Putting human resources first
JANUARY 26, 2021 – BY CHRISTOPHER ADAM LEAVE A COMMENT
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Leaders say focus on employee safety and satisfaction essential to coping, moving past crisis
Employees matter — especially during a pandemic.
This lesson was quickly learned by organizations and companies as the crisis forced major changes for businesses and their employees.
A focus on employee well-being is one of the predicted workplace trends listed by the Forbes Human Resources Council. Organizations across Northwest Indiana also are making that a priority as more emphasis is expected to be placed on the human element as the pandemic subsides.
Plan priority
If you own a home or a business along the coasts in Florida, it’s wise to have a hurricane plan. Knowing what to do during that kind of crisis is common sense there. And while it is unlikely the Region will ever face that type of weather, experts say crisis planning is essential in a world of uncertainty.
That goes for having a plan for employees when crisis strikes, too.
“I think this is much like the pandemic, where a large number of organizations and businesses did not have a clear plan in place when it came to preparing for a public health crisis,” said Erika Staszewski, an executive recruiter with Integritas Search LLC, a recruiting organization in South Bend. “Those that seem to have thrived are the ones that quickly created a plan for operations and staff, and then made adjustments as the pandemic progressed.”
Staszewski said businesses that learned about available government assistance weathered the pandemic more successfully. She said dollars provided through the CARES Act supported salaries during tough times and kept employees on the payroll.
The employees at Integritas work on staffing support for a variety of industries and positions, including those in manufacturing sites and office locations.
“The pandemic has shown that communication and trust are imperative across all industries,” said Mike Niedbalski, founder and president of Integritas. “In manufacturing, customer service and offices, employers had to set up protocols to ensure employees were safe and kept informed during an evolving situation.”
Niedbalski said they have seen an increase in employee satisfaction for their clients with more team members working from home.
“This has clearly shown a pent-up demand for remote work,” Niedbalski said.
Another theme they have noticed during the pandemic: caution. The recruiting team at Integritas said fewer people have been applying for posted jobs during the crisis.
“Instead, we have been helping our clients find passive talent, who may be looking for other work but have been cautious because of the uncertainty with the pandemic,” said Pete Owsianowski, business development director at Integritas.
First things first
To facilitate social distancing and minimize exposure during the pandemic, new employees at Munster-based Peoples Bank have been completing their onboarding virtually. Each employee is provided personal space in a private area within each of his or her respective training locations where they can login and work independently. This way, they can interact with others in the same onboarding session while still maintaining safe social distancing practices.
