2021/09/09 by Kay Lisa Maddox-Daines, Kay Maddox-Daines · 26 citations
Business, Management and Accounting · Health Professions · Medicine · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Business #Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) #Emotional Labor in Professions #Employment and Welfare Studies #Human resources #Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior #Medicine #Originality #Pandemic #Political science #Psychology #Public relations #Qualitative research #Sociology #Value (mathematics) #Workforce
paper · doi:10.1108/pr-04-2021-0224
published in Personnel Review 52(6), 1693-1707 (Emerald Publishing Limited)
openalex publication_date 2021/09/09 · crossref created 2021/09/09 · crossref issued 2021/09/10 · crossref published 2021/09/10 · crossref published-online 2021/09/10 · crossref published-print 2023/07/14 · crossref deposited 2025/07/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/08/01 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Purpose 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/approach Semi-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. Findings This 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/implications The 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/value This 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.