Stronger than ever before, our HR Business Partner pleads in these times for real listening, fast noticeable added value and more courage to implement new ideas in HR management.
Employer engagement and corona pandemic - how do they go together?
I think the most important thing is listening. Really listening to what colleagues are thinking about. You don't have to agree with everything or be able to answer everything. But it helps a lot to detach oneself from one's own perspective, to follow the thoughts and views of the other person and to appreciate them. Of course this can also be done digitally. Beyond this personal attention, we at kgs use "PULS", a survey that is uniformly addressed to all employees*. The focus is on "engagement" and "well-being". It is interesting to note that we have repeatedly found that kgs employees with a high level of engagement are also more balanced internally and feel more comfortable overall. In some areas we still have some catching up to do. We take this seriously, compare feedback with our corporate strategy and then develop initiatives together with our teams to further develop these points.
What is your biggest learning this year about all the HR topics you have been involved with?
Creating added value quickly - my most important learning this year. That means: quick, simple solutions that are easy to try out have a direct effect on colleagues. These noticeable changes and improvements then increase the willingness to invest time in further development. Another learning that goes hand in hand with this: having courage. Be courageous to try something new and then use all your strength to make it happen.
What do you think are the three biggest trends in HR in 2021?
I call it "the new togetherness": companies have to think about what effects the corona pandemic will still have on their teams next year. In the home office world, issues such as the allocation of time and tasks, but also how to deal with stress or conflicts in physical distance will play a role. Only rarely or not at all can conversations still be held in the coffee kitchen. Where these offered opportunities to vent one's anger and then a colleague helped to look at the situation from a different perspective. Here I think companies need good new ideas to redesign a balanced cooperation.
Another trend is the new role of HR management: many HR departments have long been asked to finally make a greater strategic contribution and become more digital. I think the Corona era can be a strong catalyst for HR departments to take the initiative to further streamline their own IT systems, to automate processes and thus gain time to guide colleagues through the changes in the working world I just mentioned.
The third trend I see is a consistently high demand for new talent and senior specialists in the software industry. So much is changing, but this phenomenon will continue to accompany us in 2021, as it has for years. Companies need to be excellently positioned in the overall package in order to inspire people.
