Challenges Faced by Human Resource Management Team in Managing Workforce During COVID Pandemic Era

Challenges Faced by Human Resource Management Team in Managing Workforce During COVID Pandemic Era
  IJETT-book-cover           
  
© 2025 by IJETT Journal
Volume-73 Issue-3
Year of Publication : 2025
Author : Amritha Rajkumar, F.J. Peter Kumar, G. Vikram, S. Senith
DOI : 10.14445/22315381/IJETT-V73I3P104

How to Cite?
Amritha Rajkumar, F.J. Peter Kumar, G. Vikram, S. Senith, "Challenges Faced by Human Resource Management Team in Managing Workforce During COVID Pandemic Era," International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology, vol. 73, no. 3, pp. 47-57, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/22315381/IJETT-V73I3P104

Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic era wreaked destruction on life and the economy globally. With the change in offices to remote workplaces, there has been constant pressure on HRM professionals to understand the uncertainty and implement the strategies that benefit the employees and companies. This study aimed to identify the HR department challenges workers faced during the COVID era. An empirical investigation of 7 service and manufacturing firms based across India shows that HRM faced various challenges while ensuring business continuity during the pandemic, specifically concerning employees’ health and well-being. The study findings could be used by professionals to formulate strategies to enhance employees’ well-being and build a more collaborative remote working environment.

Keywords
Challenges, COVID era, Pandemic, Human Resource Management, Workforce.

References
[1] Pallvi Arora, and Divij Suri, “Redefining, Relooking, Redesigning, and Reincorporating HRD in the Post COVID 19 Context and Thereafter,” Human Resource Development International, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 438-451, 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[2] Nishu Ayedee et al., “Role of Emotional Intelligence and Strategic Human Resource Management during COVID-19 Pandemic,” Academy of Strategic Management Journal, vol. 20, pp. 1-6, 2021.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[3] Mohammad Reza Azizi et al., “Innovative Human Resource Management Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Narrative Review Approach,” Heliyon, vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 1-9, 2021.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[4] Enrico Battisti, Simona Alfiero, and Erasmia Leonidou, “Remote Working and Digital Transformation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Economic-Financial Impacts and Psychological Drivers for Employees,” Journal of Business Research, vol. 150, pp. 38-50, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[5] Agnieszka Bieńkowska et al., “COVID-19 Oriented HRM Strategies Influence on Job and Organizational Performance through Job-Related Attitudes,” Plos One, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 1-29, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[6] Indranil Bose, and Soma Bose Biswas, “International Employment Laws, Standards, Recommendations & HRM,” Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 404-409, 2018.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[7] Pawan S. Budhwar, and Arup Varma, “Emerging HR Management Trends in India and the Way Forward,” Organizational Dynamics, vol. 40, no. 4, pp. 317-325, 2011.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[8] Paula Caligiuri et al., “International HRM Insights for Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Future Research and Practice,” Journal of International Business Studies, vol. 51, no. 5, pp. 697-713, 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[9] Sheshadri Chatterjee et al., “Workforce Service Quality in the Post-COVID-19 era: from the Perspective of Organisation Data-Driven Competency,” Production Planning and Control, vol. 35, no. 13, pp. 1579-1592, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[10] Matt Collington, The New Role for HR Following the Covid-19 Pandemic, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.thehrdirector.com/features/cultural-change/the-new-role-for-hr-following-the-covid-19-pandemic/
[11] Gopali Dayal, Divya Jyoti Thakur, and William Asamoah-Appiah, “The Challenges of Human Resource Management and Opportunities for Organization during (COVID-19) Pandemic Situation,” International Journal of Applied Research, vol. 7, no. S6, pp. 09-12, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[12] Ingi Runar Edvardsson, and Susanne Durst, “Human Resource Management in Crisis Situations: A Systematic Literature Review,” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 22, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[13] Iza Gigauri, “Effects of Covid-19 on Human Resource Management from the Perspective of Digitalization and Work-Life-Balance,” International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Economy, vol. 4, no. 31, 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[14] Iza Gigauri, “Implications of COVID-19 for Human Resource Management,” International Journal of Economics and Management Studies, vol. 7, no. 11, pp. 25-33, 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[15] Sharmila Gope, Gianluca Elia, and Giuseppina Passiante, “The Effect of HRM Practices on Knowledge Management Capacity: A Comparative Study in Indian IT Industry,” Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 649-677, 2018.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[16] J.K. Gulati, “An Analysis of HRM Issues & Challenges in Manufacturing in India,” Pacific Business Review International, vol. 10, no. 8, 2018.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[17] Seeta Gupta, and A. Uday Bhaskar, “Doing Business in India: Cross-Cultural Issues in Managing Human Resources,” Cross Cultural and Strategic Management, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 184-204, 2016.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[18] Salima Hamouche, “Human Resource Management and the COVID-19 Crisis: Implications, Challenges, Opportunities, and Future Organizational Directions,” Journal of Management & Organization, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 799 - 814, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[19] ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the World of Work, 4th ed., International Labour Organization, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.ilo.org/resource/brief/ilo-monitor-covid-19-and-world-work-4th-edition
[20] Stavros Kalogiannidis, “The Impact of COVID-19 on Human Resource Management Practices and Future Marketing,” International Journal of Industrial Marketing, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 43-55, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[21] Vikrant Kaushal, and Sidharth Srivastava, “Hospitality and Tourism Industry amid COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives on Challenges and Learnings from India,” International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 92, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[22] Panagiotis V. Kloutsiniotis et al., “Transformational Leadership, HRM Practices and Burnout during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Personal Stress, Anxiety, and Workplace Loneliness,” International Journal of Hospitality Management, 102, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[23] Gajanethi Swathi Kumari, “Global Meltdown-Human Resource Management in Turbulent Times,” International Journal for Recent Development in Science and Technology, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 394-400 2019.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[24] Patricia Leavy, “Research Design Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed Methods, Arts-Based, and Community-based Participatory Research Approaches,” Guilford Publications, 2nd, 2022.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[25] Raju Majumdar, “Surviving and Growing in the Post-Covid World: The Case of Indian Hotels,” Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 584-598, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[26] Elizabeth Marsh, Elvira Perez Vallejos, and Alexa Spence, “The Digital Workplace and its Dark Side: An Integrative Review,” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 128, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[27] Vidisha Mishra et al., “Young India and Work a Survey of Youth Aspirations,” Observer Research Foundation and World Economic Forum, vol. 69, 2018.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[28] Sramana Mukherjee, and Dushyant Narang, “Digital Economy and Work-from-Home: The Rise of Home Offices Amidst the COVID-19 Outbreak in India,” Journal of the Knowledge Economy, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 924-945, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[29] Nissar Ahmad Paul, and Parvaiz Ahmad Shah, “Hard and Soft HRM Models: A Review,” IOSR Journal of Business and Management, vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 35-38, 2021.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[30] Chandrima Roy, Dora Scholarios, and Phil Taylor, “The Recession has Passed but the Effects are Still with Us”: Employment, Work Organization and Employee Experiences of Work in Post-Crisis Indian BPO,” Critical Perspectives on Work and Employment in Globalizing India, pp. 57-80, 2017.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[31] Debi S. Saini, and Pawan S. Budhwar, Human Resource Management in India, Managing Human Resources in Asia-Pacific, Routledge, pp. 1-13, 2013.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[32] Sania Sami, and S. Roychowdhury, “Assessing Impact of COVID Pandemic on Role Transition and Effectiveness of Remote Working in the Face of Challenges in Human Resource Management,” Journal of Emerging Technologies and Business Management, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 56-77, 2021.
[Google Scholar]
[33] Samir Saran, and Vivan Sharan, The Future of the Indian Workforce: A New Approach for the New Economy, Observer Research Foundation, 2018.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[34] Kareem M Selem et al., “Fear of COVID-19, Hotel Employee Outcomes and Workplace Health and Safety Management Practices: Evidence from Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt,” Tourism and Hospitality Research, vol. 23, no. 4, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[35] Sourabh Sharma, and Megha Sharma, “Can Upheaval of COVID-19 be Managed by Change in HR Practices? A Study on Indian Working Professionals,” Global Business Review, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[36] Melika Shirmohammadi, Wee Chan Au, and Mina Beigi, “Remote Work and Work-Life Balance: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic and Suggestions for HRD Practitioners,” Human Resource Development International, vol. 25, no. 2, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[37] Priya Sinha, and Sigamani P, “Key Challenges of Human Resources for Health in India,” Global Journal of Medicine and Public Health, vol. 5, no. 4, 2016.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[38] Renata Skýpalová et al., “Human Resource Management across Generations within the Context of World of Work 4.0,” Emerging Science Journal, vol. 7, no. 3, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[39] Mohammed Ali Bait Ali Sulaiman, Mohammed Nazeer Ahmed, and Muhammad Salman Shabbir, “COVID-19 Challenges and Human Resource Management in Organized Retail Operations,” Latin American Topia and Praxis, vol. 25, no. 12, pp. 81-92, 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[40] Inuaesiet Victoria Utitofon, Okon Ekaete Eyibio, and Akpan Joseph Josaphat, “Effect of Covid-19 on Human Resource Development and Management for Socioeconomic Sustainability of Organizations,” International Journal of Public Administration and Management Research, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 88-97, 2021.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[41] Sahar Vahdat, “The Role of IT-based Technologies on the Management of Human Resources in the COVID-19 era,” Kybernetes, vol. 51, no. 6, pp. 2065-2088, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[42] Anju Verma et al., “The Future of Work Post Covid-19: Key Perceived HR Implications of Hybrid Workplaces in India,” Journal of Management Development, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 13-28.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[43] Lina Vyas, ““New Normal” at Work in a Post-COVID World: Work-Life Balance and Labor Markets,” Policy and Society, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 155-167, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[44] Shatrughan Yadav, and Usha Lenka, “Diversity Management: A Systematic Review,” Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, vol. 39, no. 8, pp. 901-929. 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[45] Shatrughan Yadav, and Usha Lenka, “A Systematic Review of Job-Related Diversity and Future Research Directions,” Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, vol. 41, no. 8, pp. 1181-1208, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[46] Nishrat Zaman, “Human Resources Management Practices after COVID-19: A Review,” World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 554-565, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[47] Yifan Zhong et al., “Risk Management: Exploring Emerging Human Resource Issues during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Journal of Risk and Financial Management, vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 1-23, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]