APAC Summer 2020

What Does the “New Normal” Look Like?

Business practices are bound to change in the post-COVID-19 world.

By Michael Switow

Do a Google search for “new normal” and more than 90 million results will turn up in a third of a second. By the time this article is published, that number is certain to be significantly more. It has been more than five months since China first reported the outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, and business leaders continue to assess how life has changed, which changes are transitory, and how companies will adapt.

Remote Control

Three organisations share their approaches to managing a virtual workforce.

By Michael Switow

“The way we hire, onboard, reward, learn and engage has to be reinvented,” says HP Regional Head of HR for Asia-Pacific and Japan, Sowjanya Reddy, a 30-year HR industry veteran with experience working in the U.S., India, and ASEAN. Across the region, companies are searching for a new balance. To what extent should employees return to the office? How do organisations maintain productivity when most people are working remotely? And how does HR address employee concerns, regardless of where they’re working?

Emphasising Employer Brand

By communicating and acting on company values during times of crisis and uncertainty, organisations will bolster their reputation among employees and candidates.

By Michael Switow

At a time when hiring and recruitment have slowed for many companies, Asia-Pacific businesses are redeploying staff and resources to the community.

Editor’s Note: Same Same, But Different

By Michael Switow

As Singapore eases its “circuit breaker,” the term used here instead of “lockdown,” the ways of working for most employees in the nation since the beginning of the coronavirus have not changed. Project managers, administrators, marketers, and even C-suite leaders continue to carve out space on their dining room tables and couches for Zoom calls, team meetings, and sales pitches.