COVID-19 HR Weekly Update #9

(Week-ending 06/06/2020 - week 14)

21% Decrease in Weekly Employee Coronavirus-related Questions into HR

In Week 14, Dovetail customer HR teams experienced a sharp decrease in employee Coronavirus-related case volume, which meant employee questions, inquiries, and requests into HR dropped by 21%, a case volume decrease of almost 6,000.

However, with over 22,700 employee coronavirus-related cases created last week, the COVID-19 pandemic is still generating a substantial workload for HR teams everywhere.

The size of the challenge facing HR and employees is summed up in a recent report by Deloitte, Workforce Strategies for Post-COVID Recovery, which states an estimated 2.7 billion of people, or more than four out of five workers in the global workforce, have been affected by lockdown and stay-at-home measures due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on employees' lives. 

Technology, such as HR Service Delivery applications, including HR Case Management, Employee Portal, HR Knowledge Management, and HR Reporting & Analytics, is providing some answers, enabling HR to cope with the inundation of questions from employees during the current crisis. 

Click the 5 insights below to find out more about what HR teams are experiencing during the COVID-19 induced crisis:
(Note: Employee cases refer to employee questions, inquiries and requests that are logged as “cases” in the Dovetail HR Case Management solution).

Insight 1 21% Decrease in Weekly Employee Coronavirus-related Questions into HR

Insight 2 Sharp Fall in Employee Coronavirus-related Employee Questions into HR at Weekend

Insight 3 Rate of Closing Employee Questions Stabilizes at 87%

Insight 4 15% Increase in Phone Usage Among Employees, Means This Communication Channel Now Accounts for 70% of Total Case Volume

Insight 5 Employee Case-Type Word Cloud Expresses What HR And Their Employees Are Experiencing Everyday

Insight 1 - 21% Decrease in Weekly Employee Coronavirus-related Questions into HR

With employee questions dropping by a fifth last week (form 28,665 cases in week 13 to 22,722 last week), we can say this is great news for HR teams and employees everywhere. A reduction in case volume eases the pressure on HR, allowing them a slight respite during a challenging time, while employees needing less HR assistance, is a much welcome sign that they are feeling better informed about the coronavirus and its effects on them in the workplace.

The daily graph below further illustrates the significant decline in employee case volume last week.

Insight 2 - Sharp Fall in Employee Coronavirus-related Employee Questions into HR at Weekend

As shown in the chart above, HR received a significant decline in employee questions, inquiries, and requests last weekend.

This is a welcome development, perhaps signifying that HR have been able to communicate coronavirus information to their employees to an extent where employees feel less need to contact HR at the weekend. A particularly useful tool in this instance is an Employee Portal as it enables HR teams to engage and educate their  employees fast, through its communication platform features and capabilities. 

Insight 3 - Rate of Closing Employee Questions Stabilizes at 87%

The rate at which HR teams closed employee coronavirus-related questions stabilized at 87%, a slight decrease on last week’s rate of 89%. This shows HR are consistently closing the vast majority of employee coronavirus-related questions on a daily basis. This is not only a testament to their work ethic and professionalism, but also demonstrates the power of HR Service Delivery applications, including HR Case Management, Employee Portal and HR Knowledge Management, as they aide HR in dealing with unexpected increases in employee questions.

Also, with total accumulated coronavirus-related case volume now at 333,096, resolving employee questions at a rapid rate, is essential to providing a high quality service to employees in a crisis.

Insight 4 - 15% Increase in Phone Usage Among Employees, Means This Communication Channel Now Accounts for 70% of Total Employee Case Volume

Last week saw Phone channel usage increase by 15%, and now accounts for 70% of total employee case volume created with HR. We believe the dominance of the phone channel is due to its unique advantages over online communication during a crisis. Firstly, the phone is perfect for employees who have a complex inquiry and expect their interaction with HR to be conversational rather than transactional, in order to resolve their questions. Secondly, communication via the phone is better at enabling an HR Adviser to show their empathy with the employee. Being able to interact with an invested and attentive human voice is invaluable when it comes to developing and nurturing a good rapport with employees. In that sense, empathetic HR support builds strong relationships with employees, improving the overall employee experience.

Insight 5 - Employee Case-Type Word Cloud Expresses What HR And Their Employees Are Experiencing Day After Day During COVID-19 Pandemic

The Dovetail Case-Type Word Cloud, highlighting case types such as COVID Response, Health, Epidemics, and Disaster, captures the unfolding, and dramatic, story of the last few months for HR teams, who are operating under extreme pressures due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

One way case types help, is that they are a way of categorizing employee questions, inquiries, and requests, enabling HR teams and their senior management to use advance reporting capabilities to better understand what is happening within their organization, and take the necessary steps to respond, if and when required.

Conclusion 

The predominant story of last week, was the significant drop in coronavirus-related questions coming into HR from employees, down 21% on the previous week. It is too early to say, whether this is the start of a downward trend in case volume for HR, as we have seen similar decreases in previous weeks, only for these declines to be reversed in subsequent weeks. 

Perhaps one of the most interesting takeaways from the pandemic, is just how essential the Phone channel is during a crisis. It enables employees to have conversations with empathetic HR Advisers, who resolve their complex COVID-19 questions.

Final thought would be just how important technology can be to HR in a crisis. The efficiency and organizational capabilities it offers, through HR Service Delivery applications and their  features, such as Automated Workflows, Case Types and a centralized database, means HR teams can manage and resolve unexpectedly high levels of employee questions, both efficiently and rapidly. These technology benefits are essential for HR teams wanting to deliver high levels of service management and an enhanced employee experience.

To stay updated on how COVID-19 is impacting HR teams, Click here to view Dovetail’s Daily Updates for HR on the coronavirus.

Please click here if you would like to find out more about how Dovetail can help you during the coronavirus pandemic.

Click here to read last weeks COVID-19 HR Weekly Update #8