From Microsoft to Marico to Mindtree, the new priorities of HR heads

• A Microsoft report said that two things will remain even after the pandemic is over — flexible work arrangements and talent landscape.
• 40% of the global workforce is considering leaving their employers this year, popularly termed as ‘Great Resignation’.
• HR heads are now focusing not only on the mental well-being of their employees, but also emphasising on physical wellness as well.

The new hybrid working style, which was adopted by almost all the organisations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has proved to be highly effective as it doesn't seem to have decreased the productivity of the employees.

A report by Microsoft, dated March 2021, said that two things will remain for sure even after the pandemic is over — flexible work arrangements and talent landscape. Remote working has definitely created a lot of job opportunities, has offered more time to spend with family and friends and even saved time of commuting.

However, the second wave shifted the preferences of employees. The report further highlighted that 40% of the global workforce is considering leaving their employers this year, popularly termed as ‘Great Resignation’, which is said to have already started.

Another report by Mckinsey says that employees don’t know what they want and are reevaluating their relationships with work. The major reason behind this could be the fusion of work and personal life.

“Work hours are not defined, your bedroom is your office, your drawing room is your home, there is absolutely no line between office and home, both have merged, said Paneesh Rao, chief human resources officer (CHRO) of Mindtree, an information technology (IT) consulting firm based in Bengaluru, during the Future of Work event hosted by Business Insider on September 16 and 17.

“This increase in optionality, combined with a greater disconnect between personal lives and work obligations, is driving workers to reevaluate their relationships with their employers, as well as with their work”, said a Mckinsey report, which came out in July this year.

These are some of the current priorities and issues of the human resource heads to tackle and resolve.

Employee well-being

Company heads are now focusing not only on the mental well-being of their employees, but also emphasising on physical wellness as well. “As the third wave of COVID-19 is still a prediction, it might happen or it might not happen so it is important right now to continue the wellness, and communication. As people are getting vaccinated, they are losing focus on their safety. It is important for people to understand that the COVID-19 cases may spike again,” said Amit Prakash, chief human resource officer of Marico Limited, a multinational consumer goods company based in Mumbai.

Embrace the work model

As remote working has become the new normal, many organisations will continue the new style and will hire new employees in this mode. “We have to embrace the new hybrid working model, it's not a choice anymore. In March last year, when we used to work from the office, since then it's been a big change,” said Anupam Kaura, president of human resources of CRISIL Limited, a subsidiary of America’s S&P Global.

Manager capability

During the Future of Work event, when asked about the current preferences, all the panelists who are also the human resources heads of their respective companies agreed to the point that the role of managers is going to be more critical in the future. Managers/leaders will have to be more flexible and will have to connect with their subordinates individually. “We are focusing on our managers to empower on or handle outflow or inflow of the talent. We want to empower them with decentralised decision making and flexibility -- a decision that managers will have to take,” said Sricharan C, head of human resources of WazirX, a bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange.

Culture building

“The 25% of the workforce who joined in the last two years, we have seen them on screen only, not connected with them physically. They are connected with us commercially only, not emotionally, so we are trying to work on that. We want to build a culture where our employees can connect with us both emotionally and professionally,” added Paneesh Rao of Mindtree.

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