People first

Given the changing nature of work in light of COVID-19, companies are increasingly employing different measures to actively support their workers, clients, and communities and create a culture of collaboration and security.

AMID A WORLD ECONOMY notably affected by the impact of the pandemic, Latin America is poised to become one of the most affected regions, according to the World Bank. The long-term consequences for economic growth, employment, and human welfare will be deep. Therefore, there are good reasons to start to be worried. If we put it in another way: It’s time to get down to work.

In order to ensure business continuity and protect employees, many companies have intensified their measures to actively support their workers, clients, and communities. It is evident that there is a common willingness to develop a different work realty and, although the pandemic leaves a legacy of grief, it could open an opportunity to lay the foundations to build a better world, while also implement a much needed mindset reset in every venture that requires collaboration, synergy, and resilience between the public and private sector.

Having that challenge on mind, we asked 24 change leaders to assess the Peruvian companies’ transition agenda in relation to their talent management policies during the 2020 pandemic. The response that prevailed was that the pace of cultural and digital transformation has been accelerated, and that more professionals are convinced that modeling new behaviors is essential to achieve a sustainable change at every level.

CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AND PEOPLE: A CAPSTONE FOR SUSTAINABLE CHANGE

To achieve a cultural transformation, businesses will face a challenge to successfully ensure that their collaborators adapt themselves to the new habits and skills. It is not possible to have an effective organizational change without changing at a personal level. To achieve that, it is essential to reinvent everything under the light of a common and inspiring purpose. Activating interpersonal influence networks and confidence regardless of the job position, involving the collaborators in key decisions, boosting agility and accountability, reinventing a new leadership based on some issues that before were not a priority under a new mindset focused on people, and communicating, communicating, communicating in spaces reserved for a dual strategy, in an online environment and in confidence.

To achieve that, teams and leaders require to go through their own transformation process, which has been accelerated due to the radical changes in our personal and work life, by including into the equation the technological factor and the reinvented skills to reinforce the online collaborative work, for example, in the new modalities of learning, agility, empathy, cognitive flexibility, and self-management, among others.

PROTECTING COLLABORATORS

In this situation, companies adopted some solidarity and proactive measures to protect their collaborators working remotely and by planning a roadmap to return to the office. These measures help to mitigate the negative effects in the collaborators and their respective relatives. This also caused a redefinition of the process and digital solutions to achieve that due to the health emergency.

LISTEN TO EMPLOYEES’ VOICES

Additionally, the internal communication spaces play a leading role to guide, listen, and comprehend the employees. There constantly are new innovative mechanisms to monitor and measure the emotions, opinions, concerns, and perceptions of the collaborator who works remotely, in an office, or under a hybrid working model. Companies have faced a challenge to implement initiatives that contributed to manage the initial concerns and anxieties for either the health emergency or the stability of their jobs, as well as looking after their collaborators, families, and communities. All of that helped to create an ecosystem of collaboration and a culture of security.

HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE NEW WORKING MODEL

The implementation of these initiatives has permitted to accelerate in many cases

the learning and transition process to safely return to work. Companies implemented comprehensive health and safety plans that were constantly adjusted based on risk management evaluation politics. Moreover, some firms focused on generating new health habits. The segmentation of collaborators based on health conditions has been a relevant factor for health management, identifying who needed to work from home or in the field. This segmentation also identified changes to roles that were to be applied based on productivity and risk metrics.

THE REINVENTED EXPERIENCE OF COLLABORATORS

The economic situation has also allowed companies to redesign the employee value proposition, generating different organizational experiences for their collaborators. One step has been to provide responses to new questions such as what the employees need, how they feel, what they need to know, and what they want to listen. Another step has been to adopt new methods for remote work that promote productivity and efficiency, including new methodologies and work structures, etc. All those initiatives are aligned to the changes and adjustments to the changes in the operative and business model, which have not been easy to implement and have been carried out in most cases on the run.

TECHNOLOGY AS AN ENABLER OF CHANGE AND NEW SKILLS

The digitalization of process has also made easier to implement remote working. About 56% of companies migrated to digital platforms (collaboration tools, creation of better central data, and information on knowledge, and so on) in order to ensure a fast, safe, and responsible response for every stakeholder (ABE Award 2020). Businesses have seen that as an opportunity that implies many challenges. Remote working has brought advantages, such as savings for the collaborators in food and transportation expenses, in addition to the development of new skills (digital and soft skills), an opportunity to re-connect with relatives, and the development of new healthy habits, among other benefits. All of this has strengthened the value contribution to this new reality.

REMOTE WORKING IS HERE TO STAY

An EY study showed that 84% of collaborators are seeking better digital tools to have a better remote working experience, while 78% of employees plan to respond to those requirements by creating opportunities to improve the remote working experience in an attempt to guarantee connectivity and collaboration. This 78% group also wants to evaluate the policies around the communication of the programmed working hours, and the use of analysis to measure the productivity and commitment of remote work. Remote working is here to stay, and collaborators are expressing interest in remote and office environments. About 63% of employees who did not work remotely before COVID-19 now want to work under a hybrid model adjusted to the new working reality.

REINVENTING THE FUTURE OF TODAY’S WORK

The current environment is challenging companies by demonstrating the need to create crisis-resilient processes. Therefore, it will be important to strategically address the road towards transformation and the unpredictable circumstances that can threaten the business resilience in the future. Stronger human resources are the capstone to face times of extreme change, and the organizational culture and shared purpose.

Integrating different generations and mindsets, alongside the promotion of more digitalization and future unforeseen risks, will trigger the need to reinvent the policies and process in the working place so that the collaborators can add value through agility, commitment, virtual collaboration, widespread solidarity, and general welfare. Organizational change does not happen without personal change. Let’s begin by understanding our personal transformation process.