Following the irreversible changes in the world and in business, staff and teams’ working arrangements have come to the center of attention of HR managers. The safety of communication among employees and customers during an epidemiological crisis has become critical to ensuring of the smooth operation of transport and logistics companies.
After the introduction of restrictions on personal meetings and free movement, personnel managers have immediately responded to the changes that arose. In a short time, the HR team mastered online ways to interview and onboard employees. The priorities of the HR department remained the well-being of employees, the development of hard and soft skills, and the creation of comfortable working conditions.
AsstrA’s HR management noted 5 professional competencies without which our staff cannot work effectively. Despite the fact that some of these skills seem obvious, in the present conditions each has taken on a new meaning.
- Change management readiness;
- Development of analytical thinking;
- Mentoring and coaching of leaders;
- Attention to regular communication between customers and staff;
- IT literacy.
The team also developed a staff well-being and support program to prevent the occurrence of post-pandemic syndrome. The program was put in place in July.
“The business cannot function without employees. The transition to remote working mode secured the company’s personnel, saved jobs, and minimized the risk of infection. When quarantine measures were first introduced, the AsstrA team received an instruction manual on working in “home-office” mode. The guidance was prepared taking into account national recommendations and international experience,” says Yana Bojko, HR Specialist at AsstrA-Associated Traffic AG.
“Since June, personnel managers have been preparing the next phase in the plan – the systematic return of employees to offices. To understand the situation on the ground and revise the rules of office work in the new realities, the company staff participated in a “home office” survey to gather their opinions,” adds Yana Bojko.
According to the results of the survey, 85% of the respondents spoke in favor of maintaining the “home-office” mode and 15% were ready to return to their usual work in the office.
The participants also evaluated their productivity when working at home. According to 60% of respondents, their productivity has remained unchanged, 36% of employees believe that productivity has increased, and only 4% feel that productivity has declined.
“Every month, starting in March 2020, the CEO of the AsstrA-Associated Traffic AG corporate group shares the latest updates on the transport and logistics market with employees. In addition, a town hall-style online meeting was held in which Dmitry Lagun discussed plans for the coming months and gave straight answers to tricky questions from staff. Such an open dialogue allows each employee to check AsstrA’s stability and reliability as an employer despite difficult market circumstances,” says Aleksandra Pakush, Acting HR Director.