By Victor Phang, CEO of WorkSmartly,
Traditional work practices have shifted to that of the hybrid style, causing real problems for Human Resource (HR) teams because many are unfamiliar with managing and motivating employees working in this arrangement. The sudden shift paired with the lack of knowledge on the part of HR teams has resulted in an increase of employees being demotivated, isolated, and overall detached from their employers, not to mention their roles. The communication problems as a result of hybrid work have also had a lasting impact on other aspects of employee management like employee evaluation due to altered work arrangements in place.
So, what happens when the very nature of Human Resources is upended, and the role of the department no longer resembles its origins or the past?
The answer: HR teams need to evolve beyond what they were originally built for.
This starts with HR professionals heavily encouraging their employers to adopt the right tools and techniques to mitigate the issues that they are facing to ensure optimum productivity and maintain employee well being. Choosing to invest in a suitable HRM solution can have a lasting impact in the long as well aid the evolution of HR management to match current employee needs.
Keep Up With The Ever Changing HR Practices With An HRM Solution
Since the onset of the pandemic, HR departments have been tasked with helping employees maintain interpersonal relationships, reduce employee isolation, and even ensure that employees are equipped to properly care for their mental health.
Being away from the office can be isolating and in turn demotivating. Employees could often use a pick-me-up from their employers in the form of a motivational, personalized message which also serves as a reminder of the vision and mission of the company while working from home. To implement this, HR teams could look to employ HRM tools to make these available for all to see, serving as a guidepost for employees as they may struggle or be feeling a little overwhelmed. For example, WorkSmartly has successfully assisted Sony employees in creating this effect through their Mission Whiteboard and Value Go-live features. This had marked results in pulling employees back into focus when they worked from home during Malaysia’s Movement Control Order.
HRM Systems Are Now Essential For Business To Thrive
Monitoring and measuring employee performance is the major issue many companies struggled with when people started working from home. There have been many trials and of course, errors that we have seen across all industries that ranged from intense micro-management to looser models that barely kept employees accountable for their actions. However, the consensus was that managers cannot watch all employees at all times, necessitating an application or a tool that could keep an eye on everyone and report impartially.
Therefore, quick and handy tools like an appropriate HRM system can help ensure effective two-way communication, providing employees with a safe space to share their thoughts and ensure that constructive feedback is being delivered to both parties. Moreover, in the current climate every company needs an HRM system for baseline management tasks like payslip records, leave application, expense claims and so on.
Using this application that quantifies the behaviour of employees and tracks the success rate can be beneficial to establishing and maintaining efficient practices. For example, the WorkSmartly system has been used by Sony to measure and monitor employee performance. This has resulted in 98.6% employee attendance and punctuality with less than 1% attrition rate.
Ultimately, features offered by tools like WorkSmartly can assist an HR department to manage the changing and increasing workload while keeping things simple and easy for employees. Choosing the right HRM system can benefit the company as a whole and not just the HR department. It is a new era in HR and you need the right tools to survive this evolution.
