Introduction
After Malaysians noticed a decline in the number of new COVID-19 instances, the need for workforce revitalization occurred. If the number of new cases in the country can be kept low, all sectors of the economy should be fully reopened. Malaysia is preparing to resume its economy after more than two and a half months of lockdown. Employers have adapted their workforce to the exceptional circumstances of the post-COVID-19 situation, which are telework or working from home. Many people may wonder if their work will be the same after the outbreak of this virus. Relaxing restrictions and returning to the workplace can create many human resource management difficulties that businesses need to be prepared for. One of the essential issues that are required to be addressed is workforce composition reintegration.
The Workforce Composition Reintegration and Arrangement
A virus pandemic has changed business needs, and organizations now will face the challenge of adapting to new normal conditions, which has gained great importance after the COVID-19 outbreak. As a result, workforce re-composition, or in other words, staff redundancies and/or restructuring, are critical to the survival of the company in the post-pandemic period. Managers may need to rethink how many people they will hire. If an employee is already hired and has overcome retrenchment exercises, their skills determine whether they will continue their current role or move to a new role for business efficiency reasons. Remuneration structures within the enterprise, including salaries, bonuses, profit sharing, and commission contracts, should also be reviewed to ensure that the organization remains financially sustainable.
Many companies have formulated remote/flexible working policies since the government imposed movement restrictions in the country. Some organizations may be aware of the benefits of working from home, and some are already planning to use it permanently. Corporate recovery will require a certain amount of time, and the country’s economic figures are expected to remain low after the pandemic. Employee involvement is reduced by a remote work regime that prevents the recurrence of the infection. An organization can save financial resources that were supposed for office space, rent, and utilities. Companies may choose to retain homeworkers for financial reasons, which may result in adjusted compensation and profits.
Employers may face increased demand for flexible working hours from workers with primary childcare responsibilities, as education departments and schools may not be allowed to reopen soon. It is possible that employees could accept lower wages and benefits in exchange for a remote and more flexible work environment. Employees spend less time and money commuting, and many can find a better balance between work and life. According to the study results handled by Hashim et al. (2020), the needs of individuals and families were the basic motivation to work from home. Other factors that influence the decision to work from home include commuting time, opportunity cost, and comfort at home. Home office-approved employees need to keep their logbooks up-to-date and present them to their managers regularly to reach their second goal. Working and documenting from home is an important obligation to demonstrate integrity and achievement of key performance goals. The practice of integrity is essential to the telecommuting policy of any organization. There are pros and cons to allowing management staff to work on mixed schedules.
Some employees, on the other hand, can be less productive when working from home due to the high level of external distraction and lack of physical control. The way a company interacts with its customers and prospects is probably the most difficult part of a remote work arrangement. Employers often need to communicate with their employees to provide inspiration, control, and peace of mind to employees who are naturally concerned about the company’s future and their responsibilities.
Enterprises become increasingly dependent on remote access technology as they leave their physical headquarters. Platforms that enable communication, networking, and collaboration are essential to a company’s long-term success. Downtime caused by IT outages and cybersecurity threats can have a significant impact on business operations. Remote work creates an ideal atmosphere for fraudsters and cyberattacks, so cybersecurity should be a priority for businesses. Organizations are expected to increase the number and funding of their IT staff to respond to changing threats. Employees are required to work with unfamiliar technologies because they can avoid existing work patterns, increasing security threats.
Conclusion
The epidemic creates conditions for a long-term paradigm shift in employment, which can lead to extensive retraining and further training of the workforce. It is changing people’s lifestyles, and it is predicted that customers will move to e-commerce, virtual communication, and social media even faster in the future. Digital marketing and digital communications are becoming more and more popular and have new standards. After COVID-19, it is important to improve employee performance and adapt to rapidly changing situations in a fully digital environment. Flexibility and responsiveness to workplace arrangement issues and workforce composition are essential for businesses to resolve persistent issues caused by virus outbreaks.
Reference
Hashim, R., Bakar, A., Noh, I., & Mahyudin, H. A. (2020). Employees’ Job Satisfaction and Performance through working from Home during the Pandemic Lockdown. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 5(15), 461-467. Web.