Strategy and management are essential to leading a company through crisis; but at the heart of any organisation is its people, and organisations around the world have been celebrating the pivotal role that employees have played in tiding their company through unprecedented challenges.

While jobs in some sectors in Malaysia continue to be impacted by fallout from COVID-19, business critical roles like accounting and finance continue to display stability. The steady stream of opportunities in the sector can be attributed to Malaysia’s popularity as a location for Shared Service Centres (SSC) and an influx of business and developments in the financial services space.

The global COVID-19 crisis has already transformed the world of work, with much of its impact still unfolding. As the situation continues to develop and the road to recovery is expected to be a long one, business leaders and professionals must adapt and be agile to the challenges that are presented to them on a daily basis, with valuable lessons to be learned along the way.

Keeping the workforce productive and engaged so an organisation emerges from the current crisis in the best possible position is a key priority for business leaders today. According to Hays CEO Alistair Cox, who recently shared his advice on the topic, there are eight key steps employers can take to guide staff through the current period of uncertainty and establish new, productive ways of working to deliver value to their customers.

As staff who can work from home continue to do so across Malaysia, managers may find it challenging to continue ensuring their team’s wellbeing is cared for and productivity maintained. Tom Osborne, Managing Director at Hays in Malaysia, believes that a few changes in management style are enough to keep a team connected and motivated through this time.