People from different sectors, and with varying degrees of expertise have been trying to predict how the post- COVID- 19 world will appear like for the workforce. Through the broad estimates, four scenarios have emerged. The first is the possibility of there being digital enclaves. This is a situation where the economy has come back alive, but trust issues still remain between countries. This mars the social integration among people. Another is where the entire humanity now gets tech- powered. Under this situation, the world economy has recovered, and human interaction has not declined, but instead gone up. This is because people have realized the importance of social interactions. The third scenario is much scarier. In this, there is a prolonged economic recession worldwide. This has resulted in deepening of fissures between people, cultures and organizations. The fourth scenario gives us all hope. It is where talent recruitment hasn’t declined much in spite of the economic chaos reigning in. This is so because the civil society pulls together. Now, families, NGOs and communities battle on to support one another.

Source:https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/planning-post-covid-19-workforce-four-scenarios/

.Uploaded Date:09 June 2020

Remote working has been a rising trend over the past few years. For a lot of professionals, this actually meant taking work home, in addition to the grind of regular office anyway. However, now with the onset of the COVID- 19 pandemic, remote working has risen many fold. This has led to certain challenges on the mental health side. Due to the omnipresence of digital gadgets like phones and laptops, employees are made to experience an “always- on” feeling. To ensure that this does not lead to a future mental health pandemic, companies need to devise sound and empathetic talent management systems. Employees too need to work on building their willpower to stay strong at such times. Likewise boundaries too need to be erected which have to be stuck by. The communication, both internal as well as external, needs to be deliberate and direct.

Source:https://hbr.org/2020/05/how-to-cope-with-that-always-on-feeling?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=dailyalert_not_activesubs&referral=00563&deliveryName=DM81229

Uploaded Date:25 May 2020

It has been observed over time, that successful people aren’t necessarily happier than the others. This has also been noticed among students, where a similar comparison could be between the meritorious candidates, versus the rest. Top psychologist and talent management expert Laurie Santos, who is a trainer at Yale University, wanted to understand the crux of why this was happening. So, she launched a new programme titled “Psychology and Good Life”. This course was a grand success, where about a fourth of the top performers at Yale, enrolled for. A lot of this non- happiness could be traced to the overarching societal presence now of social media, through which people tend to judge themselves by comparing with others. Business intelligence shared by a You Gov poll confirmed how nearly a third of all millennials are unhappy. This clearly puts to rest the theory that depression is merely age- related. The human brain can also be ‘dishonest’ to the persons. Happiness and mindfulness too may be related, but aren’t the same. Some companies have made efforts to curate a work culture, that promotes employees’ happiness. The available metrics to measure happiness though may not really be accurate.

Source:https://www.strategy-business.com/article/Why-arent-successful-people-happier?gko=304af

Uploaded Date:20 May 2020

Business leaders will need to find innovative solutions on how to lead their teams in the post- pandemic world. Companies will need to consider the requirements of its employees thoroughly. Several of the business leaders have started ways to mitigate the crisis over a series of phases. The first of these is the shelter- in- place one. An empathetic touch to the talent management systems is now needed. That may explain how countries with female leaders are tackling the present global pandemic much better. This includes the countries such as Finland, New Zealand, Germany Denmark, Iceland and Norway. The next phase will be that of re- opening. This is when physical distancing norms will truly need to be incorporated. Then will arrive the post- COVID- 19 phase. Now, risks will be paramount, but may be necessary to ease the economies back.

Source:https://hbr.org/2020/05/lead-your-team-into-a-post-pandemic-world?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=dailyalert_not_activesubs&referral=00563&deliveryName=DM79741

Uploaded Date:20 May 2020

A lot of employees who are now working from home, face another unique challenge. As parents, they need to work from home, while also not taking their eyes off their kids. This is especially important now, as schools too are shut amidst the ongoing lockdown, and so are crèches and coaching centres. Thus, time is for dissolving boundaries. One quick- win idea for any company to adopt now will be to display empathy with each employee’s individual context. Employees must also be encouraged to communicate their new norms, under this new challenge. Like minded communities need to be built along the way. A longer- term fix however, would be to acknowledge that online meetings are not going to disappear. There needs to be time- based flexibility. All this does not mean that face- to- face working is dead. But those will now be reserved for items of top priority as per the corporate strategy. Companies will also need to acknowledge now that more number of men will be involved in parenting. The teams will have to work while embracing this novel concept.

Source:https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-to-help-employees-work-from-home-with-kids/

Uploaded Date:13 May 2020

Companies are curating a fresh set of rules to cater to the current trend of remote work. While some of them may be specific to the present pandemic- induced lockdown, others may be there to stay. Employees to will need to persist with these and not insist on bringing the old ‘normal’ back. For a start, all stakeholders will need to be decisive and communicate clearly. Managers must lead by example. The talent management systems need to endorse flexibility and agile structures. Work expectations too need an adjustment of sorts. Meetings will now need to be rethought and perhaps be done over online platforms such as Zoom or Skype. Emails and Slack could further help streamline meetings. Work patterns must move to more asynchronous patterns. Productivity would suffer in the short to medium term, and we need to accept this for some time. Instead of tracking minute business intelligence, companies must focus on the broader objectives being met or not. Some time needs to be dedicated to empathize with all the stakeholders concerned. Workers too need to be afforded the space to blow off their steam.

Source:https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/the-new-rules-for-remote-work-pandemic-edition

Uploaded Date:13 May 2020

The usual perception among business circles, is of digital transformation, being all about the technology alone. However, on closer scrutiny, one understands that it is more about the talent management practices being followed at the firm. Thus, teams need to put their people as first priority. There needs to be ample focus on the soft skills side too. For this, the right management training programmes need to be planned. These changes will need to be driven right from the very top. The data collection processes will need to be well- designed, so that teams may act upon the insights gleaned. The system needs to act as a funnel that will filter off trivial data, and only use the truly relevant bits. Failing fast isn’t terrible, but succeeding slowly has to be the mantra.

Source:https://hbr.org/2020/05/digital-transformation-is-about-talent-not-technology?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=dailyalert_not_activesubs&referral=00563&deliveryName=DM79287

Uploaded Date:13 May 2020