HR leaders reflect on the lessons learned during the height of COVID-19 and share three ways the world of work has been permanently impacted.
By Marta Chmielowicz
Over the course of a few weeks, the coronavirus pandemic turned the world upside down. Now, as the first wave of the pandemic passes, businesses are gearing up to open their doors once more -but many complications remain.
Three key priorities for HR managers when bringing employees back to the office post-COVID-19.
By Pamela Lacy
As many U.S. states begin to lift their stay-at-home or similar orders, businesses across the country are weighing their options, questioning when and how to reopen their doors safely for both customers and employees. There are a wide range of laws and regulations, as well as guidance from federal, state, and local governmental authorities, that should be top of mind for business owners and HR managers as they prepare to welcome employees back to the workplace.
A dive into OSHA requirements for employee safety as workplaces open.
By Andrew Zelman
While the country begins to reopen from the COVID-19 shutdown and states and cities gradually release restrictions imposed upon essential and non-essential businesses, new considerations of employee safety, controlling the spread of the virus, and screening visitors and workers will take precedent. For employers eager to jump-start their businesses while ensuring a healthy workforce and minimizing liability from exposed employees, compliance with the ever-changing laws and guidance is essential. This will mainly come from HR.
Six best practices to consider before reopening.
By Andrew Rawson
Many organizations are now focusing on when and how to reopen, and what changes to make before employees return to the physical workplace. It’s a complicated process that involves many steps, from implementing health and safety guidelines to making employees feel as comfortable as possible navigating a changing work environment. While every organization is different, here are six things to consider when preparing employees for some of the adjustments they may expect in their day-to-day interactions and operations.
Organizations will need to execute thoughtful measures when managing the return to the office.
By Gretchen Alarcon
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the global workforce in ways that could have never been expected. HR professionals have been forced to take center stage, lead their organizations through unexpected changes, and define what’s next. But the hard work is not over yet.
Our 2020 TekTonic Awards recognize some of the best HR tech platforms that empower both HR and the workforce alike.
By Marta Chmielowicz
As the business world continues to adjust to changes ushered in by globalization, generational shifts, and, most recently, the coronavirus pandemic, HR leaders everywhere are left pondering what the future holds for their organizations. One thing’s for certain: Embracing emerging technology to empower the workforce is more important now than ever. From remote learning platforms to mobile talent management apps, organizations that want to stay afloat in the new normal will need to invest in the tools that make work easier and more convenient for their workforce. HRO Today’s annual TekTonic Awards highlight some of these groundbreaking technologies.
Recognition is a key element of a post-COVID-19 employee engagement strategy.
By Marta Chmielowicz
With a dispersed workforce that operates at government facilities across the U.S., IT company T-Rex Solutions LLC already had the building blocks in place to manage remote workers before the advent of the coronavirus pandemic. But the crisis is putting massive strain on even the most prepared organizations. In the midst of so much uncertainty, employee recognition has emerged as one of T-Rex Solutions’ key organizational priorities.
While COVID-19 poses some challenges to screening new hires, these strategies help companies conduct due diligence now and in the new normal.
By Debbie Bolla
For the last few months, organizations have been forced to think on their feet and devise human capital strategies in response to COVID-19. While some organizations have had to put a freeze on hiring, plenty of companies, including Kroger, Healthfirst, and Instacart, are on the opposite end of the spectrum, ramping up pools of essential workers. During this time of social distancing and state closure mandates, HR has had to enlist a bevy of approaches to get new workers on board. On that list: background screening.
COVID-19 has brought a new perspective to paid family and medical leave.
By Jamie Kalamarides
Eleven years ago, America began its slow but steady recovery from the Great Recession. 2020 began with an unemployment rate of 3.6 percent, and on January 31, the CDC’s total number of reported novel coronavirus infections in the U.S. stood at two. Three months later, unemployment had skyrocketed to 14.7 percent, 23.1 million Americans were out of work, and reported cases of coronavirus in the U.S. had risen to 1.5 million. The COVID-19 pandemic shines a light on the financial vulnerabilities of Americans without access to paid leave.
New research indicates how companies are planning to adapt their recruitment and return-to-work policies post-COVID-19.
By Larry Basinait
To better understand how companies are managing their workforce in the wake of the worldwide pandemic, HRO Today is conducting a series of pulse surveys. The HRO Today Coronavirus Knowledge Portal addresses how businesses and HR leaders are handling the outbreak. Because the office environment will continue to be severely impacted going forward, this brief report examines how HR will function in the new normal.
By Elliot H. Clark
Harry Truman famously said the day after Franklin Roosevelt’s death, “When they told me yesterday what had happened, I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me.” I am reminded of this quote now, as the COVID-19 pandemic has thrust many HR executives into a new leadership role suddenly and in a way for which no one could prepare. In most companies, the day after the declaration of national emergency, the CHRO became the most critical executive on the CEO’s team.
By Renée Preston
HR professionals around the globe are doing amazing things as they lead, inspire, and keep employees safe during these unprecedented times. Don’t go it alone: The HRO Today Association is here to keep the HR community stay connected and to provide virtual learning and professional development opportunities.
By Debbie Bolla
“The crisis has taught us to focus on what matters the most,” Mai Lan Nguyen, senior vice president of HR for North America at Schneider Electric, recently told me during a discussion for our CHRO Q&A podcast series. For Nguyen and many others, what matters most to an organization is its people. With that in mind, Nguyen and her HR team created a plan to move Schneider Electric’s 15,000 North American employees to a safe work-from-home environment due to the coronavirus. When we spoke at the end of May, plans were already in place to reopen the workplace to a select group of individuals who are eligible to return.
