“Dear hiring managers, stop assuming employment gaps are bad. Life happens, health battles and death too happens. Raising children. Taking care of sick loved ones. Stop relying on algorithms to tell you who people are, what they are capable of. Start giving people a chance to explain their gap. Hire with your heart and your brain…”

This is a letter somebody shared via social media, which reflect a grim picture of our HR practice in the tough times, though not in every organization.

When Covid-19 has hit the global employment scenario very hard, there are two painful things coming to the fore – experienced people who fail to get a job owing to the employment gap, and people at the people at the lower level of the employment pyramid being axed in the name of cost cutting.

Why employment gap? 

There could be many reasons for a break. In most of the cases people decide to stay unemployed out of compulsions – to raise their children, take care of the ailing parents or spouse, desire to complete higher study or even a long a travel. Even when the experience with the previous employer is painful, one might take a break and remain unemployed.

While this is a common practice these days to bring about a work-life balance in between, there are people who find it difficult to get back to the employment front. The anonymous letter in the beginning is a reflection of that situation. A good reason for taking a break turning out to be a justification for denying employment at the hand of the employer is also becoming a common thing now, in the wake of the pandemic, which makes things tough for many mid-career professionals. A fresher with less experience but more dreams and ambitions could often replace them pushing them to uncertainty, shattering many lives.

And the job loss at lower levels

On the other hand, in the name of cost cutting, there are organizations that terminate the people with lower salary while retaining the people in the higher positions who get hefty package. In a painful situation like this, there arises a question of empathy, not sympathy. The people at the lower level of the pyramid are the ones who ensure the sustainable structure of an organization and they are its backbone, literally. In many cases, the spending on one manager is almost equal to the salary of five employees or even more. While a manager can even sacrifice a major portion of his/her salary for a certain period and continue working, a labourer may not be able to do that because of tough financial condition. So is it justified to sack the ordinary to retain the ‘extraordinary’?

These are the questions we have to answer to evolve a new HR practice in this kind of a situation where every other person is passing through an ‘existential crisis’.

In a country like Oman, where the authorities are trying hard to address the unemployment issues by creating more job opportunities and setting up new ventures, it is of paramount importance that people at the low rung also get a slice of the pie to keep the organic fabric of the job front intact for tomorrow, when the world makes a comeback. So, instead of issuing the pink slip to the people with lower salary, the practice should be to have a strategy to retain them.

How many of the senior professionals /Management staff will be ready for resignation in the name of cost cutting or part of reducing the manpower, or at least sacrifice a proportion of their salary to retain a few others, is the question. This needs a more humane and empathetic HR approach that acknowledges the importance of the people at the bottom of the pyramid, who are the real workforce. If that happens, any company can devise an action plan without issuing pink slip to the ordinary staffers who have a hand-to-mouth existence. 

Even if the management is hesitant to sacrifice the people at the higher levels, there can be a compromise on their package to manage the financial crisis. Yes, this is the time for a new cost cutting and HR strategy. If the economic use of the office vehicles, fuel, electricity or telephone, can save the job of a few employees, why not explore that possibility instead of an employment bloodbath? This is the time for a new algorithm – an algorithm of empathy.

About the author: Reena Abdulrahman is the Chief Operating Officer of Alhind Travel and Tours for GCC and Africa. Reena has over 21 years of experience working with top airlines in the region.