The human resource plays a huge role in organizations and businesses especially during pandemic situations such as Covid-19. The roles of this profession on normal days include, and not limited to: hiring the right persons for the job, attracting highly skilled employees to the organization, fostering employer-employee relations, establishing compensation and benefits structures in organizations, upholding labor laws, training and developing employees, and above all, maintaining a safe working environment for employees ( Boxall &John 2 ). During pandemics, like the current one, human resources focus on four main areas to try and impact the company’s response to the situation. These areas are; reducing transmission among employees, maintaining healthy business operations, maintaining a healthy work environment, and ensuring survival of the organization during the pandemic. This paper will discuss the role of HR profession in a global pandemic situation (Covid-19).
Transmission among Employees
The HR implements various measures to reduce transmission among employees. First, sick employees are encouraged to stay home during the pandemic ( CIDRAP 2 ). When employees start having symptoms such as cough and fever, the HR is notified and the sick employees are allowed to go home. The HR should also identify where and how other employees could get exposed to the virus at the workplace. The vulnerable employees such as the old and those with chronic diseases should observe protective measures while working. HR is also responsible for educating employees about the virus and how to reduce its spread in the workplace and at home. Regular hand-washing, and practicing social-distancing are some of the things the HR would educate employees about.
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Healthy Business Operations
The HR would identify a coordinator who will be responsible for handling pandemic issues at work. First, the HR can give employees sick leaves that are flexible as well as implement supportive policies during the situation. The business practices should also be changed to reflect the current market during the pandemic ( Woodward 2 ). The HR ensures that there is a plan for business to continue operating in case the absenteeism increases. When there comes a time, where a huge number of employees, more than 25% of the workforce, are at home either infected with the virus or caring for family members who are infected, there should be a plan that ensures business does not paralyze ( CDC 1 ). The plan might entail employees working from home. Operations in the workplace should change completely and safety measures such as social-distancing adhered to. The HR should advice the coordinator and the management team to downsize operations, and postpone events and meetings that are not essential at the moment.
Healthy Work Environment
Through the care of HR, modifications on the company’s premises must be taken into consideration. The workplace can be modified to ensure that the rate of ventilation increases. Provision of soap, water and sanitizers for free in the workplace would play an essential role during the pandemic ( CDC 1 ). To ensure hand hygiene, sanitizers would be placed in various strategic places within the workplace. Hugging and handshaking would also be discouraged among employees. The HR ensures that there is regular environmental disinfection and cleaning.
Survival of the Organization
Due to the nature of the pandemic, business operations are negatively affected both in terms of production and sales. Human resource is one of the major factors of production or resource in any firm, and therefore, it is vital to protect, attract and maintain it during the pandemic situation. The HR ensures that all employees are comfortable with helping the organization survive through allowing pay cuts, taking shifts at work, observing regulations and practice policies, and understanding downsizing of operations ( Upshur et al 1 ). The HR should also provide honest information about health risks to employees, and this way, employees will keep going and ensuring the organization survival.
References
Boxall, Peter, and John Purcell. Strategy and human resource management . Macmillan International Higher Education, 2011.
CDC. "Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Interim Guidance For Businesses And Employers". Centers For Disease Control And Prevention , 2019, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html.
CIDRAP. "Doing Business During An Influenza Pandemic". Cidrap.Umn.Edu , 2009, https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/sites/default/files/public/downloads/cidrap-shrm-hr-pandemic-toolkit.pdf.
Upshur, R., et al. "Ethical considerations for preparedness planning for pandemic influenza." A report of the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics Pandemic Influenza Working Group (2005).
Woodward, Nancy H. "Pandemic". SHRM , 2006, p. 2, https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/0506cover.aspx. Accessed 15 Apr 2020 .
