Digital transformation is not new. It has dominated boardroom conversations and conferences for over two decades now. Long-term cost benefits, agility, and scalability are perhaps the three most well documented outcomes of an ideal digital strategy. Given this, why is digital transformation still at the forefront of the corporate agenda? Well, the easy answer is, recent pandemic-induced work-form-home (WFH) programs. However, if you were to dig deeper, you’d realise that organisations have had varying levels of success with their digital strategy. While some companies have managed to nail down the formula, others haven’t enjoyed similar success.

Legacy solutions and excel records are still around. Are they digital? Yes, technically. Are they efficient? No. The pandemic has turned the business landscape into a Darwinian world. The mandate is clear – adapt or perish. Organisations that already have the processes, skills, and technologies to support their digital transformation journey have been spared the brunt of the pandemic. On the other hand, organisations that are yet to embrace digital 2.0, are struggling with the disruptive impact of the pandemic and the resulting economic ramifications.

As a function primarily focused on people, HR is in a unique position to accelerate and drive digital transformation within organisations to mitigate the impact of the pandemic and improve business performance in a post-covid world.

During the 2008 global recession, manufacturers in Germany used the downtime to retrain and upgrade factories. This helped German companies capture significant market share from American companies after the financial crisis. Commonly referred to as the kurzarbeit model, the strategy helped manufacturers save time that would otherwise have been spent rehiring and retraining labour they would have laid off.

The current situation presents a similar outlook for businesses in terms of opportunities and threats. And HR has quickly emerged as the top business function equipped to stage a turnaround. By making strategic investments in talent and technology, HR can transform organisations struggling to remain relevant in a post-covid world.

3 Ways HR Can Drive Business Transformation in Post-Covid World

It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that we are in the midst of the most significant shift in the world of work since the industrial revolution. Over the past few months, we’ve witnessed sweeping changes in the way we work, communicate, and engage with our organisation. Take remote work, for instance. Before the pandemic, remote work or WFH was a perk that only a handful of employers offered – often only once or twice a week or a month. Now, it seems, WFH is a business imperative for organizations everywhere.

Traditionally, organisations were reluctant to embrace the idea of remote work due to concerns over productivity, data security, and most of all, engagement. However, the pandemic has compelled HR leaders and organisations to adopt entirely new ways of working, where they have had to do away with physical office locations all together or temporarily make workplace technologies accessible to employees from the comfort of their homes.

Supporting this shift will require a change of perspective from the C-suite and better technology as well. Let’s see how HR can use a combination of talent, technology, and culture to transform how businesses evolve in a post-covid world:

1. Cloud-based learning and development programs:

While cloud-based learning management systems (LMS) have been around for some time, the distribution model will need to be adapted to deliver in-the-moment learning over reliable cloud infrastructure. The focus will also shift from learning content consumption to the overall learning experience. And that’s where digital learning systems promise to transform the way employees learn and acquire skills. If used strategically, HR teams should witness higher engagement and completion rates when it comes to digital learning programs.

At a time when reskilling or upskilling is a top-of-mind priority for both employees and employers, effective LMS systems can help you build a workforce of the future.

Organisations have reported that courses on how to use basic collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams or G-Suite, or optimizing time management resulted in a marked improvement in employee productivity.

In India, where a lot of employees are working out of their hometowns and villages, being able to deliver learning content that enables them to become more effective at their jobs is no longer just optional. There is a very real need for flexible, personalized, learning models that improve productivity, provide learners with bite-sized skills development options, and most of all – are easy to use.

While a complete learning infrastructure overhaul may not be possible for every organisation, you can always make incremental improvements to your existing learning solution. By tweaking the course content and providing easy accessibility from multiple devices, you can embark on your digital 2.0 journey.

2. Remote Recruitment and Talent Acquisition:

It may seem a little contentious to discuss hiring at a time when millions of jobs across India have been cut as a result of the pandemic. However, a recent survey by Manpower Group found that India is amongst a handful of countries that can expect a stronger hiring pace in Q3 and Q4 of 2020. The others being Japan, U.S., and China.

It is likely that you are already preparing to hire talent later this year. So, getting familiar with the ins and outs of virtual recruitment is key to landing top candidates. While most organisations will continue to use traditional video conferencing software like Zoom, Skype or Meet to conduct remote interviews, it is much easier to integrate interview data and run in-depth analysis if you use a purpose-built video interviewing software. Additionally, employer branded interviewing tools provide for a better and more personalized interviewing experience.

What’s more, if your interviewing solution is a part of a larger cloud-based HCM system, data consolidation and integration becomes seamless – leading to a lower time-to-hire and quicker onboarding.

For organisations looking to get ahead of the competition and hire better talent, remote recruitment offers an agile approach to talent acquisition. Here are a few ways you can make the most of remote recruitment in 2020:

• Brush up on your video interviewing skills: Video interviewing software is only as effective as the interviewer using it. You can prepare for video interviews by:
   
  1. Having a back-up line of communication if the interview is disrupted due to internet troubles
   
  2. Providing candidates will all the information they need before you send out an invite
   
  3. Ensure that your interviewing software is integrated with your ATS or HCM system
   
  4. Double check all your tech –  earphones, software, internet connection, and mic
   
  5. Establish a clear way for candidates to follow up after the interview
   
  6. Add interview notes to the candidate profile
 
• Make recruitment a collaborative process: With the absence of a physical office space, it is critical that you are able to collaborate seamlessly with other stakeholders within your organisation. For example, it is a good idea to provide hiring managers with access to recorded interviews and notes on the candidate. Ensure that your interviewing software or ATS can accommodate multiple users and facilitate team collaboration
• Focus on digital recruitment marketing: Everything from job posting to candidate engagement on social media should ideally be executed through your ATS or HCM system. Using a single platform to communicate with candidates will help you keep tabs on how they are progressing through your talent pipeline in real-time.     Additionally, using an intuitive hiring software for posting job ads and descriptions will enable you to maintain consistency, thereby, improving the candidate experience.
• Automate candidate communication: One of the biggest factors influencing how candidates perceive employers is communication. We’re all too familiar with recruiter ghosting. Where you appear for an interview and wait endlessly till and if the recruiter gets back to you. By using a combination of ATS and HCM systems you can easily     automate candidate communication across multiple channels such as email and SMS. In fact, all-in-one HCM systems with integrated video interviewing, scheduling, and engagement capabilities are best positioned to help you ace the remote recruiting game.

3.Continuous Performance Management:

It seems we will continue working remotely for the foreseeable future. With the second wave of the pandemic already on its way, we aren’t sure of when we’ll be able to head back to the office. Given this situation, it is only natural that HR teams institute a continuous performance management program that enables managers and team leaders to identify and eliminate barriers to optimal performance. By leveraging a combination of performance metrics and analytics, HR teams can measure employee contribution to the business in real-time.

Investing in an AI-based people analytics solution or a smart HCM system can help you gain insights into individual, team, and organisation-level performance in great detail. As we’ve mentioned above, it is always more advisable to purchase an all-in-one system instead of bolting multiple solutions together for seamless data exchange and collection.

In times of crisis, there is no substitute for preparation. And in the context of the world of work, preparedness comes from having the right mix of people, skills, and technologies in place as a hedge against further disruption. As Unlock 2.0 gathers pace, it is still uncertain whether we can return to work full-time. So, HR leaders must use this opportunity to develop a talent function that continues to contribute to the business top line even in the face of uncertainty.