HR AND PEOPLE MANAGEMENT
Empathy paves the way
Sheron Jayasundara
People management has become an essential part of any business in the prevailing environment due to the complexity of economic problems that the nation is presently experiencing.
Attracting, hiring and training top talent has become incredibly difficult for Sri Lanka as a result of repeated lockdowns, the economic downturn and an unprecedented brain drain that is expected to worsen in the foreseeable future.
“The advertising industry thrives on people as they’re at its core. Over 60 percent of our expenditure is invested in talent. To become a successful people manager, the key is to understand others,” says Sheron Jayasundara.
She continues: “In today’s complex world, everyone is fighting a battle that we know nothing about. Having the ability to develop emotional intelligence is a basic requirement to lead any team. A positive workplace atmosphere will be made possible by behaviours such as empathy, listening to understand and open door policies, which will boost output and lead to job retention.”
Jayasundara identifies the top three factors that are most important for handling employees: listening, ensuring work-life balance and setting smart goals.
“Listening to understand and not listening to respond is vital. Be empathic towards your team and understand what makes them tick so that you can use those cues to motivate them to perform better,” she asserts.
As for managing the work-life balance, Jayasundara says: “Being flexible is rooted in understanding people and giving them the space they need to strike a work-life balance that will resonate in their daily performance.”
Furthermore, she notes that “establishing smart and effective goals will help guide your team with the clarity, focus and motivation they need to achieve them. It also improves the team’s ability to meet their goals by encouraging them to define their own objectives and set deadlines.”
Commenting on the challenges that human resources (HR) teams face today, Jayasundara notes: “Workplaces have undergone significant changes due to the pandemic and economic crisis. As remote working became the norm, working in physical office spaces and in-person meetings have become a thing of the past. More people are choosing to work from home and this has also resulted in more people opting for freelance work.”
“These changes have also disrupted the personal aspect that once made teamwork great,” she observes.
Jayasundara believes that new procedures and policies will need to be introduced to measure, track and oversee work, as well as establishing objectives that can help companies meet the demands of both customers and employees.
When it comes to some of the key attributes that differentiate companies, she explains: “The foundation is people and how you treat them. Our industry comprises diverse people with different personalities and ideas. We need to be able to understand each and every individual – and ensure that we learn to connect their ideas as we keep our teams ravenous to enjoy their work.”
As for emerging trends in the human resources space, Jayasundara says that “HR managers will need to concentrate more on developing and fostering emotional intelligence in team leaders and teams as remote working becomes the standard.”
Additionally, companies will have to learn to trust and empower their teams as physical environments become a thing of the past.
Workplace stress is also on the rise and this impacts individual workers, as well as relationships with friends, family and coworkers. Therefore, workplaces that support mental health in the future will be more valued by employees.
Jayasundara stresses: “HR teams will need to adopt more accommodating employment practices that permit flexi hours, which would ultimately benefit employees’ ability to manage their personal and professional lives, and improve their work output.”
