Rethinking HR leadership

The good HR leader always adapts their behavior to the changing circumstances. The pandemic has caused an even bigger shift in how leaders need to work. Leaders should solve problems fast and efficiently, in circumstances that are unknown and uncertain, while also prioritizing their workers' safety and well-being. Of course, remote work has only made their job more challenging, therefore new strategies should be elaborated to keep up productivity.

Let’s take a look at some factors that a HR leader needs to pay attention to, especially during the pandemic:

1. Empathetic leadership

Empathy is key in leadership. Remote working can cause problems like the work and life interfering with each other and longer working horus to keep up with workload. If the leader doesn’t devote attention to the challenges that workers facer, he should expect burnt-out employees who don’t perform well.

2. Ethical leading

Ethical working and a trustworthy work environment is always essential for leader and employees. Because of remote working, the importance of creating a solid work ethic has increased. Even though supervision is inevitably looser, leaders’ solid work ethic has a positive effect on employee’s work ethic.

3. Recognizing feedback

If we are open to employee feedback, and communicate in an honest manner, it motivates employees to work better. It is also essential for a leader to be able to provide feedback in an understandable and appropriate way. In a data-driven world, which can easily demotivate people, it is even more relevant to provide opportunity for support and honest, goal-driven communication.

4. Building connections

To build and maintain relationships within- and outside the organization was always a crucial factor in a leader’s work efficiency. Collaborations and supporting colleagues and clients is more important than ever due to the pandemic.

5. Selecting and keeping the best employees

Not everybody is suitable for remote working. It is not necessarily true that the workers who perform best in the office, will perform best at home. HR’s duty is to ensure that in the new situation every job is done by motivated and capable workers. For this, it is necessary to adapt our recruitment and development needs identifying system (tests, questionnaires, simulation exercises) to the new situation.

6. Development

Executive coaching can provide help in developing leaders. It can be individual or in a group form and it can be online or in-person. On these occasions, we deliver the ideal combination of measurement and development in our one-on-one meetings. We help uncover strengths and development areas. This type of information facilitates improved decision making when it comes to development or organisational change.

The original blogpost can be accessed here.