We have changed! Everybody needs to agree with this! The past nearly one and half years will not easily fade away. According to experts, we are close to getting our daily lives back on track, meaning that we can go to work as employees without restrictions at last. Many times, HR experts do not even know whether they should now be glad or should start to really worry, as it is very good that members of the organisation are already physically present again, but it should be considered that they will bring all the frustrations of the recent past into the organisation.
It cannot be left unnoticed
If you surf the Internet or watch any news channel, there will be splashes of extreme violence. There have always been shocking cases, but the quantity of random and incomprehensible acts of violence today reveals a new era. I am referring to the news when people devastate or destroy one another for no particular reason. Perhaps the most shocking for me was one news item that, unfortunately, might be the best possible reflection of people’s current mental states. A mother was driving her car with a small child inside when she had a dispute with another driver, and her reaction was to give the middle finger to him. That might not have been advisable, but what happened next was tragic. The other driver shot the mother dead, right in front of her small child. Has nothing like this ever happened before? I never said that. But nowadays, we can see that when we are driving or just walking down the street, small disputes that a shoulder shrug could settle are now escalating quickly. Has everybody collectively reached the end of their rope? I wouldn’t say that, either. But even those who are OK with themselves and have not been knocked down mentally by the pandemic, or have even come out of this period better off than before, are still afraid when they see other people’s reactions. One thing is for sure: all in all, it can be stated that humankind is to face major challenges in the months to come, in the so-called “reopening” period.
Level of preparedness of the organisation
The only question is to what extent HR experts – and through them, the entire company – are prepared for this. HR is often accused of being mere “theatre”, and many people do not believe in its power at all. Not even if dozens of people work in this area within the company, or hundreds of people solve tasks at the international level. Unfortunately, HR itself puts itself into this position, as it can carry out a myriad of fabricated activities, many times with no result. But like all coins, there is another side here. There are those HR experts who can have direct, major impacts on organisational health, productivity, and results. There are few real situations where this profession can prove itself to other professions without question. Still, I would like to highlight again that I refer to real recognition here. Not to the fact that everybody says nice words about the useful presence of HR out of obligation, but that they really mean it. One thing is for sure, 2021 is the year when this profession can prove itself. For this, however, it will definitely need to understand and actually manage the frustrations entering the organisation. In order to be able to do so, HR needs to be open about its own frustrations first. We know all too well what happens when the blind lead the blind. So, the work is cut out for the international HR profession! But those who prove themselves now will disperse doubts about themselves and their profession for quite a long time.