The old adage of innovation being born out of disruption has never been truer
Earlier this Fall, HRD Canada hosted our 8th annual Canadian HR Awards – a night dedicated to rewarding the very best individuals, teams, and organizations our nation has to offer. In a pre-pandemic age, we would have hosted the ceremony face-to-face – but we didn’t let a global virus get in the way of our fun. Having seamlessly switched to a virtual event, we retained all the glitz and glamour of our original galas – and gained the added advantage of launching panel debates in our online platform. Hosted by award-winning CBC news anchor Suhana Meharchand, the event featured 24 awards categories – ranging from individual to group to company -wide accolades.
Building resilient HR teams
The past 12 months have proved the challenge of a lifetime for HR leaders in Canada. Dealing with overnight digitization, pivoting to remote work, updating communication strategies, and replacing out-dated hybrid tech – it’s been a baptism by fire for up-and-coming HR practioners. A recent report from Paychex found that 70% of HR leaders claimed 2020 was the most difficult year of their careers – with 98% adding that the pandemic completely changed their role in the organization. And while it’s been difficult to manage, this change has ultimately been for the better. HR teams have learned more skills in the past three months than they would normally have in three years – something that can turn an ordinary practitioner into a dream HR leader.
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“An organization is nothing without its people,” added Sarah Beech, area executive president, central region at Gallagher, and sponsor of The Gallagher Award for HR Team of the Year. “A dream HR leader knows this and has mastered how to walk the tightrope, balancing the needs of both the organization and its workforce. They have the ear and respect of the C-suite, have built followership, and gained the trust of the greater team. They naturally see the big picture, strategizing on what’s to come and what needs to be done, while simultaneously getting in the trenches alongside the team to help with daily issues or concerns.”
Overcommunicating as a COVID strategy
Communication took on a whole new meaning in the pandemic, with leaders adopting an over-communicative strategy in order to keep their employees informed of any and all policy changes. In fact, a failure to do so wouldn’t just have impacted morale – it’ll have harmed your organization irreparably. Data from Pumble found that 86% of executives cite a lack of clear communication as the main reason for overall workplace failures. Speaking at one of the panel debates at the Awards, Carolyn Meacher, chief people officer at dentsu – sponsor of the dentsu Award for Best HR Communication Strategy, revealed how linking business communication to company strategy is key to effective business operations. Speaking to HRD, Meacher added that this year has been transformational for internal comms and its role in C-suite strategy.
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“In this environment, crafting a thoughtful communications plan linked to strategy is even more critical for unlocking the competitive advantage of our people,” she explained. “A strategically linked communication plan helps everyone understand the direction, values and priorities of the company and demonstrates a higher level of care and commitment by including people in the conversation. Done consistently well, these communications can build the clarity, trust and engagement necessary for achieving the company vison and goals.”
Safeguarding mental wellbeing
According to Willis Towers Watson, 68% of leaders claim their employees’ levels of anxiety have skyrocketed throughout the pandemic. Canadians in particular reported higher levels of depression and feelings of isolation through the seemingly endless lockdowns. The advent of hybrid work will go some way in helping bridge this mental health gap – but make no mistake, once the pandemic ends HR leaders will still have a lot of work to do to improve employee psychological health. Nancy Brickwood, SVP of HR at BGRS – one of our Excellence Award winners for The Venngo Award of Excellence for Financial, Physical & Mental Wellness, added that for them, mental wellbeing and financial health has taken centre stage since the pandemic – and will continue to do so in the years to come.
“This past year has accentuated the importance and prioritization of wellness in workplaces,” she told HRD. “As HR professionals we must continue to drive this as a strategic priority in our businesses for the health of Canadian workers.”
By reaffirming your commitment to individual’s mental, physical and financial health, you’re really investing in the future health of your organization as a whole. After all, a company is only as good as their people – so looking after yours, even when the pandemic subsides, should be a key component of your business strategy.
A culture of caring and trust
One of the more unforeseen reactionary effects of the pandemic was its impact on company culture – specifically in remote work. Companies that once enjoyed regular one-on-one catch ups and watercooler moments as core components of their culture were suddenly left stranded. HR leaders had to work overtime in moving their organizational values online – using technology to help aid the tricky process. One of the ways this was made possible was through cultivating a culture of trust and care between employer and employee. A recent report from The Workforce Institute at UKG found that 64% of employees say that trust has a direct impact on their sense of belonging at work – something which filters through to employee engagement and morale.
Speaking to HRD, Dr Jarik Conrad, senior director, human insights & HCM evangelism at UKG sponsor of The UKG Award for Best Workplace Culture, revealed that, in his opinion, employee engagement in a WFH set-up was one of the more pressing challenges of COVID.
“Workplace culture and employee engagement are probably the most important challenges that organizations are confronting, particularly as we try to work our way out of this pandemic,” he explained. “There is a reciprocal relationship between having a positive workplace culture and high levels of employee engagement–they feed off each other. Culture is heavily influenced from the top through vision, mission, and core values that articulate what the company cares about and its expected behaviors. Culture is reinforced through policies, procedures and practices that dictate what gets done and how those things get done. All of this has a significant influence on the degree of employee engagement, which, in turn, strengthens the culture.”
Looking to 2022 and beyond
If we can take one golden nugget away from the chaos of 2021, it’s that the key to organizational success lies in your people. While HR has always touted that people are their purpose, it’s really been tested over the past few months. What’s clear is that companies which already invested authentically in their people pre-pandemic were able to better navigate the issues around COVID. A uniting thread throughout this year’s Canadian HR Awards was our winners’ dedication to their teams. Each and every 2021 winner went the extra mile throughout the pandemic to not only ensure that their people were safe, but that they had everything they needed to thrive through the disruption.
Take a look at this year’s Awards winners here.
