Executing a Return-to-Workplace Strategy

Amid a global pandemic, social unrest and economic uncertainty, human resources leaders are bearing the brunt of organizational agility while strategizing about how to redesign the future of work. On June 25, chief human resource officers in Vancouver, BC met to discuss the challenges they’ve faced and best practices they’ve discovered in the midst of simultaneous crises.

Kelly Cardwell, vice president of human resources for Bosa Properties facilitated the conversation as town hall moderator. Panelists included Karla Kochan, chief people officer for AFSC, Katy Player, vice president of people and communications for Canfor and Chris Taylor, chief human resources officer for Best Buy Canada.
 

Addressing Social Unrest

Following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, protests have erupted in the U.S. and spread throughout the globe. Not only have protesters taken to the streets, they’ve also started calling on their organizations to take a stand and help put an end to systematic racism. Human resources leaders in Vancouver stress the importance of addressing this movement. 

Organizations are now releasing statements outlining their stance on the Black Lives Matter movement and helping to launch intimate conversations within their workforces. HR leaders say through employee resource groups, they are creating safe spaces where minority team members have opened up to share personal experiences about racism. Upon hearing those narratives, some CHROs have started creating new opportunities for corporate learning on unconscious bias and race-related issues.

HR leaders also say their organizations are taking more time to reflect on and reconsider their respective diversity and inclusion policies. They point to a greater need to understand the diversity within their communities and rethink hiring processes to create more opportunities for people of color. “One thing I would advise is to keep listening and have mechanisms to listen,” says one Vancouver CHRO.
 

Assessing Mental Health and Wellbeing

Health, of course, tops the list of priorities in the middle of a global pandemic, but now leaders are also focusing on mental health and well-being. The enterprise is taking a more flexible approach in managing the workforce. They are creating programs to provide support to employees and their families. They’re also encouraging managers to have frequent touchpoints with their teams. 

In addition to personal check-ins, HR leaders are adding to and emphasizing their health resources regularly to ensure employees have access to the tools they need. Some organizations are bringing in health experts to speak directly to the workforce. Others are creating behavioral health programs and even adding health specialists to the payroll. One HR leader says a silver lining that has come from these crises in 2020 is a daily dialogue around mental health that may not have happened otherwise.
 

Engagement Challenges and Opportunities

Due to a lack of socialization in the office, human resources leaders are seeing higher connectivity between teams. The increase in collaboration is causing organizations to rethink the way of work and their remote work policies. Some leaders say they’re now considering new operating models that would allow a full-time retail employee to work four days a week, rather than five, and allow team members to work remotely more days per week.

Organizations are also reconsidering the office layout. Based on employee feedback, the C-suite wants to approach the shared workspace differently. As organizations phase back in and/or plan for new locations in the future, leaders want to create smaller, more thoughtful environments that push for collaboration.
 

Thoughts from the Community

In their final thoughts, Vancouver CHROs say it’s crucial to keep the lines of communication with employees open and to leverage the learnings that come from the feedback. They also stress the importance of challenging the way of work and maintaining agility in the middle of ongoing crises.

by CHROs, for CHROs

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