Strategic Decisions for 2022 Based on Human Talent

Companies are increasingly placing an emphasis on their employees and basing strategic decisions on their needs and motivators because they understand that the success of their business requires committed and productive employees with physical and mental wellness.

To attract and retain the best employees, organizations must ensure that every employee has a positive experience at work, no matter what model they are working under. This is especially true today, where the future of the labor market has been drastically changed by technology and has confronted us with many challenges as we care for our health and overcome economic hardships.

In this regard, the Labor Digitization in Mexico study, which was conducted by OCCMundial in conjunction with the Internet MX Association, revealed that 36 percent of HR managers feel that the digital transformation process in their organization has fully accelerated since the COVID-19 lockdown.

As a result, human resource managers today face more challenges and have more work to do than ever before because, in addition to ensuring that all job functions are performed efficiently in a digital way, they must also care for their employees, ensure that they are properly trained in digital skills and that they comply with all government rules and regulatory requirements.

In terms of employee wellness, many companies have already implemented government protocols, as well as their own, that aim to ensure the holistic physical and emotional health of their workforce. However, the effects of the fourth wave of the pandemic and the new omicron variant on the labor market remain uncertain and, therefore, companies should be ready to apply any new government regulation.

Companies must also continue to provide their employees with digital skills training. They must understand that digitalization goes beyond team, program, and platform management and that transformation has to do with what we do with technology and how we use it to communicate and interact with others.

Therefore, ongoing training in new skills should be among the strategies to benefit process efficiency and to increase the productivity and competitiveness of our businesses. Employees recognize the relevance of digital skills as they consider them to be a fundamental part of the current context. In fact, the above-mentioned study reported that six out of 10 recruiters have already taken action in this regard and are training employees on how to use these tools.

The legal and human resources departments are also tasked with complying with NOM-035, a standard that was enacted in 2018 to identify, analyze, and prevent psychosocial risk factors in the workplace and promote a positive work environment. This has been a complex process for positions that deal directly with the public and implies greater challenges for remote positions.

In addition to complying with this standard, business leaders are working hard to understand and apply the regulations issued in recent months — the reform to Article 311 of the Federal Labor Law on teleworking and the reform on outsourcing, which became effective on Sept. 1.

Regarding the teleworking or home office regulation, one of the major challenges for companies is understanding and applying it, since there are many questions about what is applicable now and what will apply when the pandemic is over, which sadly remains uncertain. While we know that companies are already required to pay for the costs of teleworking, specifics on safety, health, and risk prevention have not yet been issued and therefore, regulation on this issue is expected to be created next year.

As we reach the end of 2021, we continue to experience an exceptional work environment. Human resources and legal departments are working hard to deliver on the major challenges that still lie ahead of everyone for next year; however, we must not lose focus of the fact that the transformation we have experienced on a personal and professional level has allowed us to improve and evolve to be ready to face new, demanding tasks.

*The author is the CEO of OCCMundial, the leading online Career Center in Mexico. Before undertaking this position, he was the CFO and COO of OCCMundial. Over the last decade, the company achieved a significant business expansion under his leadership, as well as the incorporation of OCCMundial as part of SEEK. Ricardo Rodarte is a Business Administration and Finance graduate from Texas A&M University and holds a certificate in Business Accounting. Before joining OCC, Ricardo worked with Procter & Gamble, in finance, and with Cargill, in comptrollership and new business development.