Employees' Perception of Organizational Readiness for Business Continuity During the Pandemic

Abstract

Purpose of the study: The study aimed to determine employee perception of organisational readiness for Business Continuity during the Pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Mr. Price's employees at the head office. A total of 1,500 online questionnaires were distributed to employees via Google Forms. A Spearman rank order test was conducted to determine the correlational relationships between the variables. Findings: The findings of this study indicate that the Mr. Price Group has made adequate preparations for ensuring business continuity throughout the pandemic. The use of remote working as a strategy for business continuity management (BCM) was enthusiastically accepted by workers. The participants expressed their appreciation for the ease of access to resources, the prominent presence of digital leadership in a remote work environment, and the effective business continuity plan that facilitated their transition to remote work. There was a favorable correlation seen between employees' assessment of organisational preparedness and their level of engagement in remote work. Recommendations/value: The study identified crucial components that can be integrated into remote working conditions. By extension of the study findings, it recommended that research is conducted to examine the effects of remote working on the overall well-being of employees. Furthermore, it is important to explore the moderating factors that influenced their overall experience. Managerial implications: The research study provides illuminating findings for the retail sector that can be useful to both HR academics and practitioners. As they endeavor towards the creation of sustainable remote working conditions as a business continuity management tool.