What COVID-19 Taught Us About The Importance of HR Digitalisation

Whether you’re an employer or an employee, a corporate HR professional or an entrepreneur, 2021 has been a uniquely challenging year for all of us here in Malaysia. But as we now move towards the endemic stage of COVID-19, things are arguably returning to a state of normalcy for many of us. Employees throughout the nation are now returning to the physical workspace — and for some, it may be the very first time they are actually meeting their colleagues in person.

However, there is a caveat to all of this: Omicron. Declared as a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the first case of the variant has already been detected in Malaysia — which further emphasises the need for stringent adherence to SOPs and guidelines set by the Ministry of Health and other relevant authorities in Malaysia. 

As such, it’s important for your business to stay agile, with 2021 having highlighted the critical need for digitalisation for businesses in Malaysia, and beyond. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digitalisation around the world, while serving as a major example for the importance of HR digitalisation. 

Here are some key lessons to help your business stay agile and successful — whatever happens next. 

1. The true meaning of Flexibility

Back in 2019, the idea of flexibility was one that had its roots in terms of working arrangements and employee hours. However, the pandemic has shown that flexibility isn’t as simple as allowing your team to work from home, or remotely. 

Instead, the concept of flexibility should be regarded as a working culture, one that allows employees to manage personal and professional lives — often resulting in increased productivity for individuals and organisations alike. This rethinking of the work culture has also resulted in a renewed focus on employee wellness and mental health, which should be now seen as a priority for all businesses in Malaysia, and beyond. 

2. Equipping your business with the right digital tools

The pandemic also saw largely unprecedented lockdowns being implemented, which meant that workers were abruptly subject to transitions to work-from-home arrangements. This certainly affected operations for many businesses, with simple daily tasks like attendance tracking and even meetings disrupted by a lack of the right digital tools, as well as a general unfamiliarity with the digital workplace. 

The organisations that managed to come through the pandemic successfully were generally better prepared for this transition. This includes Digi-X, the venture builder arm of Digi Telecommunications, who implemented a wide variety of digital systems and processes in order to future-proof the workplace — foresight which came in handy. 

As such, organisations in Malaysia are advised to continue to digitalise with the right systems and tools, including the following: 

• VoIP Business Phone Systems
• Automation Platforms 
• altHR: Communication & HR Management 
• Project Management Tools
  

You can read more about these tools in our breakdown here.

3.  Don’t skimp on (cyber)security

Most employers are already familiar with the requirement of investing in security for your workplace, but with many/most of us working from home throughout 2021, the importance of cybersecurity should be at the forefront of your thinking. This is because employees working remotely, or from home, are at a greater risk of cyberattacks, as revealed in a recent study conducted by Deloitte. 

To protect your employees, as well as your organisation’s sensitive data from malicious parties, it’s important to only rely on secure, reliable digital tools (as seen above). For example, Digi’s super app, altHR, hosts its database on a top-ranked cloud infrastructure — one that is trusted by financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies around the world. 

4. Keeping your employees engaged and motivated — remotely

We know, we know — many workforces are already now operating at full force in the physical office. However, a key takeaway from the pandemic is the need to remain agile, and ever-ready for potential disruptions and abrupt changes in the business landscape for 2022. As such, it’s important to understand the role that the Digital Workplace plays in keeping your employees engaged and motivated, no matter where they are. 

Whether you’re running a fully-present workforce, a remote model, or a hybrid working arrangement, it’s important that you continue to adopt a digital-first mindset when it comes to all aspects of your business.This involves the use of digital tools (again), but it’s also about a mindset shift — for example, regular socialising activities to emulate water-cooler chats, and even digital onboarding (which is available with altHR) to help newbies feel welcome and up to date with their new surroundings and teammates.