People Management in Crisis: COVID-19 Impact and Strategies Report

This report delves into the critical aspects of people management in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It begins by outlining the key challenges faced by line management, including poor management practices, communication breakdowns, the rise of remote work with its associated issues like lack of motivation and work-life balance, the need to adapt to constant change, and ensuring employee safety. The report then explores the essential knowledge, skills, and behaviors required for effective people management during this crisis, emphasizing leadership, promotion of safety measures, adaptability, emotional intelligence, effective communication, and innovative thinking. Finally, it examines the crucial role of Human Resources in supporting effective performance management through performance management software, performance enhancement strategies, performance feedback, compensation, and skill development programs. The report concludes by highlighting the ongoing efforts of organizations to adapt and innovate in response to the pandemic's impact on their workforce.

Introduction to People
Management

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
1) Some of the key issues faced by the line management when it comes to people management
on COVID-19..............................................................................................................................3
2) Knowledge, skills and behaviours required to be an effective people's manager in this
epidemic.......................................................................................................................................5
3) HR process underpins and support management when it comes to effective performance
management.................................................................................................................................6
REFRENCES...............................................................................................................................8
Books and Journal........................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
People management can be termed as a management process that incorporates functions
such as acquisition of talented employees in the business organisation, effective optimization,
retention and management of the employees working in the organisation. The main aim of
People's management is to offer adequate support and guidance to the individuals working for
the organisation in order to enhance their self confidence and boost their motivation which in
turn will help the same to deliver their top-grade performance. This report analyses and examines
the effect of COVID-19 on line management of various business organisations around the world.
It also encompasses the skills required by an individual to be an impressive people's manager and
the role of human resource process in performance management.
MAIN BODY
1) Some of the key issues faced by the line management when it comes to people management
on COVID-19
COVID-19 has changed the lives of millions of people across the world. The epidemic
has adversely effected the economic environment and business organisations are bearing the
brunt of it. The employees are hugely impacted from the same and are facing stressful and nerve-
racking situations due to the prevailing working conditions led by the business organisations
across the globe. The uncertain changes in the work life have led to various new issues and
challenges for the employees working in the organisation. Some of the challenges and difficulties
faced by the business organisation around the world are discussed below:-
 Poor Management: Effectively managing the operations of the business during pandemic
is not as easy as it seems to be. For instance, a large set of employees working under the
line management in Amazon chose to walk out of the company due to Corona virus
outbreaks in the same. The company stated that it is trying its best to save and protect the
employees but the employees reported that their working experience was not at
comfortable (Amazon faces unprecedented challenges as dozens of warehouses grapple
with COVID-19 outbreaks, 2020).
 Ineffective Communication: In order to carry out smooth functioning of business
operations such especially production and delivery of the products and services offered
by the organisation in the organisation , it very crucial that an organisation tries its best

to get rid of the barriers of communication and to promote effective communication.
Various employees such Tesco, Amazon, Flip cart etc. faced communication problems
due to poor network connections, incompetency of delivering the messages at company's
end or incompetency of receiving the message correctly at employee's end.
 Remote Work: In the current scenario, working from home has become the new normal.
Due to sudden outbreak of COVID-19 in the world, various organisations decided to
provide remote work to their employees in order to run their operations and carry out
their services without any break. For example, Apple was one of the first few companies
that decide to provide remote work to their employee (Coronavirus update: Tim Cook
asks Apple employees to work from home, 2020). Although working home has various
advantages such as flexibility to the employees but it also has numerous disadvantages
such as lack of motivation, concentration and distractions within employees, reduced
productivity, issues pertaining to work-life balance etc.
Change and Unpredictability: It has become difficult for the line management of the
organisations to align to the uncertain and dynamic environment. Employees are expected to
adjust to the sudden changes in guidelines and regulations set by their respective organisations
but it is not possible to do the same as different employees have different individualities and
every employee cannot be as flexible and agile as others (Jyoti, 2019).
 . Hence, various employees are not able to adjust according to the uncertainties and that
is one of the reasons behind their inefficiency and poor performance.
 Employee Safety: The pandemic has taken a toll on the safety of employees working all
around the world. Many employees reported that they came in contact with the Corona
virus at their workplace. It is very essential that organisation tries to incorporate all the
safety measures in their day to day operations. They need to take care about the health of
the employees and needs to be considerate towards the same during this pandemic. An
organisation that ensures about the safety of its employees is likely to grow more in
comparison to the one who ignores it. For instance, Microsoft and Chevron also decided
to provide work from home to employees in order to protect them against the spread of
virus.

2) Knowledge, skills and behaviours required to be an effective people's manager in this
epidemic
In order to direct and lead the employees working in this pandemic, it is very essential for an
organisation to hire a competent and experienced people’s manager that has the ability to do the
same. The people’s manager needs to fit the below mentioned criteria:
 Leadership: The people’s manager is required to exhibit leadership quality in order to
lead the workforce towards the organisational goals and objectives in this crisis
(Hurmelinna-Laukkanen and Olander, 2019).The people’s manager is also expected to
provide guidance and communicate organisational vision and mission to the employees
and empower them to deliver their best performance in order enhance the productivity of
the organisation.
Promote safety measures: The manager is expected to promote healthcare and safety measures
in the business organisation as it is very essential for employees to wear a mask and follow the
norms of social distancing in order to protect themselves from catching the virus. (Cobos
Caballero, 2019).It’s the duty of people’s manager to create awareness and educate the employees
about the importance of following the safety guidelines set by the government in order to carry
out the business operations with safety and precautions. For example, organisations such as
Tesco and Wal-Mart are following the workplace guidelines set by the World Health
Organization in order to ensure safety and wellbeing of the employees working in their
organisation.
 Adaptableness and flexibility: In order to be an effective people’s manager, it is very
necessary for an individual to adapt to the changing situations and be comfortable in the
same in order to cope up with the sudden challenges during the current COVID-19 phase.
The people’s manager is required to be flexible and spontaneous. He/ she should be able
to work under pressure and handle the deadlines effectively and efficiently.
 Emotional Intelligence and Effective Communication: The ongoing pandemic has taken
a toll on the mental health of various employees across the globe (Mental Health in
Workplace during COVID-19: How can employers help? 2020). People manager is
required to be empathetic towards the employees and should create an open and friendly
environment wherein the employees working in the organisations can voice out their

thoughts and opinions in order to relieve themselves from the unnecessary burden and
stress.
Innovative and Creative: It is necessary for people’s manager to boost the creativity of the
business operations in order to capture and enhance the interest of the employees and peers
working under the organisation in this pandemic (Garcia-Zamor, 2019.) They are also expected to
formulate innovative strategies so as to encourage the individuals working in the organisation
and to achieve or accomplish the short as well as long term goals of the business organisation.
For instance, Amazon is an organisation that has initiated various innovative strategies in its
operations. The company has developed its own COVID testing programs so as to allow the
employees to take the test and see the reports thereof which in turn will help them to be more
confident and positive while accomplishing their work in the organisation (Amazon plans to
innovate its way out of pandemic, 2020).
3) HR process underpins and support management when it comes to effective performance
management
Effective performance management involves analysing the current performance of the
employees and motivating and empowering them to do better.Human resource plays a vital role
in encouraging performance of the employees working in the organisation(Van Sprang and Drion,
2020. Human resource facilitates in creating an environment wherein the employees are enabled
to put their best foot forward and provide their best potential in order to realise organisational
goals. Human Resource provides excellent strategies in order to enhance the performance and
productivity of the workforce in the organisation. Human resource process also facilitates and
supports in order to carry out effective performance management in the business organisation in
following ways:-
 Performance Management Software: Human resource process capitalizes on performance
management software in order to keep an eye on the performance of various employees
working in an organisation and keep a systematic record of the same (Liu, 2019). These
records help the organisation to easy examine the performance of the employees and
identify the individual who needs more training and skill development. In this way, the
organisation is able to focus on the individuals delivering poor performance and can work
on them in order to enhance their performance in the future run.
 Performance enhancement strategies and plans: Human Resource Department formulate
various strategies and plans in order to raise performance of the employees working in

the business enterprise (Randev and Jha, 2019). These strategies are developed to improve
the performance level of the new joining in the organisation or the existing employees
which are not showing good results in the organisation.
 Performance Feedback: Performance Feedback involves reviewing the performance of
the workforce and giving them the evaluated feedback for the same. This helps the
employees to identify their current level and where they stand in the organisation. These
performance feedbacks also boost the confidence of the employees to better themselves
and gain excellent feedback from their mentors in order to grow and develop themselves
in the organisation and gain appreciation(Wilton, 2016)Compensation and Bonus: Human
Resource Process involves providing bonuses and salary hikes to the deserving
employees of the organisation. The Human Resource team also provided compensation
and other benefits to the same in order to appreciate their work and motivate them to
deliver their best even in the future. Compensations and benefits also boost the
motivations of the individuals who are lagging behind due to their poor performance in
the organisation. Hence, these perks and benefit enhances and encourages the effective
performance management of the business organisations.
 Skill development programs: Skill development is a necessary element in order to
enhance the performance of the employees and increase their productivity. Human
Resource teams provide various opportunities to the employees in order to enhance their
skills and knowledge in relation to their specific department and area of operation. These
programs help the employees to develop new skills and learn more about their work
which in turn helps them to be more productive at the work and increase their
performance level.
CONCLUSION
Overall, it can be concluded that organisation across the globe are trying their best to
fight with the COVID-19 crises. The COVID-19 has impacted the lives employees adversely.
Due to the outbreak, the line managers have faced a lot of issues while working for the
organisations. They have suffered a lot due to the pandemic and are searching for opportunities
to revive themselves from the same. It can be said that COVID-19 has create unstable
environment around the world and business organisation are coming up with innovative ideas
and strategies to survive in their respectively industry. Companies are coming up with new and
improved strategies and plans to respond to the same. The organisations are now giving major
emphasis on people’s management in order effectively manage the employees working under the
organisation as it is the need of the hour. Organisations have become more considerate towards
the employees and are trying their best retain good talent in their company in order to carry out
the functions of the organisation effectively and efficiently. The organisations are also following
the guidelines set by the government in order to ensure the safety of the employees and to
promote their wellbeing.

REFRENCES
Books and Journal
Online
Amazon faces unprecedented challenges as dozens of warehouses grapple with COVID-19
outbreaks. 2020. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.geekwire.com/2020/amazon-faces-unprecedented-challenges-dozens-
warehouses-grapple-covid-19-outbreaks/>.
Mental Health in Workplace during COVID-19: How can employers help? 2020. [Online]
Available through: < healthblog.uofmhealth.org/wellness-prevention/mental-health-
workplace-during-covid-19-how-can-employers-help>.
Amazon plans to innovate its way out of pandemic, 2020 [Online] Available through:
<https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2020/05/18/amazon-plans-to-innovate-its-way-
out-of-the-pandemic >.
Coronavirus update: Tim Cook asks Apple employees to work from home, 2020 [Online]
Available through: <https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/trends/coronavirus-update-
tim-cook-asks-apple-employees-to-work-from-home/story/397895.html>.
Jyoti, K., 2019. Green HRM–People Management Commitment to Environmental Sustainability.
In Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Digital Strategies for
Organizational Success.
Hurmelinna-Laukkanen, P. and Olander, H., 2019. Introduction to managing people for
technological innovation. Int. J. Technology Management, 79(3/4), p.211.
Cobos Caballero, A., 2019. Introduction to Management. Practicals.
Garcia-Zamor, J.C., 2019. An Introduction to Participative Planning and Management. In Public
Participation In Development Planning And Management (pp. 3-11). Routledge.
Liu, Y., 2019. Introduction: International talent management research–a multidisciplinary and
interdisciplinary approach. In Research Handbook of International Talent Management.
Edward Elgar Publishing.
Wilton, N., 2016. An introduction to human resource management. Sage.
van Sprang, H. and Drion, B., 2020. Introduction to Facility Management. Routledge.
Randev, K.K. and Jha, J.K., 2019. Sustainable Human Resource Management: A Literature-
based Introduction. NHRD Network Journal, 12(3), pp.241-252.