| | MAY 2025MANAGEHRMAGAZINE.COM8In MyOpinionTHE COVID-19, THE GREAT RESIGNATION, AND THE FUTURE STATE OF HRBy Ela Voicheci, Head of Human Resources, Credit Europe Bank (Romania)Three years ago, one of three questions received in HR was about the well-desired benefit of working from home at least a few days per month. Half-year later, as measures to prevent spreading the novel coronavirus, our employees were reluctant to the idea of long-term remote work. We now feel powerless in bringing them back to office; their way of life adjusted so smoothly to online activity that most people can no longer see themselves going each day to a dedicated workplace. The geopolitical context initiated by the restrictions during COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 ­ 2021 and continued by the unexpected war at the EU borders in the beginning of 2022, boosted the (not so) Great Resignation in Europe, phenomenon expected to continue in 2023, and forever altered employee relations. Organisations and employees are both affected and leaders' responsibility to preserve high-performers is mandatory. That people leave bosses, not organisations ­ it is already a cliché. The art of managing people makes all the difference between top-companies and organisations failing to turn their mission and vision into a dream coming true.The employee alone is able to motivate himself because its human nature triggers and coordinates the motivational processes from within. The role of the leader is to identify and specify how achieving the organisation's objectives ensures and satisfies the employees' own needs. Attention, appreciation and personalised behaviour towards people are essential for motivation and retention.Nevertheless, the coexistence of several generations at work, as life expectancy increased significantly in the last decades, thanks to medical progress, complicates leaders' mission. From those holding the power (60+ years old, with a strong will to stay involved in activities that fulfil their social needs), to Generation Z (born after the 90's, in an already digitised and competitive world, most prone to creativity and innovation), each of them has different characteristics, expectations and ways of communication, sometimes difficult to harmonise.Now is the time to consider our flexibility, organisational culture, leadership skills, assertiveness and values. It makes sense... so, what is the best course of action?As per most business cases, there is no guaranteed success recipe. However, leading people in a VUCA world, and especially in the context presented above, should focus on three main directions:·Cultural transformation or Flexing leadershipOrganisations and leaders should stop labelling people via classic processes like:· Performance management, that compares human beings to some pre-set standards or, worse, with other human beings. Each individual is unique, with his own strengths and weaknesses. If one is not good at something, direct him to something else as soon as you realise it. A flexible leader has sufficient emotional maturity to realise what tasks would better suit each of his team-members or ease his access to other roles. · Employee engagement surveys, where companies ask their staff to tick boxes or arrange some benefits in order of importance (allocated personal value). Later on, the management looks at some statistics of preferences per business areas, hierarchical levels, seniority or other breakdowns, without knowing what to make of them, exactly. The trend is for employees to want something they do not have, while the actions taken by organisations will never be enough to satisfy everyone.Ela Voicheci
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