2020 has familiarized us with all of the above in different ways. As organizations and individuals navigated the unprecedented changes and challenges facing them, most HR leaders saw their priorities being upended by the pandemic. From adapting to a large-scale remote-work culture to focussing on the mental & personal well-being of employees, HR leaders found themselves at the front line, constantly battling an army of barriers produced by the crisis. As a result, most of them will be stepping into 2021 with cautioned optimism along with some crucial learnings from their toughest lesson yet.

Expectedly, most of these lessons relate to people - the employees who make an organization, the ones who had to merge their personal and professional lives, those who had to focus on doing a ‘good job’ in the midst of a health crisis, economic uncertainty, and threats of job loss. With time, it only became clearer that effective long-term change could only be brought about if HR leaders understand the experiences and challenges faced by employees.

From Human Resources to Human Relationships

If there is one irrefutable learning from the past few months that will shape the way HR functions in the future, it is building and enhancing human relationships. Among other things, the past year highlighted the need to create an employee experience that stems from addressing simple yet critical human requirements. As representatives of their organizations, HR leaders must consider what steps they can take and the additional support they can offer in order to forge long-standing relationships with people.

Over the last few years, the following two words have been used and overused time and again - authenticity and empathy. And then, almost overnight, leaders had to sit down and learn what it really means to put these words into practice. For HR leaders and their teams, this means approaching each individual - their challenges, needs, and fears with compassion. COVID-19 had an impact on everyone’s lives - from working mothers who attended virtual meetings with their children in tow to employees with pre-existing health conditions. Going forward, it is important for HR to be understanding of every individual’s story and the roles they play outside of the workplace, and to offer support and flexibility whenever possible, with or without a pandemic.

This compassionate approach, however, must not be restricted to employees within the organization. Now, more than before, HR functions must not overlook the importance of building positive relationships with their candidate pool. In times of uncertainty, clear, complete, and honest communication holds immense value. Closing the loop on every conversation, communicating feedback, and responding to emails might seem trivial but in the long run, we believe that it plays an integral part in building an authentic image of the organization, displaying the values that it holds.

Human relationships, as we have learned in the past year, are critical to effective HR leadership. And empathy is essential to sustaining these relationships - it helps build positive workplace culture, fosters true diversity & inclusion, and enables productive collaboration.

Moving forward, HR professionals must treat 2020 as a reminder to constantly challenge themselves, to take one day at a time, and most importantly, keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to a crisis.

As HR leaders and professionals, what is your resolution for the New Year?