Regional HR Committee Publishes Guide to Facilitate Safe Return of Workforces

The pandemic is continuing to upend the airport sector. Not just in its external-facing business and operations, but in its internal functions. Human Resources departments in Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions have also been stretched and challenged in how they care for their airports’ workforces in order to support the needs of their business and operations functions.

The diversity observed in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East regions is not just culture or language, size and scale of airports, but also the varying degrees of national response and reaction to the pandemic and what the “new normal” would look like for them. The “new normal” for one airport could be very different for the next in terms of how the airport’s HR department needs to adapt in taking care of their workforce amid changing and limiting circumstances.   

Preparing the airports’ workplace and workforce 

For this reason, the ACI Asia-Pacific Regional HR Committee compiled the Guide to preparing the airports’ workplace & workforce for the new normal. While the Guide is not exhaustive, it highlights key issues which airport HR and administration can take into consideration when gearing up the workplace to be a safe environment for the airport’s workforce under new normal circumstances.  

The key issues addressed in the Guide include Communications, Wellness, Facilities Management and On the Job.   

• Communications: HR departments are reminded to coordinate and ensure multi-way communication channels for timely dissemination of information across all levels of the airport workforce.  
• Wellness: The Guide provided a variety of means which HR departments can implement to ensure the physical health and well-being of the workforce, including COVID-testing and vaccinations which are on the forefront of discussions.  
• Facilities Management: As airports gear up to bring their workforce back onsite after working remotely during the pandemic, facilities management has also become a focal point. HR departments and administration may need to gauge and adapt physical, infrastructure needs, allowing for safety, hygiene protocols, and social distancing considerations.  
• On the Job: The Guide addresses needs of the workforce such as flexi-hours, scheduling or remote work arrangements, etc., based on evolving needs and circumstances.  

Member experiences 

In the Guide, ten airport members share their experience, providing case studies, or examples of what steps they have undertaken as a means of knowledge and experience sharing with the broader ACI Asia-Pacific community.    

Regional HR Committee 

Through its dedicated Regional Human Resources Committee, ACI Asia-Pacific provides a platform for discussion and exchange of best practices and enhancing standards of HR excellence among member airports.