Helping Businesses Survive —
As the world of work has changed drastically in the past few months in the wake of the corona pandemic, HR Tech has contributed the most in the upkeep of productivity. And it had to, or else, many businesses across the world would have shut down being a victim of the deadly Wuhan virus.
IBM, the New-York-based American technology company, had invested quite generously on the online learning and web-based collaboration tools pre=corona-virus phase, and that is paying off significantly in the current times of crisis. The CHRO of the said company, Diane Gherson, herself confirmed the same. She said, "Employees are making optimal use of the communication tools to help each other, while maintaining their own productivity."
As per Thrive Global, a market research firm, that studies trends related to employee well-being and performance, conducted a survey in the recently to explore the effect of the corona virus outbreak on the workforce.
It found out that 80% of its surveyors felt stressed, and developed acute anxiety, in the times of the pandemic. Besides, 85% of the respondents expressed their worries concerning the decreased work productivity during the period of the ongoing pandemic.
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April 1, 2022The Profound Role of HR Tech in Managing Organizational Work Remotely
In the words of the CHRO of IBM, Miss Gherson: "Every single minute, I am receiving messages regarding employees helping each other on web platforms powered by the advanced hr technology." She further stated that IBMers have developed web pages online, addressing the needs of the fellow employees, that constitute topics of help ranging from tech advice to taking complete care of babies and toddlers.
This has created a virtual ecosystem, where exists resources of help. A community has been formed among the IBMers that is taking care of each other, both in terms of help specific to work, and the emotional assistance.
Gherson further added, "Even when our workforce comes back to the physical offices after the pandemic ends, safety and health will continue to remain of paramount importance."
Leadership in HR Across Industries Has to Stand Up to Ensure Work Productivity
A few months back, even the best HR leaders across business domains thought that it is some kind of a healthcare issue which will be taken into control in a few weeks’ time. But, as the time passed, the came to realize that it can last months, if not years. And that, it has become a people issue now, which CHROs are supposed to handle in order to help their respective companies survive.
At present, when the corona virus outbreak has been controlled up to some extent, the chief human resource leaders in the corporate industry are being loaded with heavy responsibilities, being passed on to, by the CEOs, pertaining to making return-to-work strategies to be incorporated in the times to come.
According to Gherson, the CHRO of globally-renowned technology firm IBM, currently, as high as 95% of the firm’s employees are working remotely. The move triggered remote management of the hundreds of IBM’s data centres, and the extremely fast-paced training of the leaders to make them understand their new roles in the heavily changed environments emerging out of the virus spread.
Technology Innovations, the Only Hope, Amid the Pandemic
To keep the business processes rolling, and productivity intact, technology in HR, as well as in other business functions, will play a crucial role in the times of the epidemic.
Especially, the advanced tech pertaining to audio and video communications. Because no one knows, when will come a second wave of the virus-outbreak that will push us back to working from home, given the ongoing spread comes to a complete halt.
If that happens, and the second wave of virus outbreak does come back, technology will be the only source of hope to keep us productive and safe at the same time. Further, the need for advanced human resource technology will spike to whole new levels.
Corporations across the world are keeping a keen eye on the evolving HR Tech trends in the ongoing times of crisis.
Wait, Blockchain Technology Can Assist in Screening People for the Symptoms
People, in large numbers, are needed to be screened for symptoms of the corona virus, to control the spread of the fatal disease. In this regard, the disruptive blockchain technology is expected to do wonders. Blockchains can make record-keeping of infected individuals more private, but easily accessible. Besides, the blockchain-powered wearables can provide organizations with real-time data of employees’ health, thus a better monitoring of symptoms available to the CHROs of the firms.
Brief Conclusion
For a long time, HR professionals have been wanting a center seat in the functioning of the businesses, but would never get a chance. Now is the time, they are at the forefront, and needed to showcase their hidden abilities. This is a make-or-break time for a number of CHROs active in varied industries across the globe.
If they get successful at controlling things efficiently, and manage to maintain regular work productivity from their workforce, they will certainly stand out. And if they fail here, they are going to stand out even more. To conclude, we would say that it’s a litmus test for the C-Suite HR executives to prove their worth, and to showcase their relevance.
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About the Author: Ariaa Reeds is a professional writer who curates articles for a variety of online publications. She is currently working for TopCHRO, an HR news and blog site that highlights best performing CHROs and HR professionals worldwide. She also has extensive experience writing on a diverse range of topics including business, education, finance, and technology. For more information, please visit https://www.topchro.com/.