Healthy Workspace in New Normal
2020 has been a year full of surprises. Responding to this pandemic, our president has advised all of the ‘red zone’ offices to implement the working from home (WFH) policy. In reality, WFH is not easy for some companies to do. Companies are increasingly having trouble monitoring the health and well-being of their employees.
“Now, the employee’s perspective has changed. Previously, the most important thing was the revenue. So, the employee who contributes the most revenue to the company, then he will be prioritized. But now, the most important thing is employee safety. It’s already in the news. If there is at least one case of the employee affected by Corona, the company will be temporarily closed,” said Kartika Akbaria, VP Human Capital & Corporate Affairs (HCCA) Ruangguru.
“Well-being is more important than before. That’s why now we, as Human Resources, also measure the mental health of employees. For example, what we have just done, namely the People Engagement Survey, ”Kartika Akbaria added through a webinar held by ruangkerja by Ruangguru.
Through a webinar, Kartika has shared some tips on having a healthy workplace in the New Normal Era. Check it out!
- Recognize Human Connection
Working From Home (WFH) is not just about being comfortable, but effective communication is equally important. Instead, we must over-communicate and be transparent during WFH. Communication must be more intense, so we can do small talk or ask each other about what has happened.
Apart from that, we also need to provide various channels to connect socially. Now that technology is very advanced, we can use it as much as possible. “In Ruangguru, we use at least five channels to inform all the people about what’s happening related to HR initiatives, namely Whatsapp, Email, Workplace, HR Apps, and people manager. We do that because we realize that we need to build a human connection, “ Kartika said.
2. Leverage Technology to keep People Growing and Collaborating
We never know; for example, at some point, our role will no longer exist. Our position is no longer used by companies, perhaps incorporated by technology. So we must be able to help employees grow and collaborate.
Kartika said, “Ruangguru presents Learning Out Loud (LOL) for employees to gain content knowledge. LOL is Lifelong learning which aims for self-development for employees.”
3. Equip people with The right skills and Guidelines
The most important skill is learning how to learn. We must have essential how to know so that we can learn from anything. Which is no less important is the communication skill. We must be able to communicate verbally and in writing. In today’s world, it would be better if we could do storytelling.
Working in the new normal requires work arrangements and interactions with colleagues. Thus, leaders and HR need to provide updated, detailed, and clear guidelines regularly. In Ruangguru, we have the New Normal Playbook, which contains guidelines for health protocols for working from the office, working from home, business travel, etc.
4. Show Empathy and Leadership
We should be conscious of time because there may be several people who have children on our team. Since they are at home, they may need some time with their families. That way, we need to allow flexibility in managing the tasks.
To show more empathy, we can do small talk. “Meanwhile, to manage the social relations of team members, we need to do small talk. For example, you can do small talk like: how are you? How was your weekend? Thank you for the help, etc.,” Kartika added.
5. Embed in the benefit plans and perks
The benefit plans and perks are needed, especially in this situation during a pandemic. We need to make employees feel safe and comfortable. For example, by providing a rapid test covered insurance plan or service in the office. Besides, we can also offer flexible benefits to cover mental health support for employees.
The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed changes more rapidly. Now, everyone becomes familiar with the technology. Although we have trouble monitoring employees’ well-being, we can use technology to help companies measure employees’ mental health. Remember, to create a healthy work environment in the typical new era, cooperation between the company leadership, HR, and all employees is required.
