Human Resources (HR) lessons learned during the 2020 Pandemic: A literature review & perspective from HR professionals
Queenie C Plater, Marquise D Frazier, Patricia Y Talbert, Vivian H Davis and Payton S Talbert
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been the most devastating public health crisis since the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1920. COVID-19 has impacted every human being and affected every operational system throughout the land. The pandemic has caused challenging times for businesses, financial markets, government agencies, academia, and one area that is frequently overlooked is the impact of COVID-19 and its implications for workplaces, working practices, and operationalization of Human Resource Management (HRM). As a result, the purpose of this literature review is to identify best practices implemented for the sustainability of Human Resource (HR) functions and the survival of institutions in the age of a dynamic public health crisis. This is a significant approach to better understanding the disruptions caused by COVID-19 on Human Resource Management, and to introducing how organizations have been impacted by this pandemic, then concluding with several HRM perspectives of recommendations on how organizations should prepare for the future. The findings obtained focused on four main pillars, (1) recruitment, retention, and the ‘great’ resignation, (2) employee well-being and wellness, (3) remote work options, practices, and professionalism, and (4) HR practitioners' leadership development, which continued to be salient themes interwoven throughout many articles. The implication of these findings suggests that talent and having the most experienced, operationalized, and professional individuals as part of one’s organization are paramount to the organization’s success. Upskilling is imperative, and all stakeholders must be open to the inevitability of change as change is constant.
Queenie C Plater, Marquise D Frazier, Patricia Y Talbert, Vivian H Davis, Payton S Talbert. Human Resources (HR) lessons learned during the 2020 Pandemic: A literature review & perspective from HR professionals. Int J Res Hum Resour Manage 2023;5(2):07-16. DOI: 10.33545/26633213.2023.v5.i2a.144