Right now, all over the world, CEOs are sitting with their most trusted leaders to draw up a post-Covid recovery strategy. HR plays a vital role in this conversation. There are so many human capital issues to discuss, like training and support for employees, facilitating the move to remote, and the unfortunate need for some firms to restructure. And yet, HR isn’t always at the table. Often, the senior leadership make strategic decisions and leave HR to figure out the logistics. So, how can HR ensure that they have a voice in these crucial discussions? In a word: trust.

Article originally appeared in NVTC's The Voice of Technology magazine in September 2020.

On Friday, September 25th, 2020, Helios HR hosted its first Virtual Human Capital Impact Forum with about 200 participants in attendance. Moderated by Helios’ CEO, Kathy Albarado, our panel of high-profile thought leaders in the People & Culture arena discussed how to “Break Out and THRIVE as Employer of Choice in 2021”. For those of you who couldn't join us, we've included the webinar recording or you can read the full recap below!

Covid-19 has made us all appreciate the things we used to take for granted, like having all your people in one office. When everyone was together, you could swing by someone’s desk to check in or gather the whole team for a meeting. That’s no longer possible in an age of remote working.

Few of us could have imagined 25 years ago how much the internet would change the way we work. Today’s globally connected labor force works whenever and wherever thanks to technology that has all but made the corporate office obsolete in certain fields. And thank goodness we have the technology and infrastructure set up as we face this global pandemic together, forcing so many employers to go 100% virtual practically overnight. While there are many great benefits of being virtual or remote, especially considering the safety and health of your team, it's not necessarily a cakewalk. The challenges with telework and virtual teams are real and require managers to think strategically and creatively.

The recruiting process under normal conditions can be challenging, full of unexpected twists and turns. During a global pandemic, the challenges are heightened. As a recruiting consultant, I often come across candidates who back out during the application process, drop out during the interview stage, or never respond at all after initial communication (ghosting).