HR Issues Do Not Come In a Vacuum: Could Businesses Create Them?

There are big HR challenges these days, although amidst Covid-ensuing concerns, we have recently been reminded, once again, of issues of wellbeing, pain, and violence. One too many...

It brings us chills when we hear somebody close to us say: "We used that FedEx store while in Indianapolis", or when you learn about school shootings ...again...when schools barely restarted being on session, on site. Let alone shootings happening in the course of work duty, although that is another story. What does it tell us? Of course, we can blame people, and we can blame society. In fact, these days, we blame "the system"... Social disruptions might be a Public Health issue. Not to imply that each individual is violent, but the fact is that each and everyone of us is affected at different levels by this troubled world that wraps us in. Let's focus on the individual who works on a daily basis because he/she has to work to be socially responsible, and personally and socially accountable. Do we care about his/her well-being? Do we care about his/her being lost in the "system" of consumerism and economics? Do we care about the role we play in that system, at whatever level or whichever side we are? One might think it is an overreach, but HR issues do not come in a vacuum.

Businesses Focus on CX

What is often overlooked is the linkage between Customer/Consumer Experience (CX) and Employee Experience (EX). As businesses progress towards fully re-operating, in a different environment, they seem to overlook what has become the number one condition of their reopening and sustainability: Employee Engagement; which is dependent upon EX, and the later relying on Customer and Management Behaviors. The whole thing will define the new CX, or the sustainability of the business.

One can talk about recruiting issues, which are very real. But no less real are Customer expectations who have not evolved nor deviated from their "old/usual" expectations before Covid guidelines. Are Organizations actually supportive of those guidelines and transparent in their communication?  The world has changed, and one must adapt. Do businesses still desperately think that "the customer is always right" when the world is not? Expectations have to be reasonable, regardless of Covid fatigue and social tensions. Yet, reluctance to respecting guidelines, and aggressiveness to frontline workers remain realities, especially when representatives - hear me: managers -  of an organization are elusive or equivocal about guidelines enforcement amidst varying State guidelines, social issues debates, and fear of backfire. Worse: blatant ignorance of guidelines by both consumers and managers leave frontline workers in an impossible position, fearing for their health and safety, affecting their wellbeing and behavior, and therefore negatively affecting the quality of service. It is a trickle down effect. In fact, it is a trickle circle effect. When the support from the organization seems to be lacking, the only resource left to employees is avoidance. What is left for them to do but to disengage and vent to friends and families? Employer branding then takes a big hit. 

People-Centric?

The bottom line: recruiting, retaining, staffing are only the tip of the iceberg, or the expected and ignored consequences of managers' behaviors and company practices, and responses to consumer behaviors. Company policies can be great and well-written but poorly implemented in the field. The question is no more about blaming the Corporate office who does not see the issue, or the Regional or Local Leader who is pressed by operational goals, or the Manager who thinks that old practices work in a new world. The question is: are we, as an Organization able to own our own failures and bring real changes? Are we going to finally realize that we rely on the workforce to make things work, so to speak? EX matters because of the undeniable circle made of internal and external stakeholders. We claim to be people-centric. So, let's be people-centric.

Employee Experience Will Determine Sustainability

CX is important, and EX does equally matter. EX vitally affects operations in quality and performance/goals. It is not enough to attempt putting out fire: we need to think sustainability, however uncomfortable it is. Employees cannot be stretched beyond reason, for lack of/gaps in staffing, or because they work remotely. Amidst the pandemic, more than ever, their concerns need to be taken into account. Corporate safety guidelines should not be too loosely interpreted. And one can further wonder if managers were equipped to handle HR when HR was decentralized...Employee Experience is a serious business case that HR needs to fully understand and present, for a change.

L'Expérience Collaborateur : La Poisse parce que CX=EX ?

Un fait indéniable: le moral est bas. L'on ne croit plus à grand chose, ou l'on ignore ce qui se passe autour de soi. Enfin, c'est un cercle vicieux: les businesses veulent continuer, certains...beaucoup (d'individus) veulent que tout soit comme si de rien n’était, des catégories d’employés doivent aller sur place coûte que coûte, et quand tu travailles à la maison et que toute la maisonnée doit faire de même, ce n'est pas du gâteau non plus..La marque employeur a pris un sacré coup.. .Enfin, tout est relatif, mais tout de même...Bref, c'est la poisse..ou du moins cela peut l’être.

Et puis, l'on a tendance à oublier que l'expérience collaborateur est du même niveau que l’expérience client. Un collaborateur est le client interne. Et çà, c'est un point crucial pour surmonter la crise Covid. Les entreprises ne peuvent pas négliger ce rapport entre les clients externes et les clients internes. Le client est roi, dit-on. De nos jours, et sous Covid particulièrement, peut-on dire toujours de même? Eh bien, disons que j'admire le positivisme des conversations sur le sujet.

Ceci dit, il y a une petite lueur d'espoir: des entreprises embauchent et de nouveaux emplois émergent... Il y a tout de même plus d'une centaine d'entreprises qui sont en quête de candidats. En fait, ceci est un moment opportun pour les RH  pour se pencher sérieusement sur la relation expérience collaborateur- expérience clientèle, et penser à redorer leur blason sous la marque employeur...