HR managers are ‘the unsung heroes of the office’

The role played by HR managers during the pandemic has highlighted how many of them are the unsung heroes of the office, say executive recruiters Walmsley Wilkinson.

Feedback gathered from a range of their clients across various sectors provides a picture of HR departments becoming inundated with tasks and requests from within their businesses.

Taryn Wilkinson, director at Walmsley Wilkinson, said: “Never before have the diverse skills and roles of the HR-People departments become so well respected. The pandemic has stretched them to deal with a range and scale of issues never previously encountered. Leadership teams and the rest of the workforce have relied upon HR to provide the insights and solutions during these unprecedented times.

“They have been presented with many different challenges including mental health and wellbeing, employee engagement and support, furlough, organisational change and restructure, leadership and strategic challenges and the need for HR data in order to make meaningful business decisions, much of which has required immediate action.

“Whilst providing this ‘above and beyond’ support, they have still had to deal with their general HR duties, coupled with also trying to help keep themselves and their own HR departments productive, motivated, engaged and connected at the same time.”

Taryn added: “Providing proactive and reactive HR solutions and services will continue to be demanding into the future, and while some aspects of their roles are more visible than others, they are in many ways the unsung heroes of many organisations. Only now has their real value been seen and understood.

“Thankfully many have had some support in the form of HR software and information systems. These tools can release them from some of the more routine processes by offering employee self-service and providing real-time information for the business. However, let’s not underestimate the hard work, resilience and talent of our HR professionals and the value that they have added during the pandemic.”

Latest data from HR management company e-days shows there was a 70 per cent increase in stress-related leave in HR alone, with the sector ranking third on the list of those suffering most.

Walmsley Wilkinson offers a professional partnership across all executive, management and specialist recruitment needs for all types of organisations in the private and public sector including Private Equity-owned businesses, large corporates and SMEs. 

The company’s services extend across sectors including building technologies, advanced manufacturing and engineering, aerospace, health and social care, professional services and FMCG / distribution.

www.walmsleywilkinson.com