MANAGEMENT
“IT IS POSSIBLE YOU CAN EMERGE WITH TRUST ENHANCED. WHAT PEOPLE DO IN THIS MOMENT OF UNLOCKDOWN WILL BE CRITICAL FOR THEIR FUTURE.” ANDREW HILL, FINANCIAL TIMES JOURNALIST
recently in the US and UK, as well as already in France – and the faith employees put in the employers to do the right thing on every level – means how companies restructure post-Covid-19 is going to critical. “I’m very struck by Edelman’s Trust Barometer,” said Peter
Cheese. “The most recent one, for 2019, shows that in business, the biggest determinant of trust is how you treat your people. This is a time when we will all be judged on how we respond. “If the 2008 put chief financial officers in the spotlight, then
this pandemic has put chief human resources in the spotlight. For HR, it’s about having the confidence and courage as a profession to drive this.”
TIME TO TRUST AND BE TRUSTED Joining Peter Cheese at the virtual festival’s session on how the pandemic has forced responsible business to show its face, Amanda MacKenzie, chief executive of Business in the Community, Veronica Hope-Hailey, university vice president (corporate relations) and dean of the School of Management, University of Bath, and Andrew Hill, management editor of the Financial Times, agreed trust is a focus now more than ever before. This is for everyone who remains in the organisation, as well as
for those whose roles no longer exist or have changed dramatically. Andrew Hill, Financial Times journalist, said: “It is extremely
likely some companies will come out of this having ruined trust because of how they have read the situation. It is possible you can emerge with trust enhanced. What people do in this moment of unlockdown will be critical for their future.” Acknowledging every organisation is in a unique situation in
this respect, Veronica Hope-Hailey said: “Some businesses are more in the spotlight and will have to be more responsible than others as they come out of the crisis. For example, those like banks, where people can’t run their lives without them. They are under great scrutiny when it comes to how they are going to make redundancies with integrity.”
MAKING COMPASSION A REALITY IN A VIRTUAL WORLD Acting with responsibility and compassion is difficult, yet even more important, in these times of transition. Many employees remain unable to be physically present in workplaces. Collective and individual consultation about redundancy or redeployment will therefore be challenging. Video-conferencing technology has its limitations and is no
panacea for face-to-face conversations and the human touch. What can HR and global managers do then as we all move on to the post-pandemic world? Veronica Hope-Hailey offered a three-step approach. “First,
think about how to deal with those who lose out. Academic research shows that someone can feel a decision is unfair, but their sense of injustice can be mitigated if they feel how they were treated on an interpersonal level and the procedures are fair. “Second, think about your survivors. Show how you are working
from a strong values base and a sense of purpose. “Third, don’t become the scapegoat. Get business managers
alongside you. You may be the messenger, but don’t carry all the blame. And watch and care for those leaving the business.”
BE CREATIVE ABOUT SKILLS As the CBI, the CIPD and others have said, the skills agenda is a critical piece of the bigger puzzle. This is especially because, as Professor Scott highlights, there is a temptation for businesses to replace people with cheap technology, rather than technology that augments human skills as we go into the recovery. How businesses partner with higher education and further
education and invest in their workforces will remain critical for lifelong learning and developing the skills that organisations need. UK business representative body, the CBI’s outgoing director
general, Carolyn Fairbairn, warned in a letter to PM Boris Johnson on this issue that without immediate intervention, pre-crisis inequalities across regions, gender and race will worsen. “Time is of the essence. Smart, fast policy is needed now to accelerate the process to minimise the human cost.”
For more coverage of the CIPD’s Festival of Work and comprehensive coverage see the HR and International Assignment sections on
www.relocateglobal.com. Download free Factsheet resources from our Global Mobility Toolkit.
12 | RELOCATE | SUMMER 2020
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