Of course, this was only possible thanks to an infrastructure that could handle such a fast shift and the fact that the vast majority of employees already had the possibility of working remotely even before the onset of the pandemic. With productivity at an all-time high and an employee base that already enjoyed a high degree of trust from line managers and business leaders, the HR team continued to work on the growth of key departments and embarked on an in-house online training programme aimed particularly at team leaders and first-time managers. CSB group invests continuously in training and development, particularly for industry related professional development qualifications that keep the team sharp and up to date in their knowledge. However, this in-house training was aimed to upskill managers in their people management and emotional intelligence skills. Parts of this programme were also tailored for the wider employee base such that all employees across the company could further develop their potential. Whilst the global epidemic severely limited the team building and social activities that the HR team is known for organising, in truth, the work did not change much during the novel situation: the focus was still one of recruiting and retaining the best talent, ensuring people feel recognised and have room to grow, and generally being there to ensure people’s mental and emotional well-being.
So, what’s next for this team? Having set up a strong HR function, the team has now split its focus with Claudia focusing more on leading the internal HR operation of CSB Group while Elaine’s growth has seen her contributing more to the Group’s business development and leading the Company’s employment advisory & HR consultancy arm.