How Top Employers are adapting to COVID-19

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Top Employers Institute's CEO, David Plink shares four key measures that certified organisations are implementing to combat the effects of the situation and guide their people through these uncertain times.

Over the past decade we have witnessed the commitment from Top Employers to their people. We now clearly see the same tenacity in providing safe and healthy workplaces for employees and their loved ones. It is heart-warming to experience this rapid and unflinching development.

All organisations are having to adapt to a situation of enormous complexity without the time and guidance needed to do so. Top Employers are doing this successfully.

Trust and agility

Telecommuting was already a common practice for many Top Employers, and we are seeing that this sudden necessity for large proportions of the workforce is being ramped up with exceptional speed. Not only are the platforms in place to support this, but so too is the required trust in employees to conduct their work wherever and whenever. This is the apex of agility.

Emergency procedures

Many Top Employers now benefit from having invested time and resources in emergency procedures and plans to safeguard the health of their employees. As these plans kick into full action, the disruption to business is reduced and the focus on the well-being of staff is optimised.

Communication

We see that Top Employers are open in their communication. This benefits the organisation and its employees in good times, but also ensures that company updates are timely, clear and straightforward in times of crisis.

Mental health

Mental well-being programmes are in place at most of certified organisations and are being deployed at a time they are much needed: when people are uncertain about their health, the health of their families, their job and the economy at large, it is comforting to be able to reach out to a company-provided support system.

Top Employers lead the pack in our normal, already rapidly developing world. To now see that they provide yet an even bigger example of how to take care of their people, their customers and the community they operate in in times like is a confirmation of the strength of our network. A heartfelt thank you to all the hardworking people at Top Employers around the world that are making this possible.

At Top Employers Institute, we are doing all we can to play our part as well. Our whole organisation has been asked to work from home and we conduct all client interaction via webinars.

Based on trust in our people and being able to rely on cloud-based technology that we already had in place, we are able to respond in an agile way. Beyond the day-to-day business continuity, we share best practices and connect the world’s leading organisations in order to best use the resources in our global community of HR and business leaders. This is a moment where we can truly benefit from the strong connection we have in our network of like-minded, people-first professionals. Already, we can learn from what Top Employers in China have experienced and from actions taken in Spain.

We are optimistic about the future. We are being put to the test in an unexpected way and at an enormous scale. Yet what we experience within our Top Employers community and in the world around us, fills us with hope and confidence. Keep up the good work, you can depend on us to continue to advocate the crucial role that HR plays in the success of business, especially at times like these.

Yours faithfully,