HR dept has its work cut out as companies manage layoffs, work from home

They say it’s the new normal. If Covid-19 is changing the workplace, the human resources (HR) department has to step up the game to lay the edifice of the new digital office, enable employees to match up to the demands of the new place and make both the corporation and its employees more productive.

So far, the focus of HR has been on prioritising the health and safety of em­ployees and in some cases, enabling re­mote working. Now organisations are considering medium- to long-term solutions as to how they can continue to leverage virtual working and other technological tools to run their businesses. This is a watershed moment for the HR, says Major Mithun Sasi (retd), vice-president (VP) and head,