Panel SA: HR Department tries to maintain relevance gained in the pandemic

The near-mandatory home office at the beginning of the pandemic demanded quick reactions from companies, which gave HR departments great importance to keep the gears running.

Two years later, the challenge is to maintain the degree of relevance as the conditions of the health crisis become less critical, says Paulo Sardinha, president of ABRH-Brasil (Brazilian Association of Human Resources).

This week, between April 18th and 20th, the topic should be at the center of discussions at Conarh (industry congress).

“HR will have to respond to greater expectations and demands”, says Sardinha. “This year, our agenda is much more general as a result of the pandemic, which is demanding a broad reorganization of the work environment and which now also includes issues such as the resumption of competitiveness.”

ABRH Brasil also hopes to relaunch the certification of companies considered healthy this year. Informally, says Sardinha, the follow-up for granting the seal has already been resumed and about 50 companies are preparing strategic plans to have the “Healthy Company” seal.

Conceived before the pandemic, the certification work stopped during the health crisis and was announced in 2021, but it still depends on the signing of a protocol with the ANS (National Supplementary Health Agency), and the updating of parameters that will be included in the certification, such as the quality of the air and power supplied to the workforce.

This signature with the regulatory agency should come out by the end of the first half of the year, according to Sardinha. The director of ABRH Brasil hopes, with this, to be able to relaunch the certification in August, during the Conarh Saúde (HR congress focused on health).

Joana Cunha with Fernanda Brigatti and Andressa Motter