The First Half of 2020 – An Update - Elliott Scott HR

As I reflect on the first half of the year, I can confidently say 2020 has been one of the most challenging six months of my career, ... Connecting... Published:01Jul,2020/By:StuartElliott TheFirstHalfof2020–AnUpdate Asabusinessweturnnineonthe4thJuly.OuranniversaryisusuallysomethingIliketocelebratebutthisyearourhubsacrosstheglobewillbedoingsoabitdifferently!    AsIreflectonthefirsthalfoftheyear,Icanconfidentlysay2020hasbeenoneofthemostchallengingsixmonthsofmycareer,letalonetheexistenceoftheElliottScottGroupbusiness.AswehavebusinessesinAPACIwasexceptionallyfortunatetobeaheadofthecurvewithregardstotheemergingsituationinChinaandHongKongbutwhenIthinkbacktoJanuaryandthefirstrumblingsofCoronavirus,Igenuinelyneverbelievedthatwewouldbewherewearerightnow.    Globallyjobnumbersaredefinitelydownandasabusinesswearerunningat50%ofourcapacitycomparedto2019.However,beyondcorerecruitment,abigpartofourrole(asrecruiters)istogenuinelysupportourcandidatesandclientsonamorepersonallevel,manyofwhohaveneededus.GloballyourteamshavebeenassistingourHRcommunitythroughpersonalconversations,thoughtleadership,virtualeventsandsharinglocalandinternationalmarketintelligence.Ithoroughlybelievethatweareallinthistogetherandweknowthatbyworkinginpartnershipwewillcomeoutoftheothersideandbestrongerforwhatwehaveallbeenthrough.    Thebiggestworryonthehorizon,isthesecondorthirdwaveofthepandemicthatappearstobealreadyhittingsomelocationsaroundtheworld.Tiedintothis,ourcurrentElliottScottHRsurvey,lookingat‘ReturningtotheOfficeDuringtheCoronavirusPandemic’showsthat40%ofpeople,acrosstheglobe,aren’tyetcomfortablewithphysicallygoingbackintotheoffice.   SomepositivesI’dliketohighlightthough:    WehavedefinitelyseenasmallincreaseinjobnumbersinJune.Idon’twanttogettooexcitedaboutthisbutineachofourlocationswehavetakennewbriefsforrolesthatcompaniesaregenuineabouthiring.    Flexibleworkingisheretostay!IamnottotallysoldthattheofficeisdeadbutIthinkweshouldbecelebratingthefactthatthispandemichasforcedafundamentalworkshift.Providingwehavetherighttechnologyandsetup,alotofuscandoourjobsfromwhereverweare.    HRhaspotentiallythebiggestopportunityIhaveseeninover15yearstobeattheforefrontofallongoingbusinessdecisions.Workplacehealth,wellness,inclusion,safetyandperformancemanagementarejustsomeofthekeyareasoffocusforvirtuallyeverybusinessaroundtheworldrightnow.Businessesthatgetthisrightwillbeaheadofthecurveandabletorideoutanyfurtherstorms.   Sowhileitisallverydifficult(andtherecouldbesomemorebadnewstocome),therearesomegreenshootsofpositivityonthehorizon.Wemightfindthatthesetakealittlelongertocomethroughinthecomingmonthsbuttheyarethereandweallneedtolatchontotheseaswemoveintothesecondhalfoftheyear.    Finally,Ireallyjustwanttoreiteratemyearliermessagethatwetrulyareinthistogether.Thingswilltakealittlelongerbutwiththerightpatience,supportandpartnershipwewillgetthereandshouldyouneedus,theteamatElliottScottHRisheretohelp.  Tags: businessupdate globalupdate globalbusiness ElliottScottHR StuartElliott thoughtleadership Similarblogs HRInsights-ThePodcast.Series3:WhyCompanyValuesMatter 4daysagoByElliottScottHR ManagingUnderperformanceRemotely 7daysagoByElliottScottHR IntroducingLucyBielby:GlobalRecruitmentDirector 14daysagoByElliottScottHR HRInsights:AQ1Recap 18daysagoByElliottScottHR HRInsights-ThePodcast.Series3:SuccessfulHRTransformationonaGlobalScale 18daysagoByElliottScottHR Quarter1:MarketUpdate 21daysagoByElliottScottHR