Human Resource (HR) professionals, especially the females, have been advised to redefine their services and tame all COVID-19 apprehensions at the workplace to ensure efficiency and productivity.

The HR professionals were also asked to envision the future and regulate expectations at the workplace to benefit the entire workforce.

Speaking at the Seventh Women in HR Conference of the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) in Accra on Tuesday, Mrs Victoria Hajar, the 2nd Vice President, GEA, said the outbreak of the COVID-19 made the work of HR practitioners stressful "as they felt the heat more."

"COVID-19 came with a wave of change that many are still trying to wrap their heads around, but no one is feeling the heat of that change more than HR practitioners. Gone are the days when HR just meant happy hours, policy violations, employee relations, benefits and recruiting, among others," she said.

"With COVID-19, the role of HR now includes acting as a nurse, diplomat, regulatory expert and tech liaison. During this time of major upheaval and uncertainty, HR practitioners are the ones having daily, if not hourly, conversations with leadership along with several experts and vendors on how best to navigate a situation that none could have fathomed."

Mrs Hajar said it was, therefore, important that the theme: "Redefining HR Leadership in the Pandemic Era," guided deliberations of the conference within the two-day period.

Women in HR leadership in the corporate and the public sectors as well as many junior, middle and senior HR management officials and some chief executive officers are attending.

It is expected to provide a unique opportunity for female practitioners to share ideas, examine the future of HR in the new normal and grow their network.

It will also provide the close to 150 participants the opportunity to interact with speakers on HR and related topics, stay updated on the current trends in the profession, and ultimately maximize their potentials to improve productivity.

Mrs Hajar said with such exposure and practices, significant dividends would be realised.

She said the conference was one of GEA's flagship programmes, launched in 2015, with an objective to provide a unique platform for female HR practitioners to share cutting-edge ideas, experiences and practices to enhance organizational performance and career prospects.

Mrs Abena Osei-Poku, the Managing Director of Absa Bank Ghana Limited, in a keynote address, said since the world of work had evolved so much with the covid-19 pandemic, there was the need for a new kind of leader who would develop trust and drive growth.

She, therefore, urged women HR practitioners to live with a purpose and guide other staff on their working tenets.

Mrs Osei-Poku advised the practitioners to be determined, hardworking, build their capacities, and intentionally create and nurture other women.

"As women professionals you should also strive to collaborate with each other and pull somebody along as you climb the ladder of leadership," she said.

Mr Alex Frimpong, the Chief Executive Officer, GEA, said over the years, many women had risen to occupy the management positions and need to bring them together from time to time to share experiences on how organisations could effectively manage its most important assets; the human resource, had become very important.

He urged women in HR to grow in confidence, have the fortitude and courage to engage management, and aspire to achieve excellence in their profession.