HR Diaries

March 24, 2020: As Raghwan,a young clould computing programer, working or Suvarna Enterprise, was getting ready, to leave for India, the news that the nation has gone for a lock down, sent jitters through his nerves. He was aware of the way things were becoming serious due to COVID19 breakout, but he had little idea that it would become difficult for him to reach his home. He was now officially stuck in USA, where has been deputed as an expat on an H1B visa.  March 25, 2020: He is now stuck in the apartment he was allotted. Things were not extra ordinary for last fifteen days, but life was not that miserable for him either. He had moved around freely, went for a walk and shopping. Though there were no reported cases of infection in his area, the spread of CORONA had started to bother him a little bit off late. He was now wondering what would happen next. Though his company had allowed him to work from home, the anxiety of not being able to go back to his home country, was not...

Staying and Working from Home are not what we are generally used to. We spend some of the most productive time - generally - 9 to 5 - in office or schools. So, the "new normal", requiring us to stay and work from home, is not "that normal" for us to accept. A lot has been written about what to do during this time. So here are a few things one may avoid, as far as possible, to not add further stress to their otherwise already stressed life:   1. Do not access too much news about Corona/COVID19: All types of news sources will definitely report a lot related to the current pandemic. That is fine. It is their job. But it is not compulsory for us to keep referring to number of cases every single hour. Rather, read something positive. Websites like https://www.thebetterindia.com/ can be a good starting point. You can also watch comedy scenes or movies from sources like YouTube. Make an artificial effort to consume only positive content and also make an equal artific...

You must have read many time by now that the history of the world that we live in, will now be divided into two parts: 1. Pre - COVID19 and 2. Post - COVID19. It has affected everything we do and the way we are. And it will continue to do so. No doubt, it will shape the way we live, each aspect of our existence. This crisis will lead to many crises. It will change everything we know about PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental). We are already witnessing a sea change in the way we greet each other. Handshakes have been replaced with a Namaste or a "Hi". Masks are common. Social distancing is a new norm.  This will also affect all the HR practices in general. First, Work From Home, will be viewed very normally. Companies like TCS are looking at a scenario where 75% of people will be working from home in future(1). For the companies, it will be a big money saver as it will require very less investment in real estate and infrastruct...