Mass Remote Working Can Be Successful - Journal

If handled well, working from home can be an asset to a company, but at the same time, employers need to pay more attention to workers’ well-being than ever before

What has been the biggest impact of the pandemic on HR digital transformation?

The pandemic accelerated the HR digital transformation. During 2020, COVID-19 proved mass remote working, if well structured, can be successful and new ways of doing business have taken hold at an unprecedented rate. It pushed companies to quickly adapt and create the right ecosystem for their employees.

How has HR been able to adapt to remote work? Has your company started new programmes to increase the employee engagement while working from home?

At Chalhoub Group, we moved to being a flexible working place. It was something that the HR Function and the Group were working on and was accelerated by the pandemic. This did not happen overnight, with our surveying tools we were continuously measuring our employee engagement, ensuring that they are well supported to work remotely, that they are keeping a good moral and adapting to the change.

What are the lessons learned from the past year and what are you planning to implement going forward?

Last year proved that HR is a key function in every business, that they have a strategic part in every business and should have a seat at the table. Going forward, I believe most companies will be heavily investing in employee well-being and HR digital transformation, ensuring they create a hybrid workplace for their employees in a culture of trust and accountability.

We will also welcome Iyad on the virtual stage of our upcoming 11th Annual HR Excellence MENA Summit: Compensation and Benefits this March where he will be speaking on the topic: The Importance of HR Technology in the Time of COVID-19.

Visit event website

Iyad Rahme is the Head of Digital HR at Chalhoub Group. In his role, Iyad scouts for HR digital platforms and manages their implementations and support. In the past few years, Iyad has led the HR digital transformation and successfully implemented more than 10 digital platforms including an employee mobile app, a Chatbot, a learning experience platform and an employee engagement and surveying tool together with the Head of HR Competence Centers. Iyad studied Economics at Saint Joseph University in Beirut and kicked off his career in HR as a recruiter at one of the banks in Beirut. He moved to Dubai to work in Rewards for Chalhoub Group and was part of the implementation team of SAP SuccessFactors.