What worked, what did not during pandemic

Anjali Samuel, Partner, Mindfield Resources

As the world slowly starts to emerge from the pandemic, businesses are thinking about the post-pandemic landscape and how they can best adapt to survive and thrive in this new environment. This will mean transformation on a scale that would have been unthinkable for many organisations just a few months ago. Leaders understand that the business environment may look quite different two years from now in comparison to today.

Those who best comprehend and optimise their strategies will be the winners, as they will be able to lead change and empower agility. Here are some questions that one should consider challenging how well their organisation is equipped for post-pandemic business transformation.

The Great Resignation has thrown up the question about organisation’s culture and employee engagement. Plaques with platitudes mounted in highly visible areas of the office were not enough they never are. A by-product of the pandemic was the burnout that people experienced. Major shifts in priorities happened at both the employer and employee’s end. It is a great time to be able to add, subtract from your organisations culture. Collective norms of behaviour changed as people worked remotely.

From intense collaboration in office to working remotely with greater ownership and space to create. While change is being pushed, chased, and driven, it is a unique time for organisations to identify what worked for them during the lockdowns and subtract what is not needed in this new normal. The appropriate culture is critical to your ability to implement strategy and successfully deliver change. Post-pandemic, businesses will need to attract the best and brightest minds to support their transformation journey.

One can benefit significantly from focusing on subtracting from the old ways of doing things and adapting a culture that creates cohesiveness with hybrid and remote working teams. The pandemic broke down silos in organisations, keep it broken. Creating an inclusive culture that attracts, retains and increases the talent density.

This means ensuring a work life balance, hiring people who display higher adaptability and resilience. Diversity and inclusion initiatives and practices in place at every stage of the employee lifecycle, from recruitment and hiring through to development and retention. As businesses start to think about their post-pandemic workforce, it is also important to consider the skills and experience that will be needed and the mindset and attitude that will be required.

Agile workforce planning and planned upskilling are crucial for transformation. As business transformation accelerates, many roles will likely become obsolete, and new positions will be created. This means that upskilling and reskilling your workforce will be essential to ensuring that they have the right skills for the post-pandemic world.

Organisations will need to invest in training and development programmes that equip employees with the skills they need for the future. This might include digital literacy training and more specific skills training relevant to the organisation’s transformation journey.

Many employees face fresh difficulties as more people move to remote hybrid work and education. It is a great time to be adaptable and enable your staff to work from where they want and when they want it. As businesses embark on transformation journeys, it is important to remember that your employees are your most valuable asset. Employee engagement will be essential to successfully delivering transformation, as engaged employees are more likely to be productive, creative, and committed to the organisation’s success.

Leaders need to focus on creating a culture of trust and respect, where employees feel valued and empowered to do their best work. This means regular communication from leaders, transparency around decision-making, and providing employees with the resources and support they need to be successful.

Human resources has cemented its place on the strategy table. Business leaders who do not take human resources as a key strategic partner for their organisational strategy can face headwinds. Ultimately people will deliver the strategic objectives for the business and the voice of human resources needs to be heard. Now is the time to evaluate both angles whether human resources is providing the right business partnering or are they facing an uphill task with change resistant leaders.

Change is happening at a rapid pace, and it is natural for people to resist. As a business leader if your messaging is clear and supportive of the change that human resources is driving for the business it will ensure better results. To ensure that your organisation has the competitive edge then it becomes critical to be on the same page as your human resources.

To do this, human resources leaders need to be strategic partners with business leaders, working together to identify the future talent requirements and put plans in place to develop and attract this talent. They also need to create an inclusive culture and practices that support all employees through the change.

The pandemic has highlighted the role of human resources leaders in business transformation, as they have been responsible for supporting employees through an unprecedented period of transition. As we move into the recovery phase, human resources leaders will continue to play a vital role in ensuring that employees have the skills and resilience needed to thrive in the new business environment.

Asking these questions and actively seeking out answers will help position your organisation for success in the post-pandemic world. Businesses that fail to adapt will struggle to survive in an increasingly competitive landscape.


Key takeaways

  • The Great Resignation has thrown up the question about organisation’s culture and employee engagement.
  • Plaques with platitudes mounted in highly visible areas of the office were not enough, they never are.
  • A by-product of the pandemic was the burnout that people experienced.
  • Major shifts in priorities have happened at both the employer and employee’s end.
  • Intense collaboration at office versus working remotely with greater ownership and space to create.
  • Agile workforce planning and planned upskilling are crucial for transformation.
  • As business transformation accelerates, many roles will likely become obsolete, and new positions will be created.
  • It is a great time to be adaptable and enable your staff to work from where they want and when they want it.
  • As businesses embark on transformation journeys, it is important to remember that your employees are your most valuable asset.
  • Engaged employees are more likely to be productive, creative, and committed to the organisation’s success.

While change is being pushed, chased, driven, it is a unique time to identify what worked during the lockdowns and subtract what is not needed.

Anjali Samuel, Partner, Mindfield Resources
Anjali Samuel, Partner, Mindfield Resources.