Role of HR and managers in managing employees during COVID

The world is facing numerous changes amidst the pandemic. Radical changes are happening everywhere - from the workplace to home. People have changed the way they work- from meeting in conference halls to zoom meetings, from working in offices to working from home. Although these changes have perks of their own, they have also brought several challenges along with them for both employees as well as employers. Now organisations have to work on building a system so that communication and trust remain unaffected even when everyone is working from home.

Since the pandemic, there has been a significant change in the roles of HR and managers. They are facing new challenges to maintain the workflow and productivity of their employees during these critical times. In this post, we have penned some added roles of HR and managers during the pandemic.

Recognise the efforts of employees
Owing to Covid 19, people have been struggling with a lot of issues like physical & mental health problems, financial issues to name only a few. In these challenging times, it is important to recognise and appreciate the efforts of your team. This will not only motivate them to work better but also motivate other employees to be more diligent and hard working. HR should consider rewarding their employees by giving development opportunities, public appreciation or even some affordable perks.

Support your employees
Employees don't like when they are treated like machines. Each employee adds a unique value to your company. Managers and HRs should recognize the uniqueness of each employee and provide them with the assistance they need. A good communication flow between employees and managers is very important. Besides, managers should guide on sensitive issues, assure them of their job security and effect of staffing and so on.

Educating the employees
Managers and HR should educate the employees about the ongoing pandemic. They should inform them about the safety measures, health information, how norms of social distancing are to be followed and so on. HR and managers should lay down special guidelines on how to work in the pandemic.

Upskilling the employees
As mentioned earlier, it is important to appreciate your employees to enhance their productivity and performance. A good way to do so is through development incentives such as learning and upskilling. Doing so will not only motivate the employees but also enhance their knowledge which will benefit your organization. HR should focus on the growth of the employees which encourages the employees to stay in the organization for a longer period.

New policies
Another additional role of the HR and managers is to draft new policies given the current situation. Even in the case of remote working there has to be coordination, motivation and sincerity amongst the employees. Although it is challenging to manage the employees virtually however with appropriate policies it is possible. Apart from making new policies managers should also make sure that they are implemented properly because there is no use in forming a policy that isn't implemented at the ground level.

Collaboration and counselling
To maintain the flow of engagement the HR and managers must have a two-way conversation with their employees. During these tough times, people are facing mental issues. HR and managers should one step further and arrange counselling sessions for their employees. These sessions should focus on topics such as
How to stay positive in the pandemic
How to take care of mental health during the pandemic
How to vent away fear, stress and anxiety
Such concealing sessions will help your employees to stay away from all sorts of negative thoughts and distractions so that they can focus on their work. Once the employees vent away their post-pandemic anxiety and stress their only focus will be on providing quality work to your organization.

Conclusion
These were some added roles of HR and managers that they should play in the wake of the pandemic. However, it should be kept in mind that everything might not work for your organization. Managers and HR should see what will work best for their company and then try to implement them accordingly. These initiatives if executed properly can reinforce the workforce which will help to improve the quality of work at your organization.