The Rationale of Gentle Nudges and its Reflections in the Work Behaviour of Corporate Employees during the Outbreak of Pandemic

Abstract

Nudges have been emerged as a prominent technique in human resource management through linking the productivity and performance of employees with the gentle alterations made in the existing work environment. The suitability and appropriateness of workplace nudges during the period of COVID-19 need to be assessed to incorporate them in innovative human resource practices and their effectiveness has to be determined in the context of employee engagement and empowerment leading to improved organisational commitment and better work culture. This study focuses on analysing the impact of nudges and their contribution to the productivity and performance of employees during times of chaos. An extensive literature review is conducted to strengthen the theoretical models of nudges in the modified work environment. Multiple cases have been analysed to support the primary and secondary data. Results evidenced categorisation of the strategical measures of corporates as nudge initiatives. The study shows that nudges have positive and negative influences on the behaviour of employees and they check whether the nudges are in alignment with rationality. The paper attempts to determine the effectiveness of nudges in the workplace contributing to increased productivity and improved work culture. It adopts extracts from case studies and insights from reviews offering a comprehensive idea about the implications of workplace nudges during the period of a pandemic.