BEING REALISTIC

A humanitarian crisis calls for humane HR policies to tide over what looks like the “new normal” post-lockdown

- AJITA SHASHIDHAR AND SONAL KHETARPAL

RIGHT APPROACH

Avoid hasty decision-making; wait till the end of the lockdown or even end of the month, if possible. Instead of taking piecemeal calls, take decisions that are final

Before taking any tough decision, get buy-in from the entire organisation. Involve more people in the decision; ask for suggestions on where the company can save on costs

Go overboard with communication. Explain the rationale and the situation the business is in, not just through an email, but also personal meetings or a townhall

While the communication is not always pleasant, do not stop employee engagement activities that can be done digitally so that camaraderie in teams remains

Walk the talk. Leaders should be the first ones to take the brunt of a pay-cut. That puts out the message that they are trying hard to look out for the junior members

The century-old Hindustan Unilever’s (HUL) people policies have over the years become industry standards. Not only does the company take pride in giving India Inc its best leaders, its various employee-friendly policies have made the FMCG major one of the best Indian companies to work for. HUL has pledged ₹