Businesses everywhere felt the impact of COVID-19, from needing to immediately adopt a new way of remote working, to the sudden need of cloud-based technology to ensure day-to-day business activities were able to continue, especially HR IT software.
Now that the dust is starting to settle and we are beginning to return to business as usual, we are in an unusual position where we can review our operating models and determine what we want our new normal to look like.
As businesses, we need to accept that we have adopted a new way of working, and therefore should not be planning for a business recovery which leads back to how we operated before.
So, as a business, how do we look towards our recovery?
We need to plan for our recovery. You don’t want to leave these discussions until your business is recovering. You want to get ahead, look at how your business is currently operating and determine what is going to be better for you as a business. Recovery planning is all about learning from our plan Bs, reflecting on what we can do differently, and as a result how we can improve and further evolve our businesses in the future.
We have an opportunity to take on what we have learned from this crisis and develop a more effective operating model within our businesses. As part of your business continuity plans (BCP), you would have implemented systems and processes to allow for more remote working, so why not look to incorporate these into your new normal?
Planning for your recovery
Your recovery plan needs to be looked at across all business functions. The implementation of a cross-functional team is vital to the development of a valuable recovery plan. The team will be tasked with looking at:
• What does your business returning to work could look like?
Will it be a gradual release? Will you bring people directly back into the organisation? At what point do furloughed employees come back? Do furloughed employees come back? The team should aim to plan for 3 – 4 possible return to work scenarios, ensuring all possibilities have been investigated.
• How could we create a more efficient operating model?
The best way to recover from this crisis is to look at your business’ learnings and to find ways to adapt your old methods of working to include business efficiencies which were developed as part of your BCP.
• What does this mean for your organisation’s workforce in the longer term?
Short and long-term plans are necessary to ensure business continuity long into the future.
Zalaris is here to help you recover
With a team of 850 experienced employees across 12 countries, Zalaris have a proven track record of working with our clients to roadmap the business journey to improved efficiencies. Offering tailor-made services in the HR and Payroll space with the complete flexibility to adapt them to your organisational requirements, there is no better time than to get in touch and re-evaluate your businesses HR & Payroll function and your HR IT roadmap.
The goal posts have moved, what are you going to do about that?
Interested in learning more?
If you want to begin your transformation to a more efficient and cost-effective operating model, please contact a member of the Zalaris team member or use the Contact Us form.