If you prefer to read, Neelie helpfully included this roundup–not a complete transcript as she probably got bored typing all my “umms”
HR lessons from 2020
SL: There are so many things that we’ve learned in HR this year. One of those things indeed goes back to working from home because before Covid everybody said that the number one benefit they wanted was the option to work from home. Some people have been thrilled about it and some companies have completely closed their offices and will never go back. Other people, however, have learned that they actually love the office.
I think this gives us a mind switch in HR. For years, we’ve been fighting with business leaders and said that if a job can be done from home there is no reason it shouldn’t be done from home and we’ve been pushing for that. Now we have got to take a step back and ask ourselves whether that’s best for our people. If it isn’t best for our people, then it isn’t best for our business because what we need is happy people.
To keep reading, click here: What HR Can Learn from 2020 (incl. the most important skill)
Regarding COVID-19 policies, I do think organizations need to adopt a universal policy for all of their locations. The current spread of the pandemic in America is such that — frankly — we need to assume that everyone we encounter is a potential carrier. Groups that we — previously — assumed were low-risk now appear less so. A 17-year-old died from the coronavirus in my area yesterday. Frankly, we simply still do not know enough about this disease — and its effects (especially, long-term) on all segments of our population — to, safely, exclude anyone from protective efforts. But, we do know that everyone, regardless of their personal likelihood of dying from the disease, can certainly spread it. If we want to build flexibility into the policy, based on regional differences, we can insert factual benchmarks, such as, if the infection rate, for example, in the area is within a particular range, do this. Ultimately, you want as clear standards as practicable, with as little left to managerial discretion as possible.