Employees : Proving to be the Greatest Asset During Pandemic

The world today is totally different than what it used to be a year ago, COVID-19 has scraped away our nation and the world. The world has experienced a full-bore disruption. Our homes, workplaces, friends and knowns are largely affected, no fix to this disruption has been found. Businesses are scuffling to evolve into new avenues, concerns are raised by employees about workplace safety measures and consumers are lying on the brim.

The concern of the business owners is to keep everyone safe be it colleagues, family and friends. To focus on everything at once is burdensome to manage therefore the owner split work among employees for the smooth functioning of their organization. Despite the pandemic, many organizations continue to make an expressive contribution to society, all this was possible because of their employees. The fight against COVID-19 can not be accelerated without human assets. The best thing that can be done by leaders is to lean in, empathize with their employees, listen to them, communicate frequently, be flexible and supportive. 

Ramification of Pandemic on Employees 

Many employees are now working remotely, work from home does not mean less burden instead the burden has increased. In many organizations the work of three people is being done by a single employee. Apart from this, working from home greatly impacts the to-do list of workers. They are doing their job, their childcare worker’s job, their cook’s job, the job of their children’s teacher and many more. Yet they are being unnoticed by the employer, it is the high time to refurbish the notion of an “ideal worker.“ 

While some are working remotely, some have started going to workplaces. They are working in a completely different working environment. Coming to office during pandemic is a tuff grind, they are not only risking their lives but also the lives of their family members. Now the question arises, how long do they have to sit at home ? 

Answer to this has not been delivered yet, neither by any scientist nor by any fortune teller. In order to deal with the family responsibilities, one has to leave home and go out to earn for livelihood. They are working efficiently in difficult situations. A divide can be seen between parents and non-parents. Those having kids at home seems like sinking in quicksand as kids remain at home all the time which is making them more stubborn and they in turn annoy their parents more. Non-parents are able to get most of their works done on time. 

It's high time to work together to ensure that the silver lining of this massive and terrifying pandemic is a new understanding of the worker as someone who is creative, concentrated, and committed—but who must still balance work commitments with caring responsibilities.

Stress Shooting Up

Jobs of many have been lost and work pressure on many has been increased greatly. New standards of operating have been implemented to protect the health of the employees. Several organizations have temporarily moved the location of their workforces, from offices to homes. This slows down the risk of propagation of the virus. Drastic changes have been observed everywhere in the world. 

One should always take care of its mental state just like any investment. The growth of any account can be achieved by doing continuous deposits just like that, in order to perform efficiently mental peace is very important. Maintaining social distancing does not mean to isolate oneself it means one should foster connections with others in new ways with respect to time. If you feel like getting isolated, talk to your closed ones or meet with therapists or mentors for support. The conversation with a therapist/closed ones holds a great importance, nothing can be more impactful than that.   

Employees - An Immensely Valuable Asset 

There is no denial of the fact that human beings are the most prominent asset for any organization. In a competitive world, it is only the human asset that contrasts an organization from its competitors, not a tangible or fixed asset. Human resource or human asset being the most powerful asset distinguishes the knowledge economy of any organization from others. 

When an employee leaves an organization he could be replaced physically but his knowledge and skills can not be fully replaced, a different skill set is possessed by every individual. Business decision makers are aware of the fact that the skill set of employees constitute more than 80% of an organization’s asset. The talent and efficiency of an employee sways the growth and pace of the organization. Therefore enhancing employee’s performance and efficiency becomes the major priority for any organization. 

The other crucial assets such as brands, trademarks, R & D, intellectual property, patents, copyrights etc, are essentially contributed by human assets therefore they are the most vital patrons towards the organization. They also take care of marketing, finance, IT, final products, branding, record maintenance and decision making. 

Appraisal at workplace 

Being the major contributor for growth and profit of any organization, employees need to be praised. Their irreplaceable efforts can not be contrasted with any monetary value as such but incentives and appraisals can motivate them to perform better day by day. Their tremendous efforts result in magnificent consumer reviews and creating brand image. 

Prioritizing employees could be the need of the hour for all the employers. The actions of a leader at any critical movement leaves a long lasting impact on its employees. Thus, an effective and consistent communication can strengthen the workplace and exalt its culture. Last but not least, the existence of every disruption holds the possibility of its recovery therefore never lose hope, you never know what tomorrow may bring !

 Vivek K Singh

Co-founder and CEO