The spread of COVID-19 across the US has completely changed the tasks and role of the HR department. While many organizations previously operated entirely in-office, shelter-in-place mandates suddenly spread HR teams out across the country, and HR leaders were left juggling the transition of their daily tasks and emergency preparations in unfamiliar work environments – their homes. Since the response to COVID-19 has been left largely to individual states, guidelines are patchwork at best. Some states are reopening non-essential businesses to the public, whereas other states face spiking diagnoses and reinstituted lock-down measures. 

There is no national standard for returning to work. The disparity is clear - while 82% of company leaders polled in a recent Gartner survey responded they would plan for continued employee remote work, a similar survey by WorldatWork concluded two-thirds of organizations would be resuming in-office operations by the end of summer. 

In the face of this uncertainty, the modern HR leader needs to be flexible and ready for anything. But how can you best prepare for an unpredictable future? One way is to build a tech stack that is flexible and can adapt as needed. Here are some tips to make sure you are prepared for any crisis that comes your way. 

REIMAGINE SLOW PROCESSES 

Now is the perfect time to review what processes in your department easily translate to telework. What tasks were made more difficult because you were out of the office and without access to your usual technology or supplies? Did you find yourself running into communication issues because you no longer had access to your office phone or a personal laptop? Maybe your organization is still operating as normal, but you find it difficult to reach other organizations that are teleworking. Take the time to make a list of those areas where you noticed a significant roadblock as a result of shelter-in-place restrictions.  Without a doubt, you will find processes that can be streamlined and automated into a digital workflow. 

One process that can be particularly onerous in an uncertain remote working environment is reference checking. Traditional reference checking is difficult in the best of times, but teleworking adds new challenges; trying to reach references who are dealing with their own daily distractions and communication lags which make traditional reference checking virtually impossible. Automating this task can not only save you hours of time – it can even get you better information on the candidates you are bringing on board. 

Making it easy for candidates and references to share information using technology that ensures confidentiality, and sending those requests via text or email, allows you to get insight back quickly – even when those candidates/references are working from home or on-the-go. A 2018 Dice Recruitment Automation report noted that nearly half of all respondents were looking to automate reference checks and background screening – and that was BEFORE COVID-19 made it more difficult to reach references. 

Phone-based reference checking also limits you to the basics. Online, scientifically validated automated reference checking solutions, like SkillSurvey, features job-specific surveys – specifically asking for reference feedback on those competencies necessary to be successful for a specific role, even when your employees are working remotely. 

INTEGRATE, INTEGRATE, INTEGRATE

When trying to build an HR tech stack that supports telework preparedness, avoid duplicating effort. Repeating tasks and exporting files, just to upload them to a different software is inefficient and can create costly delays or mistakes. Technologies that fail to streamline processes have outlived their usefulness in this change economy. 

Now that time is more precious than ever, it is imperative to have an HR tech stack that is as consistent and streamlined as possible. Integration is the key to keeping processes afloat, whether working in the office or at home. Search for supporting software that integrates into the programs you use daily, like your preferred ATS and CRM systems. Investments in HR technology need to do more than automate antiquated processes, they need to save time and effort by playing well with the other systems you have in place. Look for vendors who feature an open API strategy, since those programs will be more likely to be open to new integrations, and challenge vendors on how their platform supports integration with the software you’re currently using. 

UTILIZE POST-HIRE ENGAGEMENT DATA 

Uncertainty isn’t just affecting HR departments – it has major impact on all employees. More than one-third of teleworking employees polled by Citrix/OnePoll indicated that they are feeling overwhelmed. But without regular in-person interaction, HR leaders need to look to technology to help them guide the employee experience and reduce potential turnover. 

Where to start? Onboarding. The first few weeks of employment are crucial to employee success. Before the advent of the telework revolution caused by COVID-19, many employees were brought through the talent acquisition process and handed off to another team member (often unrelated to HR) to finish the onboarding process. This is a great opportunity for HR leaders to include valuable activities that build employee loyalty and a stronger organizational culture. 

According to Mark Brandau, a research principal, global industry analyst at Forrester, "Once a client understands and gets wind of what's possible with onboarding, especially as a part of a bigger HCM transformation, when you tie in learning and procurement and other things that can happen and goals within onboarding, they start to light up because they see it way more transformative beyond talent acquisition."

Taking the opportunity to reshape onboarding within your organization isn’t enough – you also need to regularly take the pulse of the employee experience across all critical touchpoints in the employee life cycle. Direct feedback from the entire journey, pre-hire to exit interviews and everything in between, is crucial to help HR leaders quickly adapt to improve employee retention and bolster the employee experience. Actively seek out solutions, like SkillSurvey’s new all-in-one post-hire solution, that will digitize the employee survey process and utilize smart dashboards that make it easy to track areas of improvement and assess those aspects that are successful. Connecting this feedback to pre-hire data about the employee is a clear way to assess the entire employee lifecycle to improve retention and engagement. 

With tight budgets and limited time for extended research, HR leaders need to make sure they are partnering with multi-functional solutions that automate processes, integrate with key solutions, and collect data on your employees pre- and post-hire.  
 

In HCI’s Change Management model, there are three roles that effectively work together to manage change: the Architect, the Broadcaster, and the Coach. The Architect designs change, the Broadcaster communicates change, and the Coach supports people through change. After you experience and respond to a crisis, you can use this guide with your HR team and leadership at your organization to understand what went well and what didn’t. This will help you in better planning and preparing for future unplanned emergencies, no matter the type.