Remote working & HRM

figure 1.

In the last two years, everything in the world of remote work has changed. Remote work is an important decision made by some companies and it has inevitably and drastically changed the way people work around the world. Working from home does not offer the same benefits as real distance work, it is still a remote experience.(buffer.com)

According to recent data, distance work has increased by 44% in the last five years. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies have adopted some form of remote workplace. With this tremendous growth, human resources (HR) departments are being challenged to manage an extensive workforce of remote employees, some of which could spread across the country.

Increasing work from home have changed the traditional routing of HR departments around the world. Despite these roadblocks, companies still need to provide their staff with the same resources whether they work in the office or at home.

How remote work has affected the role of HR

figure 2. youtube.com

The role of human resources in the remote workplace has been greatly affected. Today, a variety of things are expected from human resource managers to assist a virtual workplace.

Employee Affairs

With the advent of distance work, staffing has become a challenge for HR professionals. According to Gallup, high-level workplace engagement often leads to high performance - ultimately creating a culture of concurrent, prosperous and purpose-oriented work among the employees of a company.

When leaving office-centered work, many employees may feel disconnected from their job or from the company culture as a whole. HR has to take steps to provide virtual engagement strategies and support for remote employees.

This includes the use of co-working platforms and collaborative tools, as well as special employee events and meetings. Unique engagement strategies and privileges driven by human resources make employees feel connected and ensure they are on the same page with the goals of any company.

Communication

Clear communication with HR employees should be maintained as many people are not yet fully adapted to work from home. In private, most offices may have open door policies and free-flowing communication.

To maintain this culture in a remote workplace, HR managers had to be creative. This means facilitating conversations or giving employees the tools to transfer this culture and style to the virtual setting.

In a fully online workplace, HR should communicate more than just company updates. They should also monitor how employees are dealing with their new remote service status. This ensures that HR does everything it can to keep the remote workforce satisfied and productive.

Digital technologies

In response to COVID-19, HR departments have had to lead sympathetically and focus on the emotional and physical needs of employees. This means ensuring that employees have all the tools and equipment they need to work efficiently from home.

Human resource managers may need to assist in creating a seamless digital work experience that workers can access from anywhere. This new system should also take into account recruitment, training and general team management. This means purchasing new equipment for individual employees (such as monitors or laptops). It will also look like an investment in new software or management systems to improve remote workflow.

Also, HR departments have to implement policies to deal with employees who incur additional costs related to housework, such as telephone and internet expenses.

Job performance

HR departments for remote workplaces should also create appropriate benchmarks to measure employee employment performance. With remote work, the activities of employees are not directly visible to managers and human resources. Therefore, the success or failure of employees can be easily overlooked on a day-to-day basis.

Human Resource Managers are pushing to develop new systems for remote workplace employee performance review and recognition.(pacificoaks.edu)

References

https://buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022

https://www.pacificoaks.edu/voices/business/how-is-remote-work-changing-the-world-of-human-resources/