4 Ways COVID-19 Changed HR 4 Ways COVID-19 Changed HR

"HR's moment is now."

CHRO, Rogers Communications

Like the CIOs who prepared for Y2K in the 1990s and then the CMOs who were challenged to prove ROI in the age of digital marketing, the CHROs who have piloted their organizations through COVID-19 are poised to take a more valuable seat at the C-suite table.

Here’s how 2020’s sudden shifts affected our workforce and the Human Resources function — told through data and the HR leaders who lived it.

Overall employee wellness suffered on several fronts

“None of us were prepared for the magnitude of what we had to deal with.”

CHRO, Xerox

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74%

68%

7/10

lower healthcare benefits utilization YOY

employees are more stressed than ever

are concerned about wellbeing

62%

74%

$11K

Amount employers can save annually per employee working remote half the time

of companies plan to continue allowing remote work post-pandemic

of American employees rapidly shifted to work-from-home

*Pre-pandemic, this number was in the single digits

of business and HR leaders believe that HR will substantially or even radically change in the next

12-18 months...

47%

Increase capabilities

45%

Incorporate agile & team-based work

38%

Increase automation

24%

Expand expectations of HR leaders

of those say HR will be held more accountable:

75%

Leading up to the spring of 2020, total employee wellbeing — physical, mental and financial health — was a “nice to have.” It had been slowly and steadily getting more attention…

But when COVID-19 struck, employee wellbeing became a mission-critical business initiative.

The takeaway

As HR progresses along the continuum to complete digital transformation, organizations see increasing gains:

30%

savings in operational costs

40%

more efficiency

3 HR Mandates

already have core HR apps in the cloud

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COVID-19 Changed HR

4 Ways

The takeaway

Companies got flexible about where work gets done

“The COVID pandemic put the HR function in the hot seat.”

CHRO, Charter Communications

Companies rapidly elevated HR

“This crisis has catapulted the role of the CHRO front and center.”

Chief People Officer, Mastercard

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Companies got flexible about where work gets done

Companies rapidly elevated HR

“This crisis has catapulted the role of the CHRO front and center.”

“The COVID pandemic put the HR function in the hot seat.”

“None of us were prepared for the magnitude of what we had to deal with.”

“We had to shift from 12-18-month plans to 1-2-week sprints..."

HR redoubled efforts to tackle digital transformation

of HR leaders believe that HR’s evolving role

is essential...

are ready for it

but only

HR redoubled efforts to tackle digital transformation

"We had to shift from 12-18-month plans to 1-2-week sprints. It forced us to change the paradigms around our speed of decision-making."

VP and Head of HR Strategy, Johnson & Johnson

Move to the cloud

Create human-centric process interactions

Implement “smart automation”

Overall employee wellness suffered on all fronts

The takeaway

COVID-19 has accelerated the remote work trend which some predicted wouldn’t rival fixed-location workplaces until 2025. However...

The necessity of social distancing has accelerated the acceptance of remote work, many employees actually prefer it, and the required technology has become less expensive and more prolific.

The takeaway

At best-in-class companies, 75% of HR leaders are already viewed as business partners. But as a result of the pandemic...

Many HR leaders are taking a step further, acting as business advisors and organizational leaders.

Move to the cloud

Create human-centric process interactions

Implement “smart automation”

Move to the cloud

72%

expect further delivery shifts, including "as a service"

The takeaway

HR leaders must help their organizations turbocharge digital transformation to accelerate their initiatives. By simplifying intricate business processes and focusing more on delivering human-centric service...

They’ll play an important role in empowering more efficient work and greater organizational agility.

Click to view sources

Becker’s ASC Review, 4 stats on how COVID-19 affected healthcare utilization, June 11, 2020. Blueface, Business Communications Technology: Insight Report 2018. Conduent HR and Learning Solutions with The Hackett Group, Leading HR Through COVID-19and Beyond: Lessons from Top CHROs, October 2020. Deloitte, A Memo to HR: Expand focus and Extend Influence, May 15, 2020. FlexJobs, Survey: Changing Workplace Priorities of Millennials, September 25, 2015. Gallup, Reviewing Remote Work in the US Under COVID-19, May 22, 2020. Garner Research, COVID-19 Bulletin, April 2, 2020. Ginger, Addendum to Second Annual Report: Workforce Attitudes Toward Mental Health, April 9, 2020. lobal Workplace Analytics, Telecommuting Trend Data, March 13, 2020. Metcalf, Shane. HR Technologist, Rethinking the Employee Experience in Human-Centric Workplaces, January 28, 2019. MetLife’s 18th annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study 2020. PwC Research, PwC’s HR Technology Survey 2020, September 2019. Salesforce Research, Second Edition: State of the Connected Customer, 2018. The Hackett Group, Using Smart Automation to Unlock the Full Potential of Digital Ginger, Addendum to Second Annual Report: Workforce Attitudes Toward Mental Health, April 9, 2020. Transformation, May 30, 2019.

Global Workplace Analytics, Telecommuting Trend Data, March 13, 2020. Metcalf, Shane. HR Technologist, Rethinking the Employee Experience in Human-Centric Workplaces, January 28, 2019. MetLife’s 18th annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study 2020. PwC Research, PwC’s HR Technology Survey 2020, September 2019. Salesforce Research, Second Edition: State of the Connected Customer, 2018. The Hackett Group, Using Smart Automation to Unlock the Full Potential of Digital Ginger, Addendum to Second Annual Report: Workforce Attitudes Toward Mental Health, April 9, 2020. Transformation, May 30, 2019.

Sources

View the takeaway

By doing so, HR organizations can operate with

26%

fewer FTEs

at a

17%

lower cost

Implement "smart automation"

83%

say a positive employee experience is very important to organizational success

Channels that make the most difference:

Real-time messaging

Self-service tools

Create human-centric process interactions

• Becker’s ASC Review, 4 stats on how COVID-19 affected healthcare utilization, June 11, 2020. • Blueface, Business Communications Technology: Insight Report 2018. • Conduent HR and Learning Solutions with The Hackett Group, Leading HR Through COVID-19and Beyond: Lessons from Top CHROs, October 2020. • Deloitte, A Memo to HR: Expand focus and Extend Influence, May 15, 2020. • FlexJobs, Survey: Changing Workplace Priorities of Millennials, September 25, 2015. • Gallup, Reviewing Remote Work in the US Under COVID-19, May 22, 2020. • Garner Research, COVID-19 Bulletin, April 2, 2020. • Ginger, Addendum to Second Annual Report: Workforce Attitudes Toward Mental Health, April 9, 2020. • Global Workplace Analytics, Telecommuting Trend Data, March 13, 2020. • Metcalf, Shane. HR Technologist, Rethinking the Employee Experience in Human-Centric Workplaces, January 28, 2019. • MetLife’s 18th annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study 2020.

• PwC Research, PwC’s HR Technology Survey 2020, September 2019. • Salesforce Research, Second Edition: State of the Connected Customer, 2018. • The Hackett Group, Using Smart Automation to Unlock the Full Potential of Digital Ginger, Addendum to Second Annual Report: Workforce Attitudes Toward Mental Health, April 9, 2020. • Transformation, May 30, 2019. • Global Workplace Analytics, Telecommuting Trend Data, March 13, 2020. • Metcalf, Shane. HR Technologist, Rethinking the Employee Experience in Human-Centric Workplaces, January 28, 2019. • MetLife’s 18th annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study 2020. • PwC Research, PwC’s HR Technology Survey 2020, September 2019. • Salesforce Research, Second Edition: State of the Connected Customer, 2018. • The Hackett Group, Using Smart Automation to Unlock the Full Potential of Digital Ginger, Addendum to Second Annual Report: Workforce Attitudes Toward Mental Health, April 9, 2020. • Transformation, May 30, 2019.

Sources

of American employees rapidly shifted to work-from-home

62%

*Pre-pandemic, this number was in the single digits

Scroll down to learn more

Hover to zoom

And

By doing so, HR organizations can operate with

26%

fewer FTEs

at a

17%

lower cost

Implement "smart automation"

say a positive employee experience is very important to organizational success

Channels that make the most difference:

Real-time messaging

Self-service tools

Create human-centric process interactions

already have core HR apps in the cloud

expect further delivery shifts, including "as a service"

Move to the cloud

By doing so, HR organizations can operate with

26%

fewer FTEs

at a

17%

lower cost

Implement "smart automation"

say a positive employee experience is very important to organizational success

Channels that make the most difference:

Real-time messaging

Self-service tools

Create human-centric process interactions

already have core HR apps in the cloud

expect further delivery shifts, including "as a service"

Move to the cloud

30%

72%

83%

Leading HR Through COVID-19 and Beyond - Lessons from Top CHROs

Scroll down to learn more

View the takeaway

The takeaway

COVID-19 has accelerated the increasing remote work trend which some future-of-work experts had predicted wouldn’t rival fixed-location workplaces until 2025. Since those predictions were made, however...

The necessity of social distancing has accelerated the acceptance of remote work, alongside the fact that many workers prefer it, and remote work technology has become less expensive and more prolific.

View the takeaway

The takeaway

At best-in-class companies, 75% of HR leaders are already viewed as business partners. But as a result of the pandemic...

View the takeaway

The takeaway

They’ll play an important role in empowering more efficient work and greater organizational agility.

By doing so, HR organizations can operate with

26%

fewer FTEs

at a

17%

lower cost

Implement "smart automation"

83%

say a positive employee experience is very important to organizational success

Channels that make the most difference:

Real-time messaging

Self-service tools

Create human-centric process interactions

Move to the cloud

72%

already have core HR apps in the cloud

30%

expect further delivery shifts, including "as a service"

By doing so, HR organizations can operate with

26%

fewer FTEs

at a

17%

lower cost

Implement "smart automation"

83%

say a positive employee experience is very important to organizational success

Channels that make the most difference:

Real-time messaging

Self-service tools

Create human-centric process interactions

Move to the cloud

72%

already have core HR apps in the cloud

30%

expect further delivery shifts, including "as a service"

• PwC Research, PwC’s HR Technology Survey 2020, September 2019. • Salesforce Research, Second Edition: State of the Connected Customer, 2018.• The Hackett Group, Using Smart Automation to Unlock the Full Potential of Digital Ginger, Addendum to Second Annual Report: Workforce Attitudes Toward Mental Health, April 9, 2020. • Transformation, May 30, 2019. • Global Workplace Analytics, Telecommuting Trend Data, March 13, 2020. • Metcalf, Shane. HR Technologist, Rethinking the Employee Experience in Human-Centric Workplaces, January 28, 2019. • MetLife’s 18th annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study 2020. • PwC Research, PwC’s HR Technology Survey 2020, September 2019. • Salesforce Research, Second Edition: State of the Connected Customer, 2018. • The Hackett Group, Using Smart Automation to Unlock the Full Potential of Digital Ginger, Addendum to Second Annual Report: Workforce Attitudes Toward Mental Health, April 9, 2020. • Transformation, May 30, 2019.