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I N D E P E N D E N T P U B L I C A T I O N B Y
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R A C O N T E U R . N E T
WHO PROVIDES HR
SUPPORT FOR HR?
HOW TO TACKLE
STAFF TURNOVER
10
03
EXPLORING HR ROLES
OF THE FUTURE
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FUTURE OF HR
R A C O N T E U R . N E T
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/future-hr-2020-dec
as 2020 been the tough-
est year ever for human
resources
professionals?
Many experts think it has, with the
coronavirus pandemic presenting
threats to both employees' job secu-
rity and wellbeing, as well as driving
major organisational change with
very little time to prepare.
In a period when remote working
has become normal and negatively
impacted the physical and men-
tal health of the teams they look
after, the key question is: who is tak-
ing care of the carers to prevent HR
burnout?
The dangers are very real, as
a survey for VMware suggests.
Of the 950 HR directors in the
Europe, Middle East and Africa
region surveyed, 51 per cent wor-
ried relationships with their team
and other colleagues would suf-
fer as a result of remote working.
A third admitted they felt more of
a need to be online outside their
normal working hours, while 28
per cent reported stress levels
had increased as a result of this
new pattern.
Research from HR consultancy
LHH in UK and Ireland was even
starker, showing 93 per cent of HR
decision-makers feel more pressure
than ever before.
Laura Welsh, head of HR at LLH,
says: "HR professionals are being
looked to by anxious employees and
leadership teams during this dif-
fi cult time, and are having to take
part in decisions that require emo-
tional intelligence, resilience and
empathy. If HR professionals don't
look after themselves, it can have
an adverse impact on their ability to
make these decisions. They should
apply their own oxygen mask fi rst."
Suggesting regular check-ups and
one-to-ones, as well as being strict
with boundaries, Welsh says these
things are vital to "creating a safe
space to express your feelings and
discuss any issues that arise".
For many, this may be e