The world is in a historical moment. Organizations are changing and the company, the place where goods and services are produced, is undergoing a profound transformation since the advent of the Covid-19 and the panoply of restrictive measures that followed, recalls Didier Acouetey, CEO of AfricSearch, introducing the virtual panel co-organized with the public relations consultancy Global Mind Consulting, on July 2, 2020, and devoted to the impact of these changes on human resources, in the presence of several HRDs and experts in the field.

“In the first stage, it was necessary, based on a clear action plan, to guarantee the continuity of the service and the safety of the employees”, recalls Katala Soro-Loua, (Head of HR West & Central Africa Bayer) who insists on a clear communication towards the management and the staff. As a second step, she continues, the organization has implemented telecommuting, sparing the vulnerable, those who take public transport.

Nadine Tano Dallys, (Regional HR Business Partner, World Bank Group, Abidjan) agrees: “The challenges are the same for companies. In addition to what has been said, we had to work on psychological support given the anxiety and uncertainty. The speakers recognize that telework does not diminish the company’s performance in any way, but still, insists Mrs Tanoh Dallys, that management by objectives be clearly defined with performance evaluation tools. This method of setting objectives is an “imperative” for the manager, Didier Acouetey reacts, questioning the relevance of the productivity week of a 5-day work week of 8 hours per day.

The good mastery of computer tools and technical platforms obviously remains a prerequisite. “It is possible to make a recruitment today without necessarily being face to face with a candidate,” said Nadine Tanoh Dallys convinced that the impact of the pandemic on training firms will push them to use distance learning systems.

For his part, Mohamed Kaba, (Regional Director Francophone Africa and HR Director Group Compensation and Benefits ECOBANK) takes the example of Ecobank where covid-19 has been a great opportunity to use collaborative tools, the ability to secure staff and the customer. “Our first communication was launched to staff on March 17. On March 23, we implemented a work plan with one-third of the staff telecommuting.”

It remains to be seen whether this telecommuting trend is irreversible and will survive post-covid-19. “We are in a performance-oriented organization,” says Mohamed Kabo, who believes that a new work organization will be put in place, with plans to save money on travel and to inject some digital programs. The future of telework will depend on the managerial choices to be made in each company and will vary according to the sector. As Ms Soro says, “we are not going to decide on telework if it is not profitable for the company”.

In the end, if the pandemic has postponed the recruitment programs, the job market is not closed. Middle management positions are available and young profiles with IT skills and the ability to move in organizational systems open to telecommuting are sought. “Digital competence is a decisive criterion”, insists Didier Acouetey, attentive to the demand of multinationals and companies for new talents. Called “soft kills” in good French, these skills are non-technical competences and an added value to the job”, adds Solange Soro.

Innovation will also affect the Human Resources function with the centralization of certain functions. In any case, the HR function will exist with changes and evolutions linked to digitalization, but it cannot disappear from the company as a strategic function. The manager will not replace the HRD who has his own expertise. “The notion of chain and link is important” in this distancing of the functions of the company called to be more effective, concludes Joel-Eric Missainhoun, Managing Partner at Africsearch.

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Source: Financial Afrik