For many of us, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought with it a series of challenges. What is less often discussed, however, is the opportunities that have also arisen as a consequence. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the business world, particularly when it comes to how we work how and businesses regard key assets such as their organisational culture and workforces.
Despite ongoing entreaties from government for organisations to return their employees to the physical workplace, many employers are taking the opportunity to reinvent their working practices, in many cases, extending flexible and remote-working policies on a more permanent basis to better enable employees to balance their work and personal lives.
Other organisations, meanwhile, have taken the opportunity to review their benefits package, and the ways in which they reward employees, in order to ensure what they offer suits their workforce both now and as we move into the ‘new normal’, whatever this may look like.
While, for some, these may seem like a task too far at a time when many HR professionals are tasked with seeing their organisation through redundancy programmes, re-structuring processes and returning staff from furlough, there are undoubtedly benefits of taking up such opportunities as they arise. Not least, is the opportunity to create a resilient employment proposition that is future fit.
The subject of reinvention and the new normal will be a key theme running throughout the Employee Benefits Reset online series, which will take place from 5 – 16 October. Kicking off the series, Tim Robertson, UK compensation and benefits lead at Microsoft, will discuss HR and the new normal, discussing how employers can create a resilient reward and benefits package that is fit for the future.
He will be followed by a host of other industry-leading speakers, including:
- Oliver Payne, international pensions and data analytics manager at Ford Motor Company, who wlll discuss re-inventing pensions in a post-pandemic era;
- Anna Gowridge, director, 100% Human at Work at Virgin Unite, who will speak on meeting new employee expectations post Covid-19;
- Andrew Baillie, reward director at Ocado, who will discuss aligning employee needs with shifting business goals.
The packed programme will feature a total of 24 unmissable sessions, so do not forget to register for your free places at your chosen sessions. We look forward to seeing you virtually there.
The shift towards a new normal is likely to continue for some time yet and will inevitably bring further challenges. Looking for the opportunities among these, however, may help to create a business and employee proposition that is sufficiently robust and engaging to result in long-term success.
Debbie Lovewell-TuckEditorTweet: @DebbieLovewell
