HR Post Covid
“I miss seeing everyone on a daily basis,” admits Semperis’ HR Director
Zoom calls and virtual happy hours are simply no replacement for the cybersecurity firm
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For almost a year, companies have gone above and beyond to make it easier for employees and managers to meet and socialize, albeit virtually, to keep the spirit of companies alive.
“I miss seeing everyone on a daily basis,” said Or Giladi, HR Director at Semperis. “We are doing our best in connecting the team virtually and as much as we can, but nothing beats a cold beer at the office after a long day.”
Or Giladi, HR Director at Semperis. Photo: PR It’s the small moments that make for the great moments, ones that can't so easily be replicated via a computer screen. “I miss this amazing vibe in seeing the office full of people and I would love that to revert back to normal.”
Giladi has joined CTech for its HR Post Covid series to share how the company has managed during the pandemic and what is next for the team of 50 employees.
Company Name: Semperis
HR Leader: Or Giladi, HR Director
Field of Activity: Cybersecurity
Number of employees/location: 50 employees at the Israeli site
Professional background of HR Manager:
B.A in social science, majoring in Human Resources with 10 years of experience. I have a solid record of implementing HR practices to achieve business results both in global and local companies. I've practiced strategic human resources matters such as recruiting and employee retention, performance evaluation, HR analytics, employer branding, mentoring middle management, HR advisory to senior management, and many more.
On a scale of 1-10, how much did the coronavirus pandemic disrupt operations at the company?
With 10 being the highest scale of disruption, I would say about 4. I can’t say that the Covid-19 pandemic did not disrupt the day-to-day, but it did less harm than expected, at least in our case. Our company got business results and even ranked 35th overall in Deloitte's 2020 Technology Fast 500. We avoided layoffs or other types of cuts and even grew globally from 30 to 100 employees during 2020. We very quickly adopted a work-from-home format. Even now, almost a year later, we are working in a “Hybrid Office” policy that allows employees to work two days or more from the office and the rest from home and we are still hiring, even remotely.
What interesting technological tools do you use in employee management/recruitment?
Exactly the same ones we used in the past. Only today we understand how important the technique of a “personal touch” is. In cases where one is working from home, we will pick up the phone or coordinate a conversation via Teams with open cameras to preserve the personal touch as much as possible. We implemented a platform online and recorded a variety of sport activity classes. We engaged in a remote weekly happy hour and the most interestingly, in my opinion, once a month, our company meets for a global company touch base, when people call in from all around the world. That way, you get to meet everyone and hear about their personal progress that your work may make an impact on their road to meeting targets.
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What positive and/or negative impact did the outbreak have on the human capital of the company?
The impact we see is neither negative nor positive. We see employees wish to break the ordinary “9 to 5” working day and be more flexible while working from home. I believe that this is a change that will stay with us long after the pandemic passes.
What are the two major challenges you are coping with these days?
We constantly look for more good people to join the Semperis team, with over 30 open positions in Israel alone. The second challenge is trying to find the silver lining in the office/home office work balance. A lot of our employees want to work from the office but the changing government bans and guidelines, their health, and their family health are our first priority.
Are you actively recruiting? If so, what is the process and where can the applicants find you?
We never stopped! The process, as our general people agenda, based on the personal touch and getting to know the person behind the CV. We believe in a process that is as short as possible with a few professional and HR meetings. You can easily find our open jobs on our web page on the career tab or via the Semperis LinkedIn profile.
Which changes forced upon you by the circumstances will stay in place after Covid-19 is over, and which are you most eager to revert back to normal?
I miss seeing everyone on a daily basis. We are doing our best in connecting the team virtually and as much as we can, but nothing beats a cold beer at the office after a long day. I miss this amazing vibe in seeing the office full of people and I would love that to revert back to normal. Also, just before the pandemic started, we booked an insane company retreat where we had a full three-day trip around Israel in the best hotels with amazing activities where we wanted to host all of the global team and have the Israeli team show them our amazing homeland. But this will have to wait until we will all be safe again. We sure look forward to having this trip.
