In this crazy time of quarantining and social distancing, more people are working from home than ever before. Once COVID-19 is in our rear view mirrors, there is a growing consensus around the country and world that nothing will be as it was before.
So what does this mean for workforce planners who find themselves interacting with a temporarily remote workforce? There is no more popping by someone’s desk for a quick chat to get decisions made, to talk about assistance for a portion of the plan, to provide direction on any current initiatives, or to just see how someone’s day is going. There are new challenges planners must address now for workforce planning efforts to be successful. Some of those challenges include:
- Timelines for implementing workforce strategies will likely be extended.
- Any individual employee’s growth will not seem like the organization’s highest priority during this time.
- The roles deemed most critical two months ago may be completely different from those deemed most critical now.
- There is no rubric for translating how the value of different roles and competencies can be measured remotely.
- Leaders involved in workforce planning initiatives are likely being pulled in many different directions.
- Severe brain drain may occur due to spikes in retirement, resulting in loss of valuable intellectual capital.
- Planners may see a rise in the hiring of temporary workers who are unaware of the organization’s culture and cannot easily find a way to fit in.
- Shifting to virtual tools such as Skype, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams requires everyone to develop rapid tech-savviness.
These challenges, while scary, don’t have to determine a workforce planner’s fate. Here are some ways effective workforce planners can overcome challenges to help their organizations grow.
- Set realistic expectations. As noted above, leaders’ priorities may shift to immediate workforce concerns. For any needed action, planners should ask themselves, “in this environment, when can I actually expect this task to be completed (as opposed to when they want it to be completed)?”
- Be visible. Planners need to show they are providing value to the organization even when they are remote. Planners should plan for “facetime” with leadership through meetings or chats to keep them informed of the progress on all the workforce initiatives being planned in the background.
- Embrace the team spirit. A common refrain during these times is, “we are all in this together.” Planners should exercise patience with everyone, from leaders to the partners they consult on a daily basis.
- Capture workforce lessons. Planners should ensure their organization is prepared for future disruptions to normalcy. This period of remote work and adjustment serves as a microcosm for the workforce planner’s agenda.
- Planners should be developing toolkits for knowledge transfer, establishing protocols for remote hiring, and updating standard planning processes to account for a higher number of remote participants.
Eventually things will get back to some sort of normalcy and then everyone will have some fun stories to tell about how the plan came to fruition despite the challenges! Until then, planners must adjust with everyone else. The competencies for workforce planning are changing, and workforce planners need to start planning for that change.
