# HR Recovery Post-COVID: Lessons from Five Years Later
Five years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, HR professionals continue to adapt to its lasting effects. What began as emergency responses has evolved into fundamental shifts in how HR operates. Leaders like Andrew Dawson, Monique Herena, and Ernest Marshall share insights on how HR has transformed—and continues to recover—from this unprecedented global event.
## The Pandemic’s Unexpected Impact on HR Planning
When Andrew Dawson participated in the HR 2020 initiative years ago, the goal was to prepare for predictable industry changes like technology integration and strategic business influence. The planning covered many scenarios, but as Dawson notes, “The one thing no one ever thought about when we were planning for HR in 2020 was the impact a global pandemic would have.”
That unexpected development accelerated the transformation of HR in ways no one could have anticipated:
– **Rapid digital transformation** of workplace processes
– **Heightened strategic influence** in business decisions
– **Renewed focus** on employee wellbeing and support
As CPO at BVI Medical, Dawson emphasizes the importance of asking, “What are the lessons we learned?” This reflection is critical as HR continues to navigate post-pandemic workplace realities.
## Prioritizing People: The Return to HR Fundamentals
Monique Herena, who joined American Express just before the pandemic as Chief Colleague Experience Officer, describes 2020-2022 as surpassing all previous HR transformations in scope and speed. The crisis forced HR to reconnect with its core purpose.
“At the end of the day, we were dealing with the health and safety of our people all around the world, and their loved ones, and that had to be our No. 1 priority,” Herena explains.
### Making Decisions Amid Uncertainty
While many organizations turned to layoffs and furloughs, American Express took a different approach. They made the strategic decision to avoid cost-cutting measures that might harm their workforce, believing that “colleagues and customers will remember who had their back.”
This people-first mindset required:
– Frequent communication with rapidly changing information
– Continuous learning and adaptation
– Making decisions without complete information
– Leading with both empathy and agility
“Information shifted sometimes within the same day,” Herena recalls. “We told people one thing with the best information we had, and then we had to tell them something else at the end of the day—with no ego, but because it was the right thing to do.”
## Accelerated Innovation in Employee Support
The pandemic forced HR to design and implement new programs rapidly, often without precedent. This pressure revealed the function’s capacity for innovation and quick response.
Ernest Marshall, CHRO at Eaton, notes: “In COVID, we learned how to make decisions and make them quickly. Fail fast and pivot. Be very agile in what we were thinking. And then be creative.”
This mindset drove remarkable innovation across the industry:
– IBM created their Work From Home Pledge, emphasizing work/life integration
– PwC offered $250 stipends when employees took full weeks off to combat burnout
– Bank of America provided specialized support for employees with intellectual disabilities
– Verizon launched a “collaborative career engine” to support women’s professional development
These initiatives demonstrate how the crisis pushed HR to “throw out the rule book” and find creative solutions to unprecedented challenges.
## The Transformed Employee-Employer Relationship
One of the pandemic’s most significant impacts was the fundamental shift in how employees relate to their organizations. As workers adapted to remote work, their expectations around trust and flexibility dramatically increased.
Now, as some companies push return-to-office mandates, HR often finds itself caught between workforce preferences and executive desires. Dawson questions this approach:
“These return-to-office mandates? I don’t get it, I just don’t get it. I hate the phrase hybrid work. It’s more about, you do your work where you can be the most productive.”
The core issue, he suggests, is trust: “Do we trust our employees to do the work we asked them to do without us having to see them physically in the office?”
## The Heightened Profile and Ongoing Recovery of HR
COVID elevated HR’s strategic importance within organizations. “COVID pulled back the curtain on how critical and important the HR function really is,” Marshall explains.
This elevated profile has enabled deeper executive relationships and greater influence on company strategy. However, it also comes with challenges:
– Increased expectations from leadership
– Multiple competing priorities
– Risk of burnout among HR professionals themselves
Despite being five years removed from the initial crisis, the aftereffects continue to impact HR practitioners.
“COVID was probably the most exhausting two-and-a-half years for HR,” Marshall notes. “We’re seeing it now in the number of people whose CHRO tenure is ending by their own choice. We’re all still recovering from COVID, to be honest.”
## Key Takeaways for HR Leaders
1. **Trust your workforce** to be productive regardless of location
2. **Lead with empathy** while maintaining agility in decision-making
3. **Maintain focus** on employee wellbeing as a strategic priority
4. **Leverage the elevated status** of HR to drive meaningful organizational change
5. **Monitor your own wellbeing** as you continue to recover from the pandemic’s demands
As HR continues to recover and adapt, the lessons from the pandemic offer valuable guidance for navigating whatever challenges come next—expected or unexpected.
# HR Recovery Post-COVID: Lessons from Five Years Later
Five years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, HR professionals continue to adapt to its lasting effects. What began as emergency responses has evolved into fundamental shifts in how HR operates. Leaders like Andrew Dawson, Monique Herena, and Ernest Marshall share insights on how HR has transformed—and continues to recover—from this unprecedented global event.
## The Pandemic’s Unexpected Impact on HR Planning
When Andrew Dawson participated in the HR 2020 initiative years ago, the goal was to prepare for predictable industry changes like technology integration and strategic business influence. The planning covered many scenarios, but as Dawson notes, “The one thing no one ever thought about when we were planning for HR in 2020 was the impact a global pandemic would have.”
That unexpected development accelerated the transformation of HR in ways no one could have anticipated:
– **Rapid digital transformation** of workplace processes
– **Heightened strategic influence** in business decisions
– **Renewed focus** on employee wellbeing and support
As CPO at BVI Medical, Dawson emphasizes the importance of asking, “What are the lessons we learned?” This reflection is critical as HR continues to navigate post-pandemic workplace realities.
## Prioritizing People: The Return to HR Fundamentals
Monique Herena, who joined American Express just before the pandemic as Chief Colleague Experience Officer, describes 2020-2022 as surpassing all previous HR transformations in scope and speed. The crisis forced HR to reconnect with its core purpose.
“At the end of the day, we were dealing with the health and safety of our people all around the world, and their loved ones, and that had to be our No. 1 priority,” Herena explains.
### Making Decisions Amid Uncertainty
While many organizations turned to layoffs and furloughs, American Express took a different approach. They made the strategic decision to avoid cost-cutting measures that might harm their workforce, believing that “colleagues and customers will remember who had their back.”
This people-first mindset required:
– Frequent communication with rapidly changing information
– Continuous learning and adaptation
– Making decisions without complete information
– Leading with both empathy and agility
“Information shifted sometimes within the same day,” Herena recalls. “We told people one thing with the best information we had, and then we had to tell them something else at the end of the day—with no ego, but because it was the right thing to do.”
## Accelerated Innovation in Employee Support
The pandemic forced HR to design and implement new programs rapidly, often without precedent. This pressure revealed the function’s capacity for innovation and quick response.
Ernest Marshall, CHRO at Eaton, notes: “In COVID, we learned how to make decisions and make them quickly. Fail fast and pivot. Be very agile in what we were thinking. And then be creative.”
This mindset drove remarkable innovation across the industry:
– IBM created their Work From Home Pledge, emphasizing work/life integration
– PwC offered $250 stipends when employees took full weeks off to combat burnout
– Bank of America provided specialized support for employees with intellectual disabilities
– Verizon launched a “collaborative career engine” to support women’s professional development
These initiatives demonstrate how the crisis pushed HR to “throw out the rule book” and find creative solutions to unprecedented challenges.
## The Transformed Employee-Employer Relationship
One of the pandemic’s most significant impacts was the fundamental shift in how employees relate to their organizations. As workers adapted to remote work, their expectations around trust and flexibility dramatically increased.
Now, as some companies push return-to-office mandates, HR often finds itself caught between workforce preferences and executive desires. Dawson questions this approach:
“These return-to-office mandates? I don’t get it, I just don’t get it. I hate the phrase hybrid work. It’s more about, you do your work where you can be the most productive.”
The core issue, he suggests, is trust: “Do we trust our employees to do the work we asked them to do without us having to see them physically in the office?”
## The Heightened Profile and Ongoing Recovery of HR
COVID elevated HR’s strategic importance within organizations. “COVID pulled back the curtain on how critical and important the HR function really is,” Marshall explains.
This elevated profile has enabled deeper executive relationships and greater influence on company strategy. However, it also comes with challenges:
– Increased expectations from leadership
– Multiple competing priorities
– Risk of burnout among HR professionals themselves
Despite being five years removed from the initial crisis, the aftereffects continue to impact HR practitioners.
“COVID was probably the most exhausting two-and-a-half years for HR,” Marshall notes. “We’re seeing it now in the number of people whose CHRO tenure is ending by their own choice. We’re all still recovering from COVID, to be honest.”
## Key Takeaways for HR Leaders
1. **Trust your workforce** to be productive regardless of location
2. **Lead with empathy** while maintaining agility in decision-making
3. **Maintain focus** on employee wellbeing as a strategic priority
4. **Leverage the elevated status** of HR to drive meaningful organizational change
5. **Monitor your own wellbeing** as you continue to recover from the pandemic’s demands
As HR continues to recover and adapt, the lessons from the pandemic offer valuable guidance for navigating whatever challenges come next—expected or unexpected.