Promi Pradhan
We have gone into PRIORITIZATION mode. Prioritization…difficult to pronounce, equally difficult to manage and execute. What is essential remains to be our focus, a strikingly significant fallout, or shall we say a boon of the Covid-19 pandemic. We can see approaches to life, to career and most other things have changed.
Individually, many have started questioning their purpose, what makes them happy, and if it is worth all their effort? True for many now, money is not the single motivating factor to stay in a job or in a situation that no longer brings in happiness and satisfaction. So, what extra thing motivates individuals each day to strive ahead. Is it the career, the bills, the loans, the essentials, the judging by society? … the list goes on and on. However, things have changed for many since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic to do what is right for them. Today, individuals honor their time, intelligence, associations, and choices.
Lately, physical and mental wellbeing has gained apt awareness and acknowledgment from individuals. This too has been recognized by organizations that, ‘a happy employee is a happy organization’. It may be worthwhile to review the existing energy levels within our team as well as the organization as a whole. This is the basic mantra that HR professionals sometimes skip and fail to attend as we go neck-deep with responsibilities surrounding us.
HR’s role has always been about adopting and adapting to changing situations. They adapt to new tools and respond to address these fast-changing and unknown situations. Sometimes they succeeded and other times they did not. Amongst many other agendas, the pressing issue of motivating and retaining good human resources is looming large on HR professionals more so after the pandemic.
The larger purpose of all efforts within an organization is to streamline systems and processes. However, we sometimes miss out on the ‘human’ factor. Today, organizations ensure that they take care of their employees. From curated activities such as ‘Performance Appraisal’, ‘Learning and Development’, ‘Employee Assistance Program’ to offering regular counseling and coaching to their employees, organizations ensure that good HR practices are being followed.
However, it takes two to tango. The challenge is whether the employees reciprocate and are on the same page of understanding the expectation of the organization. Therefore, two-way communication at every level plays a significant role and it is simply not enough for either group to make assumptions. Assumptions can be counter-effective to all these efforts.
To move ahead, both organizations and individuals need to come to a common understanding. Organizations are focusing on efficiency and productivity and are communicating this requirement to all. While organizations are putting in their efforts to stay afloat in these challenging times, they expect employees to align themselves accordingly. Today, goals and objectives are no longer a secret. Organizational work dynamics are changing where bureaucracy has been superseded by leaner structure. Leadership, partnership, collaboration, and innovation are prioritized, and employees are encouraged to participate making it a rewarding experience for both parties.
HR along with team leaders continue to face multifaceted challenges. The question, therefore, is: how much is too much? how differently can we manage? And, how do we validate what’s right and wrong?
HR development is an ongoing and a continued process. As HR professionals we need to be mindful and conscientiously know what lens we are approaching every situation that presents itself to us.
Promi Pradhan is VP-HR / IR / ICT / Admin / Legal at Nimbus Holdings Pvt. Ltd.
