People skills at a premium as coronavirus changes working lives in the Gulf forever
People skills will play a leading role in the hiring process for companies in a post-Covid world, according to M A Sridhar, CEO of Roshcomm, the Bahrain-based company behind the HRM Summit 2020, the first virtual HR conference in the Middle East, which is set to run from October 11-15.
The traditional workforce and working day have been severely disrupted by the current global pandemic, with redundancies, short-time working and reduced salaries enforced by companies striving to cope with the financial fall-out of the virus, while working-from-home practices have become something of the norm for many.
“Are these changes permanent? We believe many of these changes are permanent for the foreseeable future and will remain the mainstay until another life-changing event occurs. The change in lifestyle, worker priorities will become permanent changes as they tend to provide convenience and save costs. And technology is playing a crucial role in these changes,” said Sridhar.
And he believed that, as global economies recover and companies look to re-hire, recruitment priorities will be different to those pre-Covid.
For the first time in the region, Great Place to Work has compiled a list of 40 of the top businesses in the GCC for female employees
He added: “While technical skills remain important, it is people skills – or ‘soft’ skills – which will arguably prove most vital in many roles, due to their importance in managing change and opening up new strategic business opportunities.
“Skills such as adaptability, resilience, coachability, initiative and a culture of life-long learning are key to identify the best candidates who can adapt to an ever-evolving world of work.”
The HRM Summit will include more than 90 international, regional and local speakers, including Dr Michael Burchell, CEO of Great Place To Work Middle East, who are the culture intelligence partners for the event.
