HR have a new remit to drive major cultural change as well as working practices. Employment contracts told us our hours and place of work, and we accepted them, turned up as expected. We didn’t feel we had a choice, and we didn’t question the wisdom behind our commute and the costs and time involved.
People are now also tuned into the trust factor – they’ve proved that they can be trusted to work from home, and that’s going to lead to people demanding work routines that suit them, rather than the other way around.
Put choice and trust together, and you’ve got ‘a watershed moment for the future of work’ HRZone – link to article here. We’re looking at huge cultural change, and many HRDs will relish the opportunity to push forward changes that they know are long overdue.
Changing culture takes longer than changing working practices – but it’s a great place to start: ‘In the face of this pandemic, employers have had to accelerate plans and leave behind any pre-conceived perceptions that may have acted as barriers to change in the past.’
As always, changes like these demand effective alliances between HR and business leaders at every level. Contact us to talk about how we can help you achieve that.