HRO Today March 2021 - 11

" It's been a win-win for us, " Nguyen says. " Participation in
OTM has been a tremendous success as we've completed
more than 45,000 hours of work in the marketplace
since its launch. Employees are being matched to work
on a particular assignment they find most intriguing,
resulting in teams with a diverse mix of backgrounds and
experiences to find solutions. "
Virtual tech tools are also playing a major role in the
way organizations communicate and get work done
remotely in the new normal. " The use of Zoom for our
meetings has had the most profound impact on our
work and relationships, " says Kristin Johnson, CHRO of
Edward Jones. " Zoom has allowed us into our clients' and
colleagues' homes and lives, having met children and pets
and learned of hobbies that I'm not sure I ever would have
in the physical office environment. It has been amazing
to see how personal relationships can be forged and
sustained in the virtual environment. "
Remote work has also forced organizations to redefine
how they approach and embrace workplace flexibility.
John Murabito, executive vice president and CHRO of
Cigna, says the line between work and life has become
non-existent, with employees getting their jobs done
from anywhere the house allows-the guest room, the
basement, and even the kitchen table.
Source: World Economic Forum
" It's really difficult to maintain work-life balance while
dealing with some very intense personal responsibilities,
coupled with day-to-day professional roles, " he says.
This is where flexibility comes into play: " We've made a
conscious effort to work with our leaders to underscore
the importance and expectation of flexibility with our
teams. Maybe it's non-traditional hours, job-sharing, or
taking the 'emergency time-off' we instituted for any
COVID-related reason, but our message has been clear.
Meet your teams where they are and work to address
any roadblocks or barriers to help them do their work, "
Murabito explains.
That people-first approach resonates with organizations
that are looking to support both the physical and mental
well-being of employees during a very stressful time.
" Every person has a different set of needs and is dealing
with their own unique circumstances in their personal and
professional lives, " says Mike Fenlon, chief people officer
of PwC. " While PwC has long offered a number of flexible
work options and care benefits, we realized that given
the current environment, we needed to expand upon our
existing offerings and that there is simply no one-size-fitsall
approach to meeting the needs of our people. "
To meet employees where they are during the pandemic,
PwC provides benefits that run the gamut and include:
* employee-created work schedules through formal and
informal flexibility options;
* an emergency $2,000 childcare reimbursement;
* a six-month leave of absence option that allows
employees to retain 20% of their pay; and
* increased mental health support offerings, including free
virtual therapy sessions and mindfulness resources.
The circumstances of the pandemic also forced
organizations to redesign the employee experience in
order to keep engagement levels high.
MARCH 2021 | www.hrotoday.com
[11]
COVID-19: ONE YEAR LATER
More than
80%
of global employers have accelerated
the digitization of work processes in
response to the COVID-19 crisis.
http://www.hrotoday.com
HRO Today March 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of HRO Today March 2021
