Top HR Challenges for 2021
Sign-up to our Newsletter
18/03/2021
Everyone is hopeful, optimistic and excited about the prospect of 2021. Hopeful we are towards the back end of a debilitating coronavirus due to smaller cases and the rollout of a vaccine. Optimistic about the market returning to pre COVID form with companies having increased confidence in the market to look to reemploy for new roles. Also excited about the prospect of making up for lost time and moving forward hopefully into a more prosperous year.
However, as we all to well know, things don’t always turn out as perfectly as you plan them, especially in the workplace. Over the past year, unprecedented challenges have provided us with different working conditions in which have changed the aspect of work life balance. With this, new HR challenges have been created which HR teams all over Australia will have to be ready for. Here are some of the biggest HR challenges I anticipate that organisations will have to be prepared for in 2021.
Returning to the office (or not wanting to return to the office)
The comforts of working from home have for some been a positive change brought about by the unfortunate COVID situation. Returning to work is something most organisations are in the midst of at the moment. Obviously, this is an issue dictated by respective governments currently but migrating back into the office is a challenge in itself. People have become comfortable working from home and getting them to commute back to the office is an issue managers and HR teams have to manage.
Mental health of staff
The mental impact of the last 12 months and the mental impact of returning to work is something that cannot be ignored. Many people’s mental health has been strained throughout the pandemic for both work and personal reasons. It is important for organisations to look at appropriate programs for this such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) to give their staff an option and a platform to voice their mental health concerns and to get the help that they may require
Virtual inductions + team Synergy
With returning to the office, individuals who have been inducted virtually over the past 12 months will be meeting the team in person for the first time. This partnered with some staff members not seeing each other for long periods of time could result in some tension within the workplace. This highlights the importance of team bonding events to regenerate the synergy within your team. This can be through Friday night drinks, lunches or team building activities to create a well gelled team.
2021 is a year of positives as we continue to move towards a COVID normal (and hopefully COVID eradicated) society. However the challenges and effects of the year that was 2020 will have impacts for HR teams and for every individual for 2021 and beyond.
