Towards resilient recuperation

In the last two years, the world witnessed one of the gravest, widespread and unprecedented disruptions. It was a signal to the fast-moving community of homo-sapiens to pause; and revisit, reinvent and rediscover themselves. As businesses reshaped, declined, emerged and re-emerged, everyone faced the crisis in his/her own capacity. As the Chief People's Officer of one of India's largest commercial enterprises, my biggest concern was to keep my half a million regular workforce engaged during this trying time so that they could maintain an essential supply chain by keeping the kitchens and the engines ignited all over the country.

When COVID circumstances restricted the movement of our workforce, to ensure that people did not feel drained out, we provided re-enforcement and relief in the form of movement of people from other functions or other installations. Instant decision-making with an agile and adaptable mindset turned out to be the winning stroke! It is an important lesson for organisations to revisit their HR strategies, wherein the focus must shift towards hiring and engaging talent that is agile and willing to adapt in any situation. Such traits must be equally supported by an alignment towards the organisational vision. We practised the above three through authentic communication so that there was complete transparency and no panic. We learnt that handling crisis communication was the hallmark of our successful management of uncertain conditions.

A recent study has highlighted that with changing times, a holistic outlook of issues, empathy, stakeholder management and strategic perspectives should be nurtured amongst leaders and managers. It is important for the HR fraternity in organisations to implement and promote experience-driven development of leaders and leverage their on-the-job learning. As a consequence of COVID-19, the swift technological changes, increasing concerns for employee health and well-being, and the dynamic shift in expectations have not just put HR on the centrestage but taken it to a different pedestal.

Organisations have tried hard to turn the COVID crisis into an opportunity by creating an ecosystem of experimentation, evolution, and providing purpose to their employees / associate workforce so that they remain relevant in the transition times. The organisations which harnessed empathy and focused on ensuring every individual was constantly enriching himself / herself while pursuing business excellence, have stayed resilient.

As we move towards imagining a post-pandemic era, we must gauge the impact of our altered mindsets on our future. Hierarchy-driven management systems based on bureaucratic control will no longer be effective. To put it simply, we must stay focused on enhancing employees' experience at every level. And for that to happen, let us ensure that we prioritise employees' well-being at all times. The reasons for which employees stay with a company are shifting away from factors like higher compensation to things like opportunity for professional growth. Career development, a sense of belonging, and meaningful work are the key factors influencing employees' commitment.

The forthcoming IFTDO World Conference in New Delhi will bring together thought leaders, entrepreneurs, academicians and practitioners from across the globe to deliberate on strategies for an agile work-culture, and show new vistas to create pathways for the post-pandemic era. COVID-19 has given a clarion call to all organisations that the continuity of business is to be viewed more from a socially sustainable lens than solely from a capitalist lens, in sync with the philosophy of the government to ensure a human-based approach. During the last two years, the core values and culture of organisations emerged on the surface and were visible in every action that unfolded. It is my firm belief that an organisation with a well-ordered people fabric, core values and strong fundamentals, can make its human resources "habituated to challenges" and maintain business sustainability par excellence, irrespective of any circumstances.

Organisations need to surround work development experiences with effective learning practices and help individuals understand how to use their skills and experience to fuel leadership development. This might include tools for reflecting on experience, networking, and timely skilling / reskilling / upskilling. The four tracks of the IFTDO conference – skills, technology, markets and sustainability – address the areas that have emerged as opportunities where HR can play a key role in bringing out new ideas and solutions.

The crisis could have won over and wiped-out humanity; however, the leaders across the world have ensured that this did not happen. Billions of people worked tirelessly to ensure the health, safety, well-being and survival of billions of others. It was in this situation that human values and principles of humane leadership made their indomitable presence in ensuring that the spirit of mankind prevailed. We look forward to further reinforcing those spirits and contributing through newer pathways to the new age during the IFTDO World Conference.

The writer is Director, HR, Indian Oil Corporation. Views expressed are personal