HR is about the staff, first and foremost

Covid-19 has had an enormous impact on the human resources sector but there have been opportunities as well as challenges

Pictured in pre-Covid days at the official opening of the BWG Academy, a first-of-its-kind professional development academy with a dedicated training and education centre for retailers, Peter Donohoe is pictured with Sandra McCormack, Spar Merrion Row and Orla Jordan, head of food innovation, BWG Foods. Picture: Naoise Culhane

THE human resources sector has undergone seismic change in the past year. Unlike previous crises, which have been largely financial, the pandemic has been a people crisis.

Peter Donohoe, chief people officer with BWG Foods, says: “We in the HR world have been at the frontline of the operational response. Like every organisation, we have had to navigate many challenges to protect our workforce and customers, from a health-and-safety point of view, but also a welfare perspective.”