HR During the Crisis with Mary Ellen Slayter and Robin Schooling
b'Mary Ellen Slayter is a publisher at Managing Editor magazine and the owner of Rep Cap. Robin Schooling is the Managing Partner in HR and People Strategy at Perdius Group. They join Steven Pemberton to discuss how the world of human resources is navigating through these unprecedented times.\\n\\nTheir State of Affairs\\nMary Ellen and Robin describe the minimal impact that the pandemic has had on their businesses. Their companies were already intimately familiar with operating remotely, so there were little to no changes in how they operated. Robin says that her company is still hiring, and Mary Ellen shares that some of her employees have been receiving more work.\\n\\nHR Professionals are Architects\\nSteve asks Mary Ellen and Robin what changes they think HR will need to make. Mary Ellen replies that HR has the power of being the architect of the way a company works, which should be embraced to bring about significant change. We need to rethink the way we treat our frontline workers, she says. Current events have made it clear that they are essential, and she hopes that they will be given the pay, dignity and respect they deserve post-pandemic. In addition, current events have also revealed that more flexible, remote work models are achievable. Robin adds that HR teams have been forced to pay attention to the General Duty Clause, and that there is now a heightened need to maintain a safe work environment. The pandemic has created a greater sense of awareness and understanding about employee well-being; we have learned that the stressors people have in their lives intersect with their work and jobs to a large extent.\\xa0\\n\\nSkills\\nLeaders are discussing what specific skills will be necessary to deal with similar emergencies, Steve says. Robin urges leaders to assess their efficacy during the pandemic in order to highlight and improve those skills, and shares that communication is one of them.\\xa0\\n\\nCOVID-19 has highlighted underlying societal and systemic issues that will hopefully be addressed when things calm down, Robin says.\\n\\n\\nResources\\nMary Ellen Slayter on LinkedIn | Twitter\\nRepCapitalMedia.com\\nManagingEditor.com\\n\\nRobin Schooling on LinkedIn | Twitter\\nRobinSchooling.com'