SynFiny Advisors continue the HR breakfast series – “Let’s HRbreakfast!”
Over the past 6 months our life in all its dimensions surpasses all possible and impossible manifestations of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity)

Work is where we are

Since March companies have gone from organizing work from home (processes, systems, workplace equipment – appliances, furniture) to adopting a model where employees work remotely from any geographic location. But not all industries can afford this, so there are lots of hybrid options – some employees work from home on a full-time basis, 10 to 30% work from the office 1 to 3 days a week, or a week from the office – a week from home. Many people use online platforms to plan work from the office and align specific schedule with the line manager. Production assets are operating as usual.

Emerging issues and ways to handle

• The current situation forced many to extend the remote work until the end of the calendar year.
• Employees adjusted to working from any place and are creating their own new way of life, and with it the risks for employers (for example, requests to have more flexibility in the work schedule, the ability to leave the city for a long time).
• Employees expect more and more attention and positive communication from their managers at various levels – moving from a culture of control to a culture of motivation.
• Conflict, anxiety, demotivation have increased, there are growing problems with disconnected cameras during meetings, refusal to wear masks when working from the office, etc.
• Social connections are weakening, so more and more often employees request corporate events in a small-team format. A virtual corporate party has certainly become the norm.
• The corporate culture is moving into an online format, the issues of maintaining and preserving culture remain valid.

We work 24/7

Most of us were not in the habit of working online, and online “drags on” outside of normal working hours. There are more meetings, decisions are made faster, there are less distractions and off-subject discussions.
The differences between the teams in terms of productivity and quality are very visible, and employers have already drawn their practical conclusions.

Working from the office as the greatest privilege

Until recently we could not have thought of working from the office as the most coveted perk. Many employees ask for the opportunity to work from the office, and the reasons can be very different – to switch from home environment, to socialize, wear office dress, finish an important project or task without distractions.

Movement towards each other

Now is the time for a healthy imbalance towards executives’ soft skills. Our participants called this trend “Moving towards a culture of motivation” – meaning more positive and less formal managerial pressure, being more human and sincere in communicating with teams. The movement has already begun!

Rebuilding severed social ties

In anticipation of the corporate virtual New Year some companies took advantage of the warm and sunny weather and held team-building events in the open air in compliance with all the requirements of social distance. Those who finished the fiscal year in the summer hosted virtual corporate events across multiple countries and time zones. The online recognition and reward system is also working well (e.g. a personal letter from the General Director and a digital certificate as a gift).

New employees

The quarantine period helped to finally move to the online format of hiring employees at all levels. The onboarding process requires face to face with the team and immersion in work processes. We have accumulated a positive experience of full online onboarding, however there are also cases when online format of getting to know the company does not work out and new employees leave in the first three to four months.

Formation of new habits

The time of quarantine has driven a serious reassessment of life values. For most people it has stressed the importance of the active lifestyle and work-life balance.

Well being firmly in the top position

Employees are increasingly more open to discuss the loneliness, depression, and personal effectiveness at work with a psychologist, and there has been a surge in interest in financial literacy programs.
Employers request systemic programs, marathons to change staff behaviors and take conscious care of themselves.
Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) are becoming integral part of corporate culture.

We would like to thank our partners Dobroservice and Summarylib for their cooperation.

Take care of yourselves!
We will HRbreakfast again in November!