Earlier this year, before the global pandemic, I returned to the office after an extended business trip. When I walked into the building, the environment felt different. The building was the same, the furniture was where it had been before, and my colleagues were still the same lovely people, but the atmosphere felt somewhat unfamiliar. It was because there had been a break in my routine. Humans are creatures of habit — we rely on routines to help us manage our busy schedules, remain productive, and keep us sane. When our routines change, we must adapt, create new strategies, or run the risk of being ineffective, unproductive, or even misaligned.

Robert Hogan

C. Northcote Parkinson (1909—1993) was a British naval historian, lecturer, and novelist; he formulated his famous law in an essay in The Economist in 1955. Parkinson’s law was intended to describe the behavior of managers in the British Navy and British government, but it is also a pretty good description of work in most organizations. The July 11^th, 2020 issue of The Economist provides an update of Parkinson’s astute generalization about organizational behavior.

The law itself states: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” I think there are three psychological explanations for Parkinson’s law. The first is the human tendency to procrastinate, to put off doing things until the last minute. Procrastination itself has several causes including fear of failure, laziness, and, of course, passive aggression (“Don’t rush me!”). But the point is that procrastination is one way to explain Parkinson’s law. A second explanation for Parkinson’s law is the fact that if people complete a task promptly, they risk being assigned a second, and even more tedious, task. The reverse of this situation is, of course, “If you want to get something done, find a busy person.” A third explanation for Parkinson’s law is “impression management”; most people understand the importance of being seen to be working while at work. In this context, it makes sense to extend the duration of each task. Parkinson pointedly noted that managers help other managers look busy by shuffling papers back and forth for review, commentary, and alignment.

A global and local research on HR leaders personalities and implications

The primary task of human resources has historically been to handle employee benefits and grievances. As such, HR played a very minimal role in corporate strategy and an organization’s success or failure. Modern organizations now realize the critical role that talent (i.e., the people in the organization) plays in its success. That is, people aren’t just replaceable cogs in a machine; some employees are better than others, and employing top talent is a major factor in organizational success.

The role of HR has grown over the past decade and has become particularly important now, during these unprecedented times. HR has, in time, taken a more prominent role in organizations through building a sustainable competitive advantage acquired through management and acquisition of top talent. However, the pandemic has brought on even more critical functions: offering support to employees and leaders in managing their anxiety, forecasting in unpredictable times and offering strategic support to the business.

To understand how are HR leaders equipped to deal with all of these challenges, Hogan assessments looked at the personalities of more than 1,000 HR managers to see how they stack up against other workers around the world.

Crises tend to bring out both the best and the worst in people. On one hand, the COVID-19 pandemic has people picking up groceries for their elderly neighbors, sewing masks, and sending hand sanitizer to those in need. At the same time, others are hoarding toilet paper, spreading conspiracy theories on social media, and failing to follow health directives from authorities.

Hardly anyone is going through the normal routine of getting ready for work, commuting to the office, spending the day with colleagues, returning home, and enjoying the evening with family and friends. People are struggling to work from home while simultaneously providing education and day care to their children. Healthcare workers and others deemed essential are working longer hours than ever before, whereas those in the restaurant, bar, entertainment, fitness, hospitality, airline, and cruise industries sit idle.  Consultants and gig economy workers have seen most sources of income dry up, and those who are still employed have no idea whether their companies will be in business next year.

The disruptions to our daily routines, uncertainty about finances, concerns about becoming infected or losing loved ones, and isolation are creating unprecedented levels of stress. No one is going to be at his or her best under these circumstances; the COVID-19 pandemic has created a perfect storm for our dark sides to emerge.

Crizele tind sa scoata la iveala din oameni tot ce este mai bun, dar si tot ce este mai rau… Pe de o parte, pandemia de COVID-19 ne-a impulsionat sa dam mai des o mana de ajutor, sa facem cumparaturi pentru vecinii mai in varsta, sa confectionam masti si sa trimitem dezinfectant catre cei care au nevoie. Pe de alta parte, unii dintre noi facem stocuri imense de hartie igienica, impartasim teorii ale conspiratiei pe retelele de socializare si nu urmam asa cum ar trebui indicatiile autoritatilor privind distantarea fizica.

Putini dintre noi mai avem parte de vechile rutine – de a ne trezi dimineata si a merge la birou, de a interactiona in pauza la o cafea cu colegii, de a ne intoarce acasa si de a petrece seara cu familia sau prietenii.

Multi dintre noi ne “luptam” cu a crea un echilibru intre a lucra de acasa, in timp ce trebuie sa ne ocupam si de copii sau de treburile gospodaresti.

Cei care lucreaza in domeniul medical, dar si in alte industrii, simt ca lucreaza mai multe ore ca niciodata, in timp ce altii din domenii precum cel al ospitalitatii, nu mai au activitate. O buna parte dintre angajatii la nivel global se intreaba daca organizatiile pentru care lucreaza vor mai functiona si anul urmator si daca ei vor mai avea un loc de munca.

Schimbarilor din viata de zi cu zi, nesigurantei cu privire la aspectele financiare, ingrijorarii de a nu fi infectati sau de a pierde pe cineva drag, se adauga sentimentul profund de izolare cu care ne confruntam, ducand, astfel, la un nivel fara precedent de stres. Nici unii dintre noi nu functionam optim in astfel de circumstante, iar aceasta criza a creat mediul perfect pentru ca “partea intunecata” a personalitatii sa iasa la iveala.

During the month of April, this year, during the beginning of Covid-19 crisis, our business psychologists and consultants created a short pulse survey to understand more about what measures are companies taking under this new context we all experience in order to keep the business running and their people safe.

Therefore, we have deployed the survey to 250 companies from different industries. 53% of respondent companies have more than 500 employees.

We have invited HR professionals to respond to our questions.

The responses indicated the following:

On April 17, 2017, Southwest flight 1380 from New York to Dallas was in serious danger. A failed fan blade had struck the plane, creating a window-sized hole on the left side of the plane. Oxygen masks were deployed and, unsurprisingly, the passengers began to panic. Captain Tammie Jo Shults remained calm, took command of the situation, adapted to the circumstances, and safely landed the plane in Philadelphia, saving hundreds of lives. Her audio call is worth a listen.

More recently, the Diamond Princess cruise ship was quarantined with more than 700 passengers testing positive for COVID-19. Captain Gennaro Arma was credited for preventing panic with his calm and reassuring leadership style. There are many examples of extraordinary leaders rising to the occasion in crisis situations. Because many organizations are currently facing the crisis caused by COVID-19, we thought it would be a good time to review what we know about organizational crisis and what makes a leader most effective during such times.

With concern about the spread of COVID-19, more companies are choosing to allow workers to office remotely; Remote work isn’t a new concept. Over the past couple of years, with the increase in demand for a flexible workplace and the development of more advanced AI technology, many companies are choosing to offer employees the option to work virtually. VR conferencing; communication platforms such as WeChat, Slack, and Skype for Business; and apps for managing remote work and workers make remote work feasible and just as easy to manage as working in an office.

“Femeile sunt mai empatice si de aceea mai bune in a conduce oameni”. „Barbatii sunt mai dominanti, mai carismatici, au mai multa forta si de aceea ei ar trebui sa se afle in varful ierarhiilor”. „Femeile trebuie sa isi asume mai mult rolul traditional de mama si sotie”. „Barbatii trebuie sa aduca bani, sa aiba un statut social mai inalt si sa ofere stabilitate in familie”.

De cate ori se iveste ocazia de a discuta despre subiectul femei versus barbati in business si mai ales despre femei si barbati aflati la conducere, am auzit asumptiile de mai sus, dar si multe altele in plus. Brusc, pare ca toata lumea devine experta si are o opinie ferma cu privire la cine ar trebui sa se afle la conducere, cu privire la rolul femeii si al barbatului in societate.

Performanta unei organizatii depinde, in mare masura, de performanta contributorilor individuali. De aceea, este crucial sa angajam oamenii potriviti. Dar cum ne putem da seama daca procesul nostru de selectie identifica cu adevarat persoanele potrivite?