COVID-19 has
stunned all organizations, creating a difficult and challenging environment for
management and human resource management (HRM) around the world.
This pandemic is an unpredicted event that slumped businesses and workers
alike. In fact, no one was willing, not even the largest economies
that need to find smart and adaptable solutions to ensure the continuity
of their companies and help their employees cope with this unusual
situation.
Reducing the impact of
Covid-19 in an organization
The day-to-day lives of the general public have also been affected by the pandemic. Hence the income level of individuals is going down while the inflation and the losing job ratio is going up. A number of discussions are taking place in the meantime concerning the aforementioned impact of COVID-19 and suggestions for workplaces, working practices, and Human Resource Management (HRM).
It is
quite obvious that the Human Resource division in every company is
compelled to play a crucial role in fighting against COVID-19 while
making sure that the human resource management functions are managed optimally. Thus, many companies
have updated their risk management systems to overcome a specific exposure
while identifying the sources of exposure.
The core of every
leader's decision relies on valuing human dignity and a strong belief in people
first.
Global HRM Practices During a pandemic
Followings
are the HRM practices in a nutshell that are executed globally (Dissanayake, 2021).
Proactive
-Training
-Task restructuring
Reactive
-Frozen recruitment
-Dismissal of (casual) staff
-Task reorientation
-Pay differentials
-Special leave policies
-Diverse modes of remote working (e.g.,
teleworking, work-from-home)
-Flex-time working
-Retention tactics
-Pay adjustments
Implements that used in organizations of Sri Lanka
The followings are a brief
insight into the tactics that are taken by the Sri Lankan human resource
leaders in this pandemic situation:
-Initial release of the
full monthly salaries for the month of March
-Online delivery
instruction to professional subjects
-Full pay employee's
salary during enhanced community quarantine for those who are unable to work
from home.
-Provided additional
facilities such as masks, sanitizers
-Supplied Additional
medical assistance- Some of the organizations have maintained their own
isolation centers for their employees
Conclusion and Argument
Essential and careful
steps have been taken by the employers in order to figure out the risk factors
in working environments and to determine the leadership measures that are
necessary to implement. They have reflected flexibility to cope with the needs
of their people, without being too technical while promising social safety.
It is quite true that
acting humanely and with dignity with regards to the capacity of HR
practitioners amidst a crisis has been put to a test. Thus, my suggestion is
that HR practitioners should often decide and act while putting people in the
first place. Many companies in Sri Lanka have provided clear directions, confidence,
and safeguarding employees while adapting to the safety guidelines imposed
by the government. This conveys a strong message that the wellbeing and overall
health of the community are considered more important than mere profit.
As a country with a
developing economy Did Sri Lankan companies manage well this pandemic situation
or did we have a better way to manage this pandemic?
References
Well explained all the concerns Umesh. It is difficult to provide direct right or no answer as some organizations already adhered to good welfare practices and some organizations were'nt. Since pandemic is still ongoing we can wait and see more developments of HRM practices in the future. Thankyou for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback!
DeleteWith the global pandemic now into its second year, many Sri Lankans are still struggling to make ends meet. I have found your argument that Sri Lanka Did very strongly during this pandemic. Well ! I am agreed up to some extent. Compared to some south asian countries and african region, involvement of government towards the welfare and jobe sucuritation was in high end. And further it is true that public and government sector employers were protecting their employees with utmost care and dignity.
ReplyDeleteHowever, when we consider the private sector and informal income earners the fact is far away from the above. Many Sri Lankan workers lost their jobs in the immediate aftermath of the lockdown. Statistics indicate that the total number of jobs in the economy contracted by 160,996 in the first quarter of 2020.
Consequently, the COVID-19 response in Sri Lanka has already had a large impact on economic growth. Furthermore, measures taken by the government to preserve foreign reserves has resulted in further restrictions to importations and investments, which in turn have an impact on economic growth. The estimates indicate that following the curfew-level lockdown implemented in Sri Lanka between March and June 2020, overall unemployment increased to above 6% in the second quarter.
Hence, according to the available sources and statistic, unemployement or resourses has been dramatically increased within last 2 years. The government interference to sortout the issue is compulsory as SL is mixed economy which is govern by State lead economic system followed by the private sector.
thanks for your feedback and adding your thoughts!
DeleteAs you argue that weather we are successful or not I feel though some organisations achieved it overall most organisations did not achieve it. But it is a very interesting article and clearly pointed out the importance of the changes that needed to be made.
ReplyDeletethanks for your feedback!
DeleteVery interesting Article Umesh . Since we are living during middle of a pandemic, organizations should not give priority to their business interest. They should put people in the first place then once this pandemic is over employee will be more loyal toward organization and will definitely deliver best achieve all business interests of the organization
ReplyDeletethanks for your feedback!
DeleteInteresting topic Umesh, the covid 19 pandemic has caused many organisations to rethink how and where they'll implement HR transformation strategies to keep workers safe and productive. Since we are still in the middle of the pandemic the HR transformation will evolve further more with next few years to come.
ReplyDeletethanks for your feedback!
DeleteInteresting topic Umesh. Employees need to be supported more than ever especially with the uncertain future and the high possibility of losing jobs or salary deduction. So employers start depending more on their HR department to obtain the right HR strategy which could face new challenges. The problem faced by HR professionals is when applying a new HR strategy to adapt to the different challenges caused by coronavirus, the new practices are not fitting to all employees. Organizations need to identify the importance of HR flexibility in applying HR strategy and practices especially with the different circumstances of each employee may face because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ReplyDeletethanks for your feedback!
DeleteHi Umesh. This is an interesting article. Since Sri Lanka also face to the COVID pandemic ,there are some clear guidelines and direction from the government that how the employees manage in this situation. For an organization It is very important to reach their goals but as well as make the employees feel comfortable and safe .
ReplyDeletethanks for your feedback!
DeleteEven after hundreds of steps taken Sri Lanka still struggle to move forward from the pandemic hit. public health concerns, undoubtedly, should take precedence over all other considerations when dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. All the companies would be unwise to ignore the economic costs of the current situation Reviving business operation is not an easy task, and if not done properly, will lead to further damage. Nice explain Umesh about the current position of the country economy.
ReplyDeletethanks for your feedback!
DeleteTimely topic umesh, during the pandemic situation srilankan government issued some guideline to managers about employees.it had help to protect health and security of the both government and private sector employees.in my opinion we have to further think about health of employees.
ReplyDeletethanks for your feedback!
DeleteConcerning the issue you evaluate, I presume the answer should find by almost every organization in Sri Lanka. I believe that most companies in Sri Lanka have failed to meet their targets, and as a result, they lack a strategic plan. Yes, it is difficult due to social isolation, working from home, and so on. However, the information you provided in this article is something that every organization should consider.
ReplyDeletethanks for your feedback!
DeleteWhile Sri Lanka managed the first wave of the pandemic successfully, the government failed to manage the second and third waves, resulting in a spike in COVID-19 deaths since November 2020. Sri Lanka experienced a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in April 2021, when the authorities relaxed health restrictions for the Sinhala and Tamil New Years. Since August 2021, the highly contagious delta variant has been responsible for the country's alarmingly high fatality rate. As you argue about whether we were successful or not, I believe that while some organizations were successful, the vast majority of organizations were not successful. However, it is a very interesting article that clearly outlines the significance of the changes that must be implemented in the future.
ReplyDeletethanks for your feedback!
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ReplyDeleteYou have niclely explained the Role of HR in Covid-19 crisis.HRM should take the leadership to navigate in the vague present and unforeseeable future by managing people to cope with stress and to continue working remotely so that business will continue.
thanks for your feedback!
DeleteCompanies must invest in training employees for remote work, pay more attention to employee well-being, implement pay cuts rather than layoffs, conduct medical tests regularly, establish employee resource groups, encourage sick employees to stay at home or in a quarantine center, and communicate all necessary organizational actions in the event of the pandemic of COVID-19.
ReplyDeletethanks for your feedback!
DeleteAs everyone had gone through a hard time during this pandemic, still companies in Sri Lanka are focusing on their employees and their vision also. To adopt to the situation and overcome from the challenges especially companies in Sri Lanka have taken a excellent win-win decision as explained above. Even though employees had to lose something, still they have a Job Security is a great. HRs in the global level are adopting and changing to the post pandemic requirement such as transforming to digital HRM, WFH, etc.
ReplyDeletethanks for your feedback!
DeleteAn important topic to be discussed as every organization is going through a crucial time due to this pandemic. Organizations had to under take or introduce new systems and strategies to sustain in the business. The article well explains the challenges and practices to overcoming this pandemic. Worth to read.
ReplyDeletethanks for your feedback!
DeleteGreat Article Umesh!! an extremely timely & important topic in my opinion as many of the organizations around the world have had to face to this crisis, I also personally feel that there are several companies that reacted to this situation well where as some organizations have fallen short on this front. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletethanks for your feedback!
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