The COVID-19 crisis has a major impact on organisations, their staffing and the HR choices they are forced to make. Your leadership is being put to the test, both as far as your response to the crisis is concerned and in terms of your plans for the future. The decisions you make as you adapt to the new situation determine how successful your business will be in the future. As a leader, how do you decide the best way forward through this crisis? BDO can help.
Three phases: REACT, RESILIENCE and REALISE
The situation is different for every organisation and sector. We have identified three phases that you and your organisation will have to navigate in the COVID-19 crisis. This three-phase model will help you gain a clear understanding of your potential challenges and business priorities.
REACT: giving your employees direction in these times of crisis
To absorb some of the initial impact, the Dutch government put together a support package that you have had to apply for as soon as it was made available. Besides this government support, executives, managers and team leaders have a crucial role to play, now more than ever. You are expected to give direction and guidance to your employees in a situation fraught with uncertainty. How do you guarantee the health and safety of your employees? What changes will you be making and how do you plan to implement them? A helicopter view and effective communication are key in this context. In a hectic period such as this, you need to be approachable and visible as a leader. If you acknowledge the impact of the crisis, the commitment of your employees and the varying interests that are at play, and show personal involvement and responsibility, your employees will be more confident that you are in control and that you can offer perspective. And, even though you cannot say much about the actual impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on your organisation at this particular point, you do need to share with them what actions you are taking and what your concerns are.
RESILIENCE: changes in organisational structure
This disruptive period will mobilise your employees. The nature of roles will change and the context will be different. You may find that your painstakingly built corporate culture and your carefully defined corporate values will be threatened and that leadership requirements will change; these times call for effective tools for coping with resistance to change and the skill to manage change. Another relevant question you should ask yourself is whether your salary structure and pay matrix are still adequate in times of crisis.
There are many instances in which the government support package falls short and cannot guarantee the continuity of your organisation (over time). As an employer, you need to explore your options for taking effective restructuring measures and avoiding having to let employees go. If a role is subject to drastic change or is phased out and the person who used to fulfil it cannot be offered a suitable alternative, we can provide professional and appropriate support in helping them find a new job in or outside your organisation.
REALISE: talent development and strategic recruitment
At the moment, every organisation faces a vastly changing context and entirely different customer expectations than they did before. Your employees are asked to take on more, fewer or different duties and responsibilities as a result. Chances are that your current job classification system will have to be redesigned since it is no longer a good fit for today’s world and the future. If your project pipeline has dried up, for instance, or your processes need to be streamlined, how do you keep your people onboard and motivated? We would be happy to offer input by helping you map out your processes, duties and responsibilities, identifying the competencies you need, developing customised talent development programmes or addressing strategic recruitment issues for your key positions.
More information
Please feel free to contact one of our specialists if you have any questions about how to improve your HR processes. They can help you perform an in-depth analysis and come up with solutions for your specific situation.