8BE PEOPLE FIRST ALL. THE. TIME. By Steve Browne, Chief People Officer,LaRosa's Pizzeria, Inc.Do you remember the financial crisis of 2008? It feels like it was a lifetime ago. When it occurred, no one recalled anything being so challenging on this scale from a countrywide perspective. At the time, the wonderful professionals in Finance were called upon and they rose to the occasion. There were countless examples of seeing the value of these talented professionals. They applied their acumen and strategy, and we worked our way through this crisis. Fast forward to 2020 and we find ourselves facing a global pandemic. No one understood what was happening and what direction to turn. It was the first time most humans on the planet had been impacted across the world. Nothing had been fully global since the Second World War. Society was fearful and uncertainty seemed to be the only "norm." When faced with this crisis, executives turned to human resources professionals just as they turned to finance professionals in the 2008 Great Recession. Suddenly, companies snapped awake feeling this was a "people" issue. It certainly was. Similar to our financial peers, HR pros stepped up and guided organizations through the pandemic, ever-changing regulations, and a new model for the workplace with remote, hybrid, and in-person environments. Isn't it sad, and ironic, that HR was looked to as having value because of a response to a global crisis? Seriously. Only when faced with catastrophe and possible impending doom did people NOW matter. At the same time, had we looked across the Steve BrowneIn MyOpinion
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