A Reflection of the Best Fit and Best Practices Schools of Thought on Human Resource Management Practices and its Impact During COVID-19

Abstract

Properly handled human resources have been associated with organisational triumph. However, this has never been the case during the pandemic. Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has universally and considerably, inter alia, affected both the organizations and the human resource management (HRM) aspects. Numerous challenges have been observed and various responses have been attempted, some of which necessitated human resource flexibility in the context of HRM strategies and practices under crisis circumstances. There emerged more than demand for support from the employees especially with the uncertain future and high possibility of losing jobs or salary deduction. Certainly, this is when the HR department is expected to design the right HRM strategies to counteract the challenges of COVID-19. This review explores HRM practices reflecting the best fit and best practices schools of thought. A scoping review approach was used in both data collection and analysis involving 103 articles obtained from Google Scholar, AJOL, Pubmed, Embase, Medline, CINAHL Full text, Academic Search Premier, CAB abstract, Web of Science search engines, and databases. Keywords involved in the search query were: “human resource management’, Best Fit School of Thought, Best Practices Schools of Thought resource management under COVID-19, workplaces and COVID-19; COVID-19 Pandemic and ‘effects of COVID-19 at workplaces”.  The best fits and best practices included provision of employees’ security, hiring the right quality people, effective and self-managed teams, fair and performance-based compensation, and training in relevant skills. Others were the creation of flat and egalitarian organizations, easing information accessibility to employees, creating emergency response teams, care for f employee wellness and safety initiatives together with implementation of remote work strategies. It has been observed that Human Resources departments did their best to keep organizations moving during COVID-19. It is recommended that organisations should sustainably promote these best fits and best practices in case of any pandemic.