Personnel Review

Aitken-Fox, Eileen; Coffey, Jane; Dayaram, Kantha; Fitzgerald, Scott; McKenna, Stephen; Tian, Amy Wei

2023 Personnel Review

doi: 10.1108/pr-08-2023-918

De Clercq, Dirk; Pereira, Renato

2023 Personnel Review

doi: 10.1108/pr-06-2021-0430

For human resource (HR) managers, the harmful outcomes of employees’ ruminations about external crises, such as a pandemic, represent important, timely concerns. This research postulates that employees’ perceptions of pandemic threats might diminish the extent to which they engage in change-oriented voluntarism at work. This negative connection may be attenuated by employees’ access to two personal (work-related self-efficacy and organization-based self-esteem) and two relational (goal congruence and interpersonal harmony) resources.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical predictions are tested with survey data collected among employees who work in a banking organization in Portugal.FindingsPersistent negative thoughts about a pandemic undermine discretionary efforts to alter and enhance the organizational status quo, but this detrimental effect is mitigated when employees (1) feel confident about their work-related abilities, (2) have a positive self-image about their organizational functioning, (3) share a common mindset with coworkers with respect to work goals and (4) maintain harmonious relationships with coworkers.Practical implicationsThis study pinpoints several ways HR managers can reduce the danger that employees’ worries about life-threatening crises may lead to complacent responses that, somewhat paradoxically, might undermine their ability to alleviate the suffered hardships.Originality/valueThe findings contribute to research on the impact of external crisis situations on organizations by providing an explanation of why employees may avoid productive, disruptive work activities, contingent on their access to complementary resources.

Szulc, Joanna Maria; McGregor, Frances-Louise; Cakir, Emine

2023 Personnel Review

doi: 10.1108/pr-06-2021-0469

The rich qualitative study builds on 11 semi-structured interviews with nine neurodivergent employees and two business professionals supportive of neurodiversity to understand the lived experiences of dealing with crisis in a remote working environment.Design/methodology/approachThe purpose of the reported research is to understand how neurominorities experience remote working in the times of crisis and what the implications of this are for human resource (HR) professionals.FindingsMoving to remote work resulted in a lack of routine, distractions and working long hours, which can all be difficult for line managers to monitor. Further problems with communication in a virtual environment and lack of understanding by others were found to be particularly burdensome to neurodivergent individuals. On the positive note, remote working in the times of crisis allowed for avoiding sensory overwhelm and was seen as an important step in creating a healthy work–life balance (WLB).Practical implicationsThe findings of this study point HR practitioners' attention towards building a more neurodiversity friendly post-pandemic workplace and prompt employers to offer working arrangements, which better suit employees' domestic and personal circumstances.Originality/valueThis study addresses the lack of research on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on neurominorities. In doing so, it answers recent calls to move away from universal HR as a route to positive employee outcomes and facilitates a more accurate reflection of organizational reality for disadvantaged members of society.

Maddox-Daines, Kay Lisa

2023 Personnel Review

doi: 10.1108/pr-04-2021-0224

This paper examines how human resources (HR) professionals in the UK have supported employee wellbeing during the coronavirus disease (COVID) pandemic. It considers the extent to which HR professionals were prepared for the crisis and their readiness in supporting the wellbeing of their people.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 senior HR professionals working across the public and private sectors in the UK. Using an in-depth interview structure, the research explored how respondents both reacted to and managed the crisis in their respective organisations. Template analysis was used to analyse the data allowing a certain degree of fluidity in the establishment of ordered relationships between the themes.FindingsThis study finds that business continuity plans turned out to be useless during the pandemic because they focussed on data, not people. It highlights the tension between home-working and burn-out as online presenteeism increased due to staff changing their behaviour in response to self-surveillance. The paper emphasises the importance of soft skills and authentic leadership and the tensions in respect of equity.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted with HR professionals in the UK, not internationally. Although the sample did include HR professionals from across the public, private and third sectors, the experience may not be representative of all those working in HR.Originality/valueThis research found that those organisations that had engaged in business continuity planning prior to the pandemic focussed on the retrieval and accessibility of data rather than people. This prioritises staff as a resource rather than emphasising people as an organisation's most valuable asset. Furthermore, the study found that staff worked harder and for longer periods of time as a consequence of self-imposed surveillance. Organisational responses were contradictory as despite implementing well-being strategies to promote physical and mental health, there was little evidence of an effective response to this online presenteeism.

Manroop, Laxmikant; Petrovski, Daniela

2023 Personnel Review

doi: 10.1108/pr-06-2021-0459

This article identifies the contextual demands impacting the work from home (WFH) experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and considers their respective impact on employees' personal and work-related outcomes.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on a qualitative methodology, the authors thematically analyzed written narratives from 41 employees who had been required to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.FindingsData analysis identified four layers of contextual demands (omnibus, task, social and personal) that had resulted in participants being required to work from home. Drawing on this finding, the authors develop a conceptual process model to extend current theory and explain how the respective demands impact individual affective reactions and work-related experiences, health and wellbeing. The authors’ findings offer new insights into contexts where WFH becomes mandatory, indicating that it is characterized by a range of challenges and opportunities.Practical implicationsThis paper signals the need to provide employees with a realistic preview of working from home demands, including interventions to better prepare them to navigate the daily stressors of working from home; and provision of virtual employee assistance programs in the form of online counseling.Originality/valueThis paper explores a unique phenomenon – the mandatory requirement to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on employees' personal and work-related experiences and outcomes.

Hastuti, Rina; Timming, Andrew R.

2023 Personnel Review

doi: 10.1108/pr-05-2021-0343

The aim of this research is to determine the extent to which the human resource (HR) function can screen and potentially predict suicidal employees and offer preventative mental health assistance.Design/methodology/approachDrawing from the 2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health (N = 56,136), this paper employs multivariate binary logistic regression to model the work-related predictors of suicidal ideation, planning and attempts.FindingsThe results indicate that known periods of joblessness, the total number of sick days and absenteeism over the last 12 months are significantly associated with various suicidal outcomes while controlling for key psychosocial correlates. The results also indicate that employee assistance programs are associated with a significantly reduced likelihood of suicidal ideation. These findings are consistent with conservation of resources theory.Research limitations/implicationsThis research demonstrates preliminarily that the HR function can unobtrusively detect employee mental health crises by collecting data on key predictors.Originality/valueIn the era of COVID-19, employers have a duty of care to safeguard employee mental health. To this end, the authors offer an innovative way through which the HR function can employ predictive analytics to address mental health crises before they result in tragedy.

Aitken-Fox, Eileen; Coffey, Jane; Dayaram, Kantha; Fitzgerald, Scott; McKenna, Stephen; Tian, Amy Wei

2023 Personnel Review

doi: 10.1108/pr-12-2021-0869

The purpose of the paper is to investigate how human resource professionals (HRPs), in a variety of organizations, responded to the crisis brought about by the event of COVID-19. In particular, it aims to show how organizations, across all sectors, in Western Australia responded with urgency and flexibility to the crisis and showed “resilience in practice”.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on 136 questionnaire responses, 32 interviews and 25 managerial narratives. The mixed qualitative methodology was designed to enable an investigation of the impact of COVID-19 and the response of HRPs.FindingsHRPs have responded with agility and flexibility to the impact of COVID-19. They have done so through extensive trial and error, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing. They have not simply activated a preconceived continuity plan.Research limitations/implicationsThe research indicates that resilience is an ongoing accomplishment of organizations and the people in them. The objective was description rather than prescription, and the research does not offer solutions to future pandemic-like situations.Practical implicationsThe research suggests that, given the impact of COVID-19 on organizations, HR practices, processes and policies will need to be thoroughly reconsidered for relevance in the post-COVID world. Possible future directions are highlighted.Originality/valueThe research considers the actions of HRPs as they responded to a global crisis as the crisis unfolded.