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This year has been unlike any previous one. COVID-19 rocked the world, resulting in massive changes in how people lived and businesses operated. 2020 is finally coming to a close, but it’s important not to forget the lessons learned this year. Here are five employment lessons our hiring experts learned this year that businesses should keep in mind as we enter the New Year.
Being Proactive is Better than Reactive
When the pandemic first struck, HR professionals and businesses had to scramble to adapt work from home policies, make in-person workspaces safe, and manage remote teams. This was a chaotic time that highlighted the need for businesses to be proactive and not simply reactive.
COVID-19 is not the first, nor the last, disruptive event to impact business operations. Whether it’s another global pandemic or something else, businesses should make proper preparations to make sure their company and employees are resilient. Reach out to HR experts to map out a few worst-case scenarios in case employees suddenly can’t come into offices again.
Work From Home Has Benefits Beyond COVID-19
If 2020 taught businesses anything, it’s that most of those meetings could have been emails after all. And this isn’t a bad thing! Many businesses have realized there are benefits of adopting a work from home model beyond the pandemic. There’s a reason why so many companies are now looking into keeping remote working or adopting a hybrid model.
Working from home has been proven to boost productivity and morale among employees. It also helps reduce overhead costs, such as office space and upkeep costs. Remote working also eliminates commuting, saving employees time, which allows them to do more outside of work hours so they can focus on the job once they’re on the clock.
Compassion and Creativity Outweigh Workplace Traditions
This year has really highlighted which businesses valued their employees’ health and safety. This is a good message to carry into the New Year. This year showed just how out of touch traditional workplace practices were, like limited sick days and strict work hours. Companies that showed compassion and embraced creative solutions were the ones to thrive.
Businesses should take this time to re-evaluate workplace policies such as work hours, working from home, sick days, and more. For the health and safety of other employees and the business, companies should be making sick employees come into the office, even if they are out of sick days. If your company found your current policies too stringent during COVID, it’s time to update them.
Top-Down Communication is Key
The beginning of COVID-19 and 2020 was a chaotic, confusing blur. News around the virus and what companies were doing to combat it in the workplace were changing almost hourly at times. Companies that didn’t have clear communication suffered, and employees were left confused and unproductive.
There will always be challenges in a business. One thing our HR experts learned in 2020 was the importance of clear, top-down communication. Employees shouldn’t be left wondering what is going to happen. In times of crisis, companies need to make communication a priority.
Use Help When Needed
This year really stretched everyone’s capabilities to the limits. Between the constant changes, the confusion and chaos, and the very real fears of the virus, many people found themselves needing more help than usual. Our employment experts at Nova Staffing found this was true for businesses as well. When times get tough, companies shouldn’t be afraid of reaching out for help.
One great reason to use an employment agency’s services is that it allows you to focus on running and growing your business. By partnering with a great hiring agency like Nova Staffing, you’ll have more time to do your job while we find you quality candidates to fulfill your staffing needs. Contact us to speak to one of our HR experts and see how we can help your business!