In the first of a three-part series looking at the COVID-19 pandemic and worker displacement, Emma Smith and Ross Smith look at the accelerating effect the outbreak will have on the future of work.
Archive
April 2020
As an organizational psychologist, I’m curious about the role of leaders in a virtual work world with uncertain futures. Leaders are looked to for guidance during these uncharted times, but assuming we have to revert to command-and-control leadership to get everything done is wrong. Collaborative leadership is desperately needed at this moment in history.
Why Collaborative Leadership?
Can you feel and see the rumblings of the next phase of the COVID-19 crisis on the horizon? We’ve been in a mix of constant change, uncertainty and regulatory direction. People are getting antsy. People are getting even more expressive and emotional. The feeling isn’t all good either. With the inevitable lifting of restrictions, people are voicing their opinions on timing, the extent of movement and political posturing is growing. To be honest, this next phase can be almost as unsettling as the front part of this time in our history.
You may be sitting at home right now, asking yourself this very question! I wonder what my CEO prefers I do in my role. It’s a valid question, and one I find that great HR leaders already know the answer to, because they ask the question, often!
Human Resources professional Madeline Mann tells you everything you need to know to give you an edge in the job search during this trying time.
Tracie Sponenberg, Chief People Officer for the Granite Group, shares how her HR team and senior leaders are communicating continually, and with transparency, through the COVID-19 crisis.
In recent weeks the podcast has covered critical topics like the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and how HR technology providers are supporting businesses during this time. Today, we’re going to take a step toward engaging those workers that are working remotely, many of them doing so for the first time.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a profound shift in workplaces across the United States and the world. “Because we’ve always done it that way” is suddenly out the window. Instead, much of the American workforce has had to get creative and find new ways of working.
SHRM asked human resource professionals to share their stories about something that has made a difference in their HR careers.
Trisha Zulic, Senior Director, Business Operations and Strategy at WSA Distributing, Inc. shares how she is connecting with and supporting her people managers every day. "It's important to make sure you’re taking care of your people managers," says Zulic, "because they are the people shaping the culture of your organization.”
Getting laid off is never easy, but the coronavirus crisis has made the experience even more harrowing for many workers today. You may have already heard about organizations laying off employees en-masse via gigantic Zoom meetings or emails. When these terrible tales started making the news, I was truly shocked.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has forced many employees and teams to work remotely as businesses try to maintain operations. This new model of work is putting company culture to the test. Without physical interaction and typical processes, employees may not feel as connected or productive. Leaders need to adapt their culture to accommodate the current reality of working so that employees remain rooted in the culture while teleworking.
Over the last few months, we have seen a historically large policy response across the globe, as governments continue adjusting to the new world of work brought upon by this pandemic. Governments have taken unprecedented actions, ranging from school closures, travel bans, non-essential business closures, social distancing, among others—as reflected in the maps below.[1]
The last few weeks of the Covid19 pandemic have been unlike anything we have seen in the workforce during our lifetime with excellent coverage from SHRM. On top of the health risks of a global pandemic, we are adjusting to entire companies shifting from working alongside each other to working from home. As if that wasn’t challenging enough, schools have closed and working parents are now part-time educators (and tech support for the various educational software systems).
Taking an academic break from Xbox.
Chapter 2- The One-Room Schoolhouse Start-Up
The Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is challenging us all in ways we could never imagine. More employers are reevaluating their paid leave policies to address the spread of COVID-19 and as a part of their business plan.
I hope you’ll join Richard Lowery, Chris Mullen, and me for the SHRM webinar: Learning from Times of Uncertainty: HR's Critical Role in Business Continuity on Tuesday, April 7, at noon ET. We look forward to having a candid conversation about HR’s vital role in business continuity with the HR community!
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is reshaping every aspect of our nation as we know it. One of the most fundamental issues facing Americans in this crisis is the capacity of the health care system.
Steve Browne, SHRM-SCP, vice president of HR at LaRosa's Inc., and member of the SHRM board of directors, talks about the value of staying connected while we are social distancing.
View more HR Storytellers.
Small businesses often have to compete against bigger companies who can offer candidates better benefits and higher compensation. This means that small businesses have to innovate in order to compete. Whether it’s company culture, diversity, or purpose, it’s imperative to find something that sets you apart from the corporations.
In the weeks since COVID-19 proceeded to turn our workplaces inside out, I have received dozens of calls from my fellow CEOs looking for insights and advice. Many are asking SHRM about best practices for protecting their workers and transitioning to a virtual operation.
Others are looking for help making hard decisions about furloughs, layoffs, and sustainability of the enterprise itself.
With the global COVID-19 outbreak, many companies have adopted a remote work policy to keep employees safe and prevent further spread of the virus.
With the outbreak of COVID-19, both governors and state legislatures have been the true “boots on the ground” leading their respective state’s response to COVID-19. The spread of the virus across all 50 states, as we have all now seen, has had a dramatic effect on the workplace, and our daily lives.
Almost overnight, our work lives have been dramatically altered, with businesses announcing mandatory telecommuting during COVID-19. It has been amazing to see the corporate leadership surrounding this and people coming together to fight the pandemic, so the work-life disruption is a small price to pay. While those of us able to work from home are certainly blessed to have that option, it has led to new realities.