The pandemic brought labor practices that are here to stay

October 27, 2020 4 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

^{By Sergio Porragas / Director of Operations (COO) of OCCMundial.}

• Those in charge of talent management within companies have a fundamental task to promote the necessary skills in employees in the face of this new reality, uphold the values within the organization, support and care for the work team and ensure that the objectives are met of the company.

The health emergency, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, is causing an intense process of transformation in organizations, which has given impetus to a series of labor practices and human resource trends that are here to stay.

In this way we see that the first of these, and the main one, is the implementation of remote work , which although it was already used in some companies, under this context became the way to carry out the operation and maintain the continuity of business. Now, the question revolves around how companies will return after the pandemic and how much the home office will evolve, because there is no doubt that the way of working will change

Likewise, we see the development of virtual meetings instead of face-to-face meetings, either with the leadership team, with co-workers or with any of the interest groups of the companies, be they business partners, strategic allies, institutions , agencies, clients, etc.

Thus, in order for virtual models to be carried out successfully, and above all safely, it is important to establish strict protocols for the exchange of information by providing teleworking with an encrypted channel through a VPN network, requesting the regular installation of updates Security related to operating systems, Internet browser versions and extensions and add-ons. In addition to other measures, such as cloud storage, the use of antivirus, strengthening of passwords, among others.

^{Image: Daria Nepriakhina via Unsplash}

On the other hand, another practice that is gaining ground is labor flexibility, although it was already part of the demands of employees, in recent months it has taken a leading role in human resource strategies to adapt actions to current work dynamics and the needs of each member of the work team.

Related to the above and with the clear objective of looking out for the well-being of employees, it is extremely important that organizations comply with the guidelines of the authority, at the same time that they design strategies that take care of their collaborators and strengthen their commitment, by For example, to provide them with support to maintain their physical and emotional health during this transition and thus help them face the present and future challenges in our companies.

Everything mentioned above results in a greater need for emotional salary. For example, in the OCCMundial “Labor Thermometer” 8 out of 10 workers in Mexico said that they would value having extra days off, which would help combat the intense stress they are beginning to feel. 9%, for their part, considered that verbal recognition would be a good way for companies to strengthen ties with their people and make them know their worth; while 3% said that organizations could pay for training courses that improve their skills or legal advice to fix issues raised during the pandemic.

The actions that have been carried out under this context are already part of the current work dynamics and became part of the talent management strategies, and even the growth of the companies will depend on being able to incorporate them successfully and permanently .

Those in charge of talent management within companies have a fundamental task to promote the necessary skills in employees in the face of this new reality, uphold the values within the organization, support and care for the work team and monitor that the objectives are met. of the company.