Abstract
Scholars highlight the lack of preparations for unexpected shocks of employment and human resources all over the world, while stressing its possible adverse impacts on work organizations, employees and the economy. Given the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic threat and the dearth of clear findings on how human resource (HR) departments and the HR professionals should encounter a global pandemic, present study aims to examine and inform the basic HR practices to be adopted in a pandemic and prospects for HR professionals in handling such situations. Aim of the study is achieved by reviewing past research findings and relevant information which are available on wider media. Findings suggest a typology of HR practices identified with ‘6Cs’ for the successful handling of human resources in organizations in a pandemic. Further, the study finds a cluster of post-pandemic HR practices to be used, mostly for the service sector organizations, when attempting human resources recovery.
Highlights
Global pandemics though not frequent, but are not uncommon
The aim of this study is to examine and inform the basic human resource (HR) practices to be adopted, and prospects for HR professionals in a global pandemic
The websites of World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) as well as news articles appeared timely on human resource management (HRM) and SHRM related Newsletters were reviewed for relevant information
Summary
Global pandemics though not frequent, but are not uncommon. this is not the first instance the world of work is experiencing a global pandemic. Work organizations in the recent past have experienced global epidemics and encountered the spread of the HPAI A (H5N1) avian influenza virus in 1997 (Hong Kong SAR based), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 (Singapore and China based), infections with H5N1 in 2004 (Vietnam and Thailand based), H1N1 in 2009 (first detected in the USA), A(H7N9) virus in 2013 (China based), and Ebola virus in 201416 (West Africa based) (WHO, 2018; 2020) which threatened the FGS – CJMR Colombo Journal of Multi-Disciplinary Research workplaces and crippled the economies This kind of epidemic threats have badly affected the Asian economies, their service sectors and human resource management (HRM), leading to negative consequences on employment and psycho-social lives of employees (Lee & Warner, 2005a; 2005b; 2006). Even healthy employees are burdened with patient-care, elder-care, child-care (familycare) and if not, self-care due to prevailing spread of the disease, closure of nurseries/ schools and/ or even due to leaving of their domestic-helpers
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