This archive report was first published on 5 June 2020.
Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Human Resource Perspective ¶
As the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic, organizations are being forced to re-evaluate their human resource management strategies. The pandemic has brought to the forefront the importance of staff wellbeing and productivity at the workplace, and it is clear that organizations that prioritize these aspects will be better equipped to navigate the challenges that lie ahead.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the first case of Covid-19 was declared in March 2020. Since then, businesses have been engaging in a gazing game on how to manage and pull through the crisis. Initially, employees were engaged in sanitization efforts, social distancing, and non-cash transactions. However, as the pandemic progressed, different theories on the virus transmission emerged, and the reality of death became a harsh reality.
As the pandemic continues to unfold, it is clear that the human resource management function in any organization is crucial in managing HR risks. These risks range from incapacitation of staff due to diseases, injuries, movement, to critical staff turnover. Staff incompetency due to technological advancement and leadership also poses threats to productivity. In particular, employee welfare, health, and safety have proven to be a major area of concern in managing HR risks.
One of the strategies that organizations should consider to tackle these risks is to invest in Think Tanks committees within the management. Regularly conducting a SWOT analysis on Employee Welfare and Health and Safety functions of the organization can help identify potential risks and develop mitigation strategies. HR can also regularly run campaigns with staff to get ideas on possible risks they encounter, looking at worst-case scenarios, and coming up with possible mitigation strategies if not elimination strategies of such risks.
Some of the risks that employees rub shoulders with in the course of work include radicalization, corruption, sexism, and racism. Mental health is also a significant concern, with stress at the workplace being a major cause of mental health disorders. Cybercrime and fraud are also major areas of exposure, with employees handling sensitive data of the organizations that if mishandled, may result in serious dangers to its existence in the market.
It is essential for HR practitioners to take their rightful seats in the Boardrooms and steer the Business Continuity Planning (BCP) forums of their organizations. BCPs will be our safer tools to insure risks at the workplace. Let us test our preparedness in all possible circumstances at the workplace, at least if not avoid, but get prepared for eventualities.
As the author of this article, Group Head – HR Apex Steel Ltd, notes, 'Maybe everyone literary went home. Being a crisis that directly touches on people, this has become a direct concern to the human resource management (HRM) function in any organisation.'
