The HR evolution

Lighting the way

The HR sector has been through monumental changes in the last 18 months. The pandemic, rising salaries, mental health and wellbeing along with Brexit has created a whole new world for human resources and you need the right resources to navigate

WORDS BY EMILY MILLER

On the night of the first lockdown, Toni Robinson of NucleusHR, a busy HR firm based here in Leicester, upped tools and opened her phone line to people beyond her client base, sending out a lifeline to those plunged into stormy HR waters.

“My phone hasn’t stopped ringing. I was busy before the announcement, as employers were already worried about employee absences. I put the message out there that I was available for any advice needed, even if you weren’t a client, and I just didn’t stop.

“I felt valued, not to mention busy! It’s been similar ever since, with many of those who reached out for advice at the time now our clients.” Toni told me.

With changes to furlough seemingly occurring continuously, Toni was never standing still, researching changes and then relaying them and helping her clients implement them. “It was a difficult time, and really a great deal of responsibility; people’s livelihoods were precarious in so many cases and I wanted to give the very best advice to help their business to survive.”

It helps that she loves what she does of course, but with most days including 12 hours’ worth of video calls, what has Toni learnt about the time when she worked round the clock for months on end? “Well, I learnt, like so many of us have, that there has to be balance, and as business owners, we are the last people to achieve anywhere close to a balanced life.

With the expansion of her own team, Toni is looking more than ready to take on the challenges 2022 looks set to bring. “There’s going to be a lot for businesses to grapple with next year. An overwhelming talent shortage is driving recruitment challenges, which makes retention of existing talent a key strategy; rising salaries impact these plans and Brexit means that HR is only going to get more complicated and rockier.”

Of course, businesses aren’t alone in these challenges and a collaborative approach is key. “There was a shift already happening in HR before the pandemic. Employers were already adopting a more human and empathetic approach to their staff members and positively this has only grown since the pandemic.”

“Now, as we experience the pandemic, this empathy is driving the change across businesses. It’s within the relationship we build with clients and within organisations themselves – it’s one of the greatest positives to have come out of the last 18 months.”

In what looks set to be a melting pot of ever-evolving HR needs, having a collaborative team like NucleusHR is crucial in not only navigating stormy waters – but coming out with a stronger team than ever.

Call Toni on 07960 418 494 or email her at toni@nucleushr.com to ensure you have the team supporting your business.

THERE WAS A SHIFT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC ALREADY HAPPENING IN HR. EMPLOYERS WERE ALREADY ADOPTING A MORE HUMAN AND EMPATHETIC APPROACH