As part of our Trust Insight webinar series, we were privileged to be joined by an Expert Panel from the Great Place to Work Community. This knowledgeable and experienced group was comprised of Bairbre Berry from Credit Agricole Creditor Insurance, Helen Gallagher from Morgan McKinley & Carolyn O'Malley from Science Foundation Ireland.Our panelists offered insights into how their organisations are adapting to the current and future reality of work. At a granular level, we sought to understand what had changed for organisations in Ireland, what remains the same, and how can businesses adapt to the “new normal” of working?
Each of our panellists provided their unique perspectives, the key points of which we have summarised below:
Bairbre Berry, Head of HR with Crédit Agricole:
Listening to and communicating with staff is vital in navigating changing circumstances.
As organisations resume a sense of normality, it important to reflect on their experiences and evolve their practices based on staff perspectives.
We have seen a reinforcement of the importance of trust within the organisation. Staff who feel trusted will feel a greater sense of loyalty and reciprocate trust.
Continued productivity can be partly attributed to a philosophy of demonstrating genuine care for staff, keeping morale high through personal connection.
Buddy programmes and coffee mornings were essential in virtual onboarding.
Flexibility and fairness were needed in considering annual leave. Staff were consulted with and an agreement was reached that days would be taken to allow time to decompress if needed.
Annual performance conversations should be approached with compassion.
We have seen the trialling of new working arrangements - if we learn from this we can return - not just back to normal - but perhaps back to better for staff and organisation alike.
We must consider the long-term mental health impact of this pandemic on employees, implementing strategies to support those in need of assistance.
Public transport creates a sense of anxiety for many, to navigate such issues it is beneficial to offer off-peak, flexible start, and finish times to those affected.
Academic and government survey data indicates an overwhelming majority of workers wish to continue working from home in some capacity. A return to site may be a disruption to newly established routines.
Further studies indicate that, during this pandemic, individuals trusted their employer to a greater extent than the government or media. This highlights the role of employer communications to the psychological security of employees.
These were certainly valuable insights provided by our expert panel, covering a range of pressing issues. With common themes present of trust, open communication, flexibility, and genuine compassion for employees, we would suggest that many of our partner organisations are well equipped to navigate these complicated times. We feel that together, we will emerge from this situation with new ways of doing things, perhaps placing greater value in those around us.
Check out the full webinar below for more in-depth insights on adapting to the new way of working! 👇
About Great Place to Work®
Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. We help organisations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. We recognise Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies and the Best Workplaces™ in more than 60 countries.
To join the thousands of companies that have committed to building high-trust company cultures that help them attract, retain and take care of their people, contact us about getting Certified™ today.