the new woRkPLAce

SujiT SAhoo

How should you reinvent ‘people’ and ‘work’ in 2021?

As sweeping business changes become more frequent, learn how HR teams are rising to the challenge

The year 2020 was tumultuous. The COVID-19 pandemic caused mass disruption across the world, prompting significant job losses and changes in work patterns. Concurrently, it also earmarked numerous opportunities for business transformation— namely through people rather than processes.

As we emerge from the pandemic, it is clear that both remote-first and people-first strategies hold promise. This applies equally to customers and employees, with flexibility taking precedence over physical presence. Companies like Amazon have championed this sentiment, proving that remote-first isn’t just viable, in many cases it’s more productive and preferable.

People-first and remote-first go hand in hand. This combination is breaking down geographical barriers and increasing the diversity of applicant pools. Simply, if any person can do the work, and do it well, their location is a mere afterthought in the present recruiting environment.

The pandemic has proven how talented people across the globe are more within our reach than we thought. Boundaries have been broken, and people themselves take precedence over geographic placement. Going forward, we are likely to see more diverse teams distributed across the globe—achieving great success while replacing the status quo of local recruitment thanks to the widespread adoption of remote collaboration technologies. Reinventing the workplace

The businesses that have managed to weather the storm of COVID-19 share one thing in common: proactive innovation. These businesses understood that

rapid change was imminent, and leveraged technology to adapt to and overcome these unprecedented hurdles. Examples include virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) platforms, and more recently, real-time communication tools such as Slack, and video conferencing platforms like Zoom have become mainstays.

Technology companies in particular were well-positioned to withstand this crisis. VDI brought the office computer into the home. Slack and Zoom enabled seamless colleague communications. They already had these remote productivity and collaboration technologies in place, greatly simplifying the switch from office to remote working. Contrarily, many businesses were ill-prepared. The pandemic has exposed the weaknesses in low digital maturity, stifling remote collaboration and business agility.

However, what was “the new normal” has now simply become a way of life. We will see this evolve further into a “digital workplace” that is secure, flexible, and enabled for an individual or a team to manage their dayto-day tasks, self-help capability, and collaborate with teams on projects. It will also allow them to track life and wellness goals, understand what’s happening in the world around them and pull in whatever professional knowledge is relevant to be able to do it well. At Trianz, we have initiated this concept of a digital workplace, aptly named PULSE, that enables all of these, while also giving a top-down view to our CXOs of overall employee wellness, engagement, productivity, and output.

Thus, if enterprises wish to adopt a people-first approach, technology should be classed as a prerequisite. In this case, peoplefirst would cater to new requirements around health and safety, and the resulting change in workforce distribution. Those who innovated early, or had a higher digital maturity, have already

As we emerge from the pandemic, it is clear that both remote-first and people-first strategies hold promise. This applies equally to customers and employees, with flexibility taking precedence over physical presence

started reaping the rewards while trailing behind technologically also subsequently trailing in success.

Reinventing expectations around remote working

The pandemic has functioned as a test environment for remote working. Before, employees were used to the status quo of commuting and attending the office each day. This façade of higher productivity in the office was quickly disproven, followed by increased acceptance and expectation of remote working provisions from employees.

Before the pandemic, businesses were skeptical of remote work-

Before the pandemic, businesses were skeptical of remote working. Function managers saw this as “letting go of the leash” and losing the ability to monitor their employees. In fact, the opposite happened

ing. Function managers saw this as “letting go of the leash” and losing the ability to monitor their employees. In fact, the opposite happened. This flexibility has given employees a better work-life balance, driving productivity through increased workforce satisfaction. As we exit the pandemic, a hybrid model of remote and office-based work is likely to gain traction—driving the people- and remote-first approach.

Reinventing to face the VUCA world

We keep hearing of change being the only constant in the world we are in, and the rate of change more rampant. It is getting more volatile and uncertain, even as complexity and ambiguity abound. The pandemic simply kicked all these elements into high gear. As a result, stress is now seen, heard, or felt, in some form or other. HR teams have to be there for employees, not just for ‘morale boosting’ activities, but also to ensure there is readiness for true future-proofing.

We in HR have to enable learning that encourages the flexibility to adapt to a new style of working, which drives learning across a cluster of related skills that usher in the new wave. The willingness to learn something new will be the norm, and that is the foundation for innovation. HR can help build the culture of “try small, try fast, fail fast” without fear of persecution, so employees aren’t afraid of trying new things or exploring new avenues. Ultimately, this will lead to reinvented processes, people, and even functions. And what’s more, we will reinvent processes to simplify them. Life is complicated enough as it is, so let automation do the complicated stuff! Do you really need the status report if the output is clearly visible?

Reinventing the value of people

Customer experience (CX) is fast becoming the biggest differentiator between digital companies. It is also poised as the next ''digital battleground'' as we emerge from the pandemic. Customers want to feel a connection to their product or service more than ever, and a good CX creates an emotional attachment that promotes loyalty and repeats purchases. Workforce

satisfaction—often referred to as employee experience (EX)— directly correlates with the quality of CX. If employees have to follow inefficient or unintuitive workflows, becoming frustrated in the process, these negative emotions are likely to translate to customer contact. Workforce culture, salaries or benefits in relation to competitors, and work flexibility all have a similar effect. By contrast, passionate and engaged workers will put more care and effort into customer interactions, directly influencing the quality of CX.

Furthermore, EX directly correlates with retention rates. Disgruntled employees are more likely to ''vote with their feet'' and search for alternative work, risking a loss of experience and talent. Employees in training need time to gain experience, and their inexperience while training will translate over to customer interactions. Customers will notice, CX will suffer, and the vicious cycle will continue. Simply put, now is the time to use the employee experience to influence the customer experience, putting people first on all fronts.

Connecting it all together

In summary, the pandemic has severely altered the business landscape. This ‘’tectonic shift’’ in colleague and customer sentiment has exposed a rift in technological capabilities—with only a small percentage of businesses being on the right side of the chasm. This digital divide must be traversed in preparation for yet another ‘new normal,’ as that is the only way The pandemic has proven how talented people across the globe are more within our reach than we thought. Boundaries have been broken, and people themselves take precedence over geographic placement

enterprises can prioritize people- and remote-first strategies.

HR teams will play a significant role in this transition. They are tasked with understanding the people behind the business and preparing them for the future. This understanding will build the culture of innovation through increased employee learning, engagement, and satisfaction. Ultimately, this will drive improvements in employee experience (EX) and in turn, positively influence customer experience (CX).

Sujit SAHoo is the Vice President, Human Capital at Trianz

The time has come to lead with inclusion: Eric Stallworth

In this special interview with People Matters, Eric Stallworth, Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) at ISS Facilities Services, North America shares some insights on why having a diverse and inclusive workplace is a critical requirement in 2021, why we are failing in our DE&I initiatives, and how do we ensure that workplace diversity initiatives survive in a post-COVID-19 era

by Yasmin Taj

Billions of dollars have been spent on failed diversity & inclusion programs, but still, most of them fail to achieve the desired results. When it comes to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), just knowing that the problem exists is not enough. In order to initiate true change, we have to move beyond lip service, roll up our sleeves and make inclusion an everyday task for us.

For Eric Stallworth, Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) at ISS Facilities Services, North America, his mission focuses on the day-to-day work of DE&I because it’s fundamental to a healthy business. ISS is one of the largest private employers with an incredibly diverse workforce. A global workplace-experience and facility-management company, ISS is publishing its D&I strategy online for all to see. This transparency is an open call for accountability.

Eric walks the talk. He has spent 25 years of his career focused on diversity and inclusion with Motorola, Rockwell Collins, American Airlines, Exelon, and Kimberly Clark.

In this special interview, Eric shares some of his biggest learnings from this pandemic as a

global diversity and inclusion leader, and his insights on how to build and embed D&I in the business strategy, the biggest challenges in embracing diversity and inclusion at a strategic level, and how the challenges can be surmounted.

Here are the excerpts from the interview.

How do you see the larger diversity, equity, and inclusion dashboard today globally? What are your major learnings from this pandemic as a global diversity and inclusion leader? Can you share some insights?

Diversity and inclusion concepts and best practices have changed slightly over the years but the general rule for success has, and will, essentially remain the same: lead with inclusion and empathy and treat others the way they want to be treated. However, the pandemic is forcing organizations to adapt in numerous ways. Inclusive leaders will continue to have the greatest positive impact if they remain curious and listen to learn, remain flexible around how their workforce collaborates, and focus on building cultural intelligence and allyship.

It's clear that the corporate world is experiencing a moment of awakening about their efforts around diversity and inclusion — and it's Diversity and inclusion concepts and best practices have changed slightly over the years but the general rule for success has, and will, essentially remain the same: lead with inclusion and empathy and treat others the way they want to be treated

in part because employees and customers are speaking up. How can boards ingrain inclusion into their organizational strategy?

Boards are a critical driver in fostering real organizational change, establishing a dedicated focus on D&I priorities, and helping to provide structure to a D&I strategic direction. They provide platforms to oversee and assess the effectiveness of the D&I function and introduce reform when needed.

At ISS, our data-driven strategy and analytical approach to D&I guide us in ensuring that we are focused on what is truly important, allows us to accurately measure our success, and consistently monitor and adjust as needed. Our culture is made up of three pillars: lead, grow, and deepen. We lead with inclusion. Inclusion unlocks the power of diversity and leading with inclusion creates an environment where all people feel welcomed and valued. We grow diverse representation and cultivate an inclusive culture. As we create a ‘diverse by

design’ culture, it is imperative that we look, think, and behave like the people that use our service. We deepen client and community partnerships. In our quest to become more reflective of our community and clients, we will take on a more explicit approach and actively look for opportunities to work directly with clients and community partners in order to gain additional perspective, build trust, and win consistently.

In the post-pandemic world, do you think, we need leadership that recognizes the potential of diverse talent and understands its implications on inclusion and culture? With leaders in every industry working hard to protect employees and build resilience, what according to you, should be their strategy with regard to embedding a culture of inclusion across their organizations?

I would contend that leaders with an inclusive mindset would recognize that ALL hired talent is potentially ‘diverse talent’ and it is up to them to create an inclusive work environment whereby all talents are not only heard but recognized, understood, valued, and ultimately engaged in a way that allows their differences to truly make the difference.

What, according to you, are the biggest challenges in embracing diversity and inclusion at a strategic level? How can the challenges be surmounted?

One of the biggest challenges is pushing past the strategy and focusing on solutions. An impactful D&I strategy needs not only ways to leverage diversity but also promote inclusion. At ISS, we lead with inclusion and prioritize it because we know that valued and engaged employees create better results for our clients. Employee retention is increased, and we transform our culture from “a place to work” to “a place where employees do their best work”.

There are ample studies that demonstrate a strong correlation between diversity at a leadership level and business results. But not much is changing in the real world. Why are we failing?

I suspect that the root of this correlation lies in the speed at which business is conducted. In a world where deadlines are yesterday, it doesn’t permit time for the creation of meaningful and trusting relationships. In order to tap into the value of diversity, it requires one go deeper than the surface and understand what that difference (diversity) is and how to manage that difference effectively. That requires time; time many of us don’t have. However, we have to begin to ask ourselves - what becomes the true cost of not investing that time? Turnover, disengaged employees, maintaining the status quo, and stagnated diversity programs.

What would be some of the pitfalls and predictions on D&I in the new world of work?

The new world of work, whether fully remote or hybrid, creates an opportunity for companies to spread opportunities, provide additional flexibility, and showcase a more empathetic style of leadership. At all levels of an organization, managers and employees alike will need to think about ways to be intentional, proactive about checking in and working together to instill an inclusive company culture where all voices are heard.

How do you unleash talent, ensure that your organization has representation from multiple points of view, and can leverage diversity and inclusion practices as a sustainable competitive advantage for your company? Can you share some insights on how ISS is looking at this?

At ISS, we have multiple touchpoints to optimize our D&I strategy and to ensure our organization has representation from multiple points of view and can leverage diversity and inclusion as a sustainable competitive advantage for our company. We optimize our D&I strategy through a number of inclusion-first touchpoints including community awareness, recruitment, onboarding, training, career development, evaluations, and off-boarding to ensure success in achieving our D&I goals. The pandemic has put an unprecedented strain on individuals and companies alike and it has showcased, in many ways, that we need D&I more than ever. When organizations put their people at the center, they can create environments where diversity can thrive

Will workplace diversity initiatives survive in a post-COVID-19 era? How do organizations ensure that they do?

The pandemic has put an unprecedented strain on individuals and companies alike and it has showcased, in many ways, that we need D&I more than ever. Companies with diverse teams have been found to have stronger employee engagement and able to produce larger revenues from innovation - both critical attributes for businesses to emerge from the pandemic successfully.

ISS has always been a people organization, working with a strong belief that great people and their wealth of perspectives and experiences, can and do make all the difference. When organizations put their people at the center, they can create environments where diversity can thrive.