Professor Graeme Roy hosts a podcast with Professor Richard Saundry, Dr Martin McCracken and Professor Patricia Findlay on building management capability in the context of Covid-19 and the economic crisis.
The crisis presents a very different set of challenges to different parts of the economy with some continuing to work in person, facing increased demands alongside staff shortages, while others grapple with maintaining operations with employees working from home. Elements of this podcast will be relevant to both of these situations however, specific attention is given to the challenges of managing workers remotely.
This podcast focuses on the complementary roles of HR professionals and line managers in supporting employees in order to maintain both wellbeing and productivity in UK businesses and organisations enabling them to restart and recover.
Key discussion points include:
- The role of technology in building and maintaining relationships in the absence of the informal communications we’re used to having in workplaces
- The importance of employee voice, engaging in dialogue and conflict management (including compelling statistics around the impact of these on workplace innovation and performance)
- The impact of the crisis on management style and the dynamic between control and facilitation
- The need for HR professionals to maintain the relationship building element of their jobs and avoid retreating into being seen as remote advisors regarding only the technical and legal aspects of HR
Throughout the discussion, the need for HR professionals and line managers to work in partnership with one another is highlighted and the speakers encourage HR professionals to use this as an opportunity to bring their knowledge and expertise to the table.