Abstract
This provocation argues that the COVID‐19 pandemic has exposed deep labour market inequalities. Partially underpinning these inequalities are human resource management (HRM) theories and practices which encourage and legitimise the commodification of labour. Workers whose jobs have been commodified have suffered disproportionately during the pandemic. While HRM is not wholly responsible for this suffering it is important for those of us involved in researching, teaching and practicing HRM to reflect on the ways in which what we do has made a bad situation worse so that we can do better in the future.
Highlights
In a few short months from January 2020, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the virus that causes COVID‐19, transformed the world of work
Poor judgement on the part of policy makers (Valizade et al, 2021), public health officials too slow to react to rapidly emerging scientific evidence, and the nature of the virus itself are all clearly more significant. It is important for those of us involved in researching, teaching and practicing human resource management (HRM) to reflect on the ways in which what we do has contributed to making a bad situation worse so that we can do better in the future
Many of the examples above are from sectors where people management is characterised by informality so labour commodification is unlikely to have been informed by HRM theories taught on business school curriculums
Summary
In a few short months from January 2020, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the virus that causes COVID‐19, transformed the world of work. What this paper adds The paper analyses the role of human resource management (HRM) theory and practice in bringing about the workplace inequalities that the pandemic has exposed.
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