Several researchers consider the current global pandemic as a significant challenge facing the world economy and health. Hamouche examines the relationship between COVID-19 and the employees’ mental health. The author uses a qualitative approach to derive information from previous studies available in Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Semantic Sage. These examinations are based on the current implications of COVID-19 and its impacts on the mental health of employed people. Some of the aspects examined include depression and psychological distress. Accordingly, COVID-19 portrays a negative effect on the mental health of the employees. Hamouche asserts that stressors such as safety concerns, threats, and risk of contagion have greatly contributed to negative health consequences among individuals (Hamouche). Similarly, current practices such as isolation requirements, social stigmatization, and loss of finances attributable to job insecurities also portray implications on mental health (Hamouche). Hamouche further claims that companies are not all prepared to handle the pandemic; hence many have endured substantial loss in productivity and return on investment. Many human resource practitioners and managers currently need to find ingenious ways to realize the continuity of operations and the protection of their employees. Some of the recommendations provided herein include availing a communication plan to the employees on the continuity of their business operations. Moreover, the involvement of personnel in the preparation of post-pandemic business plans and the prevention of stigma would also be pivotal for mental health advocacy. Essentially, the provision of timely and accurate COVID-19 related information to all the staff and the public would help in combating negative outcomes. Furthermore, training, management of teleworking, the prevention of social isolation, and the development of a return-to-work plan are also crucial. In essence, the upsurge in smart technology and internet services makes it easier for administrators to identify and respond to situations in various industries.
Hatak and Carnevale’s article about employee adjustment and wellbeing during COVID-19 provides information on workforce welfare. Accordingly, organizations need to remain alert to external factors that pose uncertainty to their workforce (Carnevale and Hatak). COVID-19 has a direct impact on the visibility and performance of their establishments. Thus, the authors state that companies claim to find a way of managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Concurrently, one of the proposed mechanisms includes helping the employees cope with and adjust to the altered work environment demands. Taking the entrepreneur’s approach is deemed as having a positive effect on the ability of the teams to handle and respond to the challenges that they face in their routine work practice (Carnevale and Hatak). Thus, there is a need for the workforces to inculcate entrepreneurship characteristics such as autonomy, tolerance of uncertainty, and approaching new situations proactively and openly as a meaningful way of managing COVID-19. Furthermore, the strategies often sought by entrepreneurs concerning a reduction in social and physical interaction are an additional virtue that the entrepreneurs need to adapt.
Caligiuri and De Cieri, in the article “The Conversation,” suggest a set of ways through which companies could support their personnel’s health and wellbeing during the current universal situation. The four ways that firms could seek in the availability of sustenance to their staff include establishing flexibility, hosting virtual social time, training for online collaboration, and fostering positive coping. The suggestions drawn by the authors are based on the understanding that COVID -19 has altered the work schedule of employees who now have to work from home. The new phenomenon calls for a change in the approach that the management of such companies would utilize in considering the health and wellbeing needs of their staff. In essence, keeping the personnel safe should be a priority issue for the management of most companies.
Notably, some of the ways to maintain the wellbeing of these teams include communication of health risks, availability of resources, and well-designed preventive measures alongside response guidelines (Caligiuri and De Cieri). These principles should guide the leaders on how to be effective in executing their mandates apart from designing employee-assistance programs that tackle different issues at the workplace. Accordingly, continuous improvement requires effective evaluation tools that are responsive to environmental changes. Competent managers tend to utilize training frameworks to ensure that their employees are updated and understand the dynamism of change at each stage as may be required. Thus, there seems to be a need to incorporate the adaptive techniques and research methodologies to help identify any change and provide a response strategy for workers in the future. COVID-19 continues to affect human resource management within organizations. The impression is primarily evident in the mental health and shift within the working environment, including operations in remote environments by the staff. Studies contend that COVID-19 has a negative implication on the health and wellbeing of the employees. On the one hand, Hamouche establishes that COVID-19 has general negative impacts on the mental health of the employees. On the other hand, Carnevale and Hatak consider external factors to pose uncertainty to the workforce, which could be destructive to their health. Therefore, it is within the right of the human resource professionals to take up measures that would enhance wellness among their people. As such, Carnevale and Hatak suggest the management create a favorable working environment that would advocate for awareness and behavior change. Similarly, Caligiuri and De Cieri offer practical guidance to Human Resources Management professionals on how to institute programs that target physical fitness and a comprehensive wellness approach. Thus, the primary mechanism to ensure the realization of maximum potential among workers is to create a healthy work environment.
The literature content depicted by the various researchers indicates that COVID-19 has had far-reaching concerns in modern societies. Evidently, many organizations have been caught unaware and are struggling to cope with this challenging situation. Some of the recent strategies utilized by managers to ensure safety include advocating for wellness, physical exercises, and targeting priority areas to create awareness. Both Carnevale and Hatak and Caligiuri and De Cieri agree that working remotely would be a better alternative with institutions re-strategizing to tackle the pending threat. Nonetheless, firms should invest in futuristic plan mechanisms, including training and research, to find ways to handle such unprecedented uncertainties. Some of the critical concepts involve awareness of individuals and group behavioral approaches, modern Information and Communication Technology skills, social media utility, as well as community sustainability values such as culture and ethics. Some of these prospects would promote prevention practices within and outside the organizational borders.
References
Caligiuri, Paula and Helen De Cieri. “4 Ways Companies Can Support Their Workers During the Coronavirus Crisis.” The Conversation, 2020. Web.
Carnevale, Joel B., and Isabella Hatak. “Employee Adjustment and Well-Being in the Era of COVID-19: Implications for Human Resource Management.” Journal of Business Research, vol. 116, 2020, pp. 183−187.
Hamouche, Salima. “COVID-19 and Employees’ Mental Health: Stressors, Moderators and Agenda for Organizational Actions.” Emerald Open Research, vol. 2, no. 15, 2020, p. 1−15.