Human Resources and COVID-19. Management Research Paper

Human Resources and COVID-19
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Human Resources and COVID-19
The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to unexpected changes in business operations, including the functioning of Human Resource. Human resource is the backbone of functional organization and there is nothing that can be done without a functional human resource. In order to contain the spread of the virus, governments have given lockdown measures for business, mandating people to work from home. These changes have presented novel challenges for human resource managers, with the need to adjust their business strategy and ensure that people can continue working and business objectives attained. With the prevailing circumstances, human resource managers need to be proactive in managing the crisis. There is a need for employee retention, enhancing motivation, and issues related to compensations that affect workers' attitudes. People are forced to work remotely and minimize congestion in places of work.
During these uncertain times, workers may never report to work because of the numerous risks associated with the outbreak. Other business sectors have been locked down, which has rendered some people jobless during the period of lockdown. There is a need to deal with these issues and ensure that risks are minimal and the welfare of workers is protected. Some of the steps that can be taken in order to address these issues include having a robust remote work policy, encourage workers to stay home or create safety standards in the work environment, create incentives for employee benefits, embrace best practices for remote working, establish a consistent and effective communication strategy (Noe, Gerhart, Hollenbeck, & Wright, 2017).
Having a robust remote work policy is essential in enhancing productivity during the period of the outbreak. In human resource management, policies offer guidelines for operations and practice, ensuring that workers adhere to particular standards. The remote work policy will outline how and when remote working is allowed, and the conditions of the environment where the work must be carried out. Human resource managers must identify workers who are allowed to work remotely. It is also essential that the policy includes guidelines on what an employee requires before they are allowed to work remotely. There is a need to be proactive and train workers on how to work remotely effectively (Penn Human Resources, 2020).
There is a need to create incentives to protect the workers who are required to report to the office. The protection measures may include organizing private transport to cushion them from public areas. In this regard, human resource managers must ensure that workers are trained on the best ways to minimize risks of contracting the condition. This is an avenue for enhancing the workers' motivation and eliminating fears while they are within the work environment. Ano...