all equally, without distinction.
With teleworking as a social distancing measure, work and home concerns are impossible to separate. This has generated individual and collective conflicts in managing human capital. Working from home is not the same as working in the office. In this regard, it is important to be more flexible to allow for a work-life balance, although it is also a time when we ask more of employees: initiative, proactivity, ingenuity, and collaboration. We will not always be able to prioritize everything, and it is important to know when to be more flexible and when to ask for more.
“In the storm, the good pilot is known” (Seneca). This is a storm in which the pilot is the leader of each area, who will also act as the HR manager for their team. We are, ultimately, facing a change process, which has the peculiarity that it was not chosen but imposed. It is a total social fact; from a sociological perspective, these are events that mark and transform society: just as war is, so is a pandemic. It disrupts life (health), the social (social beings), and the economic (threat of status quo of our businesses and ways of working).
In this crisis, the change process invites us to think about the day after, but with so much uncertainty, it's healthy to focus mostly on the now. We must make decisions as we get the minimum available and necessary information. We should be flexible about when we concentrate on the future and when we focus on the present.
When working remotely, with stress and uncertainty, communication becomes a fundamental tool. The quality of communication becomes even more important and turns into a tool for the worker's well-being, which will enable the maintenance of the organizational climate and culture. There are no precedents for a crisis like this, therefore, HR must be an agent of change and act as a guide for the rest of the organization.
What are the important aspects of communication? Transparency, knowing our audience to adjust the message, planning communication and following up on concerns, while always maintaining a real and positive message. What happens when we lack information? In these cases, it is important to communicate that we don't know, but that we are working to get the information and find solutions. What is difficult is uncertainty, not knowing how it ends and if it ends, so the message is resilience. The truth, even if it is not pleasant, brings peace. During a pandemic, every act is remembered as a memorable real experience that will leave a mark on everyone. When this is over, each of us will remember how we were treated at this time by others, both personally and professionally.
Today, caring for others means keeping a physical distance, but this doesn't imply emotional distance. It's necessary to overcome the loss of human contact by prioritizing interpersonal communication over institutional communication. Leaders will need to be better communicators, more enthusiastic, foster positive feedback, and know when to use written communication versus when a conversation is better. Maintaining team spirit is a challenge. Digital media allows us to connect, and it's important to utilize them, but we must be mindful of not overusing written digital interaction. Sometimes it's good to have a phone conversation or see each other (via video call).
This is a time when organizations will need to look within their teams for those individuals who demonstrate emotional intelligence to rely on them as communicators. Being emotionally intelligent means having a deep understanding of our emotions, strengths, weaknesses, needs, and drives. Leaders must manage communication and performance, and in this regard, they must do three things: provide certainty, autonomy, and cultivate good relationships. It is important for every manager to have daily communication with their collaborators to minimize the loss of in-person interaction, and to first have an empathetic dialogue, and then organize and assign tasks.
We are building a new organizational culture. Focusing on creating a positive culture is a task for everyone in the company. It is key to create a psychologically safe work environment that addresses emotions and promotes a strong and resilient workforce. At times when everyone fears for the continuity of their job or the company, it is essential that the value each person brings to the organization from their role is recognized.
Human Resources has to learn to live with the pandemic and reconfigure its way of being, readapting its roles, rebuilding the organization, examining each person's potential, and evaluating how they can be best utilized. Not all of us are good captains or good players. Not all of us function the same way under pressure; some will thrive, and others will need support. Ultimately, talent without organization is nothing.
It is expected that all companies will be focused on their survival through this crisis, but companies that only focus on economics are unlikely to last long. This is because after the pandemic, people will be more sensitive about the companies they are part of, as the pandemic has exposed their true organizational culture.
by Ximena Carbone | Human Capital Manager
