Towards Compassionate Total Rewards: COVID-19's Clarion Call for a Paradigmatic Shift

The COVID-19 ‘new normal' has forced organisations to reinvent business practices including rewards in order to retain and motivate employees. This article reviewed the published literature to identify the changing Total Rewards strategies adopted by firms in India as they navigated the various phases of this unprecedented pandemic. The review of academic papers as well as practitioner articles or news articles on relevant themes published in the period of 2020–2021 was followed by semi-structured interviews with 12 human resource practitioners working in the Compensation and Benefits or Total Rewards function across various organisations in India to arrive at the findings of the study. The study revealed that most firms have adopted a compassionate approach while reformulating their Total Rewards strategy. Agility, fairness and hyper-personalisation form the cornerstones for relooking at the Total Rewards dimensions such as pay, benefits, learning and development, and work environment. Spurred by the pandemic, the article highlights the endeavour of Indian firms to imbibe compassion into their Total Rewards strategies by being agile, fair and hyper-personalised. Further, it also lists potential challenges that Indian reward leaders might need to address to successfully implement and sustain a compassionate Total Rewards culture in their organisations.

Management and standardization of hemodialysis centers in lockdown areas under the epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019.

Maintenance hemodialysis patients need to return to hospital 3 times a week for routine hemodialysis treatment. In the case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and regional lockdown, a set of management systems and standardizations has been established in our hemodialysis center, including forward movement of the critical nodes of treatment, specialists pooling program for hemodialysis technology, and dynamic bubble personnel management, to implement dynamic prevention and control strategies, precise management of inpatient wards and closed-loop management of outbreaks. While improving the management of our own hemodialysis center, it is recommended to strengthen multi-center collaboration to build a municipal grid management system for hemodialysis and explore different dialysis strategies for end-stage renal disease to meet the treatment needs and safety management of maintenance hemodialysis patients in lockdown areas under the epidemic.Copyright © 2022, Second Military Medical University Press. All rights reserved.

Disability, workplace inclusion and organizational citizenship behavior: an exploratory study of the legal profession

PurposeMany workers with disabilities face cultures of exclusion in the workplace, which can affect their participation in decisions, workplace engagement, job attitudes and performance. The authors explore a key indicator of engagement—perceptions of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)—as it relates to disability and other marginalized identities in the workplace.Design/methodology/approachUsing an online survey, legal professionals answered questions about their workplace experiences. Ordinary least squares (OLS) multivariate regression analysis with progressive adjustment was used to investigate the effect of demographic and organizational factors on perceptions of OCB.FindingsThe authors find that employees with disabilities have lower perceptions of OCB, both before and after controlling for other personal and job variables. The disability gap is cut nearly in half, however, when controlling for workplace culture measures of co-worker support and the presence of an effective diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policy. Disability does not appear to interact with gender, race/ethnicity and LGBTQ + status in affecting perceptions of OCB.Originality/valueThe results point to the workplace barriers faced by people with disabilities that affect their perceptions of engagement, and the potential for supportive cultures to change these perceptions.

Integrating flipped/blended learning into the ultrasound clinical governance session

Education and training is one of the pillars of clinical governance that helps to maintain and improve the quality of patient care within the NHS. The impact of COVID-19 has disrupted the delivery of governance sessions. Original large departmental face-to-face sessions have changed because of social distancing, staff sickness or staff having to isolate. Furthermore, part-time staff often miss clinical governance sessions and do not have the opportunity to maintain training compared to full time staff. The need to deliver education and training is still crucial for staff development and optimising patient care and safety. This poster explores how flipped learning combined with blended learning that is used within academic institutions can also be used to deliver clinical governance within the ultrasound department. Considering the IMPALA framework and its components, the following format is an alternative provision that could be used to deliver governance: online presentation including a video/audio clip;selfdirected study/activity;face to face or online session. The format would ideally suit new guidelines being introduced into a department, for example the applying O-RADS to images. Similarly, the format would suit education and training in case studies, protocols and even departmental quizzes or discussion forums. Including video/audio allows staff to feel in touch and be included with their peers despite circumstances potentially not allowing all to be present. Pillars of governance are crucial to deliver optimal patient care. The education component is also very important to ultrasound practitioners. CPD is continuous and staff should be provided with equal opportunities despite working patterns or absence. Alternative methods to deliver governance sessions should be used as well as the traditional departmental/face to face session. The given format allows the ultrasound department to give education and training to all staff maintaining staff CPD and optimal patient care.

An investigation of radiation therapy peer group supervision in a metropolitan cancer centre

Objectives: To investigate radiation therapists' perceptions of participating in peer group supervision (PGS) and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on PGS. Method(s): Radiation therapists were introduced to PGS at an in-service facilitated by an employee assistance program representative. Nine volunteers were then placed into one of two PGS groups of similar experience levels. Groups met monthly for PGS sessions;and after six and 12 meetings each participant was sent a link to the 14-item Clinical Supervision Evaluation Questionnaire (CSEQ),1 three open-ended and three demographic questions. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods. Result(s): Survey completion rates were 8/9 (88.9%) pre- and 6/7 (85.7%) post-COVID-19. Analysis of the CSEQ revealed that pre-COVID-19 seven participants (87.5%) and post-COVID-19 five participants (71.4%) had a positive experience with PGS. One (12.5%) and two (28.6%) participants pre- and post-COVID-19, respectively, stated that their experience was neither positive nor negative. The thematic data showed that the participants perceived PGS to assist with (i) feeling supported at work, (ii) developing an element of trust between group members, (iii) encouraging self-reflection, (iv) fostering an awareness of others, and (v) increasing problem-solving skills. Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic led to fewer regular meetings, which had a negative impact on participants. Conclusion(s): Involvement in PGS within a radiation therapist setting has reportedly positively affected those involved. Regular access to a supportive, trusting team has enabled the participants to self-reflect and better troubleshoot work-related experiences.

Organizational transformation in crisis: learning from emergent patterns of knowing and organizing

PurposeComplex crises affect tightly coupled systems making them highly unpredictable. This paper aims to determine how organizations learn from their crisis experience shaping their knowledge and transformation trajectory toward and beyond survival. A theoretical framework integrating organizational learning (OL) and knowledge management in organizational transformation (OT) in complex crises is presented.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper presents a systematic literature review on OT in crisis from 2000 to 2021. To achieve integration, the authors searched for studies on OT, knowledge management and OL, each paired with a crisis.FindingsCrises highlight the emergent and decentered nature of knowing and organizing. This study suggests that OT is achieved through various changes in organizational knowledge. Different learning modes enable the transformation of knowledge in a crisis: contextual or situated learning, strategic and collective integration.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors' pandemic experience may have influenced the analysis. This paper does not account for new types of learning emerging due to the influence of digital technologies.Practical implicationsOrganizations may hasten renewal through distributed crisis management facilitated by contextual and strategic learning and collective integration.Originality/valueThis study categorizes learning, based on its function in crisis management, into three types: contextual learning for creative problem-solving, strategic learning for leadership and direction and collective integration to evaluate their crisis journey. Through this classification, this study sheds light on the types of knowledge needed to manage crises effectively, showing that organizations can leverage their crises by transforming and innovating themselves in this turbulent period.

Home × office or home and office: importance of breaks at work.

The COVID-19 pandemic can be seen as a rite of passage where individuals are being called upon to rethink the dictatorship of the way-of-being through work. With the intensification of the work from home modality, many essential aspects of life became secondary. This way, it is important to think about work breaks, not only from the viewpoint of labor laws, but also for creating moments of reflection for (re)thinking various aspects of work, whether remote or in person. The objective of this study was to promote a reflection on the importance of taking breaks during remote work (working from home) or in-person work, considering the promotion of occupational health and well-being. Breaks during the workday are beneficial to physical and mental health, as they help restore concentration and energy, relieve stress, improve muscle tension, among other factors. Strategies for promoting work breaks cannot be prescribed as recipes but should be considered as possibilities to exercise these moments of disconnection from work on a daily basis. Moreover, the worker can also contribute to improve the quality of working life by adopting simple attitudes such as maintaining adequate hydration and using practices such as foot soaks, meditation, yoga, self-massage, foot reflexology, and mindfulness in the work environment. Therefore, in order for strategies for the promotion of health and occupational well-being to be successful, we need a change in the behavior of managers and workers in order to better reconcile our way-of-being through work and our way-of-being through care.

A pandemia da COVID-19 pode ser vista como um rito de passagem em que os indivíduos estão sendo convocados a repensar a ditadura do modo-de-ser trabalho. Com a intensificação da modalidade do home office, vários aspectos essenciais da vida ficaram em segundo plano. Assim, é importante pensar acerca da pausa laboral, não só a partir da legislação trabalhista, mas também criando momentos de reflexão para (re) pensar vários aspectos do trabalho, seja remoto ou presencial. O objetivo deste artigo foi promover uma reflexão acerca da importância da pausa no trabalho remoto (home office) ou presencial, tendo em vista a promoção da saúde e o bem-estar ocupacional. As pausas durante a jornada de trabalho trazem benefícios para a saúde física e mental, pois ajudam a restaurar a concentração, revigorar as energias, aliviar o estresse, melhorar as tensões musculares, entre outros. As estratégias para promover a pausa no trabalho não podem ser prescritas como receitas, mas esses momentos de desconexão com o trabalho devem ser considerados como possibilidades de se exercitar cotidianamente. Além disso, o trabalhador também pode contribuir para melhorar a qualidade de vida no trabalho ao adotar atitudes simples como manter uma hidratação adequada e utilizar práticas como escalda-pés, meditação, ioga, automassagem, reflexologia podal e mindfulness no ambiente laboral. Portanto, para que as estratégias de promoção à saúde e de bem-estar ocupacional obtenham sucesso, é necessário que haja uma mudança de comportamento de gestores e trabalhadores a fim de conciliar melhor nosso modo-de-ser trabalho e nosso modo-de-ser cuidado.

Holistic Embodied OD: Integrating Head, Heart, Hands, and Whole Body for Change

This past decade has been filled with significant volatility and disruption for virtually every individual, group, organization, and society on Earth. The COVID-19 pandemic has been perhaps the most significant disruptor to day-to-day life globally since the age of world wars in the mid-20th century. Although OD scholar-practitioners may have seamlessly pivoted in response to COVID-19 and embraced the shift to interacting in a "virtual" world, the challenge of how to maintain an embodied use of self during relentless disruption and constant uncertainty remained. In this article, we discuss developing an enhanced use of self and propose the practice of Holistic Embodied OD as a method of integrating our entire selves-head, heart, hands, and whole body-for effective change practice through retrospective analysis of two case studies, one pre-COVID and one during COVID-19. "Holistic Embodied OD is grounded in the development of an enhanced use of self that integrates and equally values several different elements of our lived selfexperience and relationships with others: Thinking (Head), Feeling (Heart), Doing (Hands), and Being (Whole Body)" (Matthews & Szelwach, 2021, p. 7). Practicing in this way acknowledges that the body is our way of showing up and being in the world as scholar-practitioners who engage with others as embodied social beings. Through Holistic Embodied OD, we resist disembodied OD practice by staying fully present in each situation and flexibly adjusting ourselves and our methods to help organizations and communities facilitate effective and timely change.

Tips for Virtual Meeting Engagement: An OD Coaching Strategy

The authors present this article as a blend of facts and the authors' experiences since little is currently known about interactions within the virtual world. Employees are finding that virtual meetings occur too often. In most cases, they are uninteresting and lack engagement for the participants. These combined factors lead to virtual meeting burnout and participants' multitasking instead of involvement. Continuous virtual meetings cause stress and, subsequently, other health issues;this article is a call to OD practitioners to help develop techniques to alleviate these issues. Engagement may be the solution to lessening these virtual meeting problems. The first part of the article describes what we know about virtual meetings. The last part of the article gives specific coaching directions for your clients in ways that they can increase engagement in a variety of meetings. Virtual meetings will remain in our lives and may be one of the major ways people communicate with each other. Organization development professionals in the past were the ones that increased the effectiveness and human potential of in-person meetings through the development of techniques and research. Because virtual meetings happen daily, there is a belief that we know a great deal about this form of interaction, but there is little research confirming this belief. We provide some next steps for organization development consultants and scholar-practitioners to start thinking creatively about this media, research, write, and develop innovative technology. Virtual meetings need engagement, and we are the ones with the skills to make a difference.

Clarifying Organizational Generativity: A Future Forming Perspective for OD Practitioners and Researchers

As the catastrophic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have made clear, both the practice and research of organizational development (OD) urgently need alternative pathways to the future. Organizational generativity (OG) offers one such promising alternative. While much of OD practice and research are focused on enabling organizations to better prepare for an unknown future, OG accommodates new ways for organizations to proactively create their own future. As a nascent field of inquiry, however, research on OG is underdeveloped and characterized by a lack of clarity. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to clarify the construct of organizational generativity to be more actionable by OD practitioners, researchers, and managers alike. Using grounded theory, we review and critique the literature on generativity, from the "ancestral" writers in psychology to current OD authors. Through successive rounds of inquiry, we reveal the syntax, the semantics, and the inherent processual nature of organizational generativity. We then derive a conceptual framework describing seven manifestations of generative organizational processes: relational, transformational, disruptive, future-focused, idea-giving, actionable, and procreative. Finally, we discuss implications for OD practice and opportunities for future research.

The impact of transition to a remote work format on the mental health of employees

The subject of employee mental well-being has recently been discussed in the Russian corporate world and now it is a hot topic. According to the survey results, most domestic companies consider the problem of employee burnout to be important and recognize its negative impact on the staff, while over half are reluctant to do anything about it. However, for those companies that started thinking about implementing employee psychological wellness programs before 2019, the pandemic accelerated the process. The purpose of our study is to identify the causal relationship between the shift to remote working in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic and the mental state of workers. In-depth interviews with HR managers of the Russian branches of six large international companies and econometric analysis were used in this work. The research reveals that the abrupt shift to work from home (WFH) had a negative impact on employee mental state, which forced the companies to promptly implement new measures to support their workers. Over time, the staff was able to adapt to the new environment, and the opposite effect was observed: during the subsequent waves, those who were at WFH felt more psychologically stable compared to those transferred to a remote format later.

The COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives on work engagement and work-from-home in a higher education institution

Orientation: Globally, the repercussions of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic infiltrated many areas within societies. Like all other institutions, higher education institutions (HEIs) had to migrate to online and blended activities, and work-from-home (WFH) became characteristic of the ‘new normal'. Research purpose: The main purpose of the study was to determine the perspectives on work engagement and WFH among employees of an HEI in South Africa during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Motivation for the study: There is limited published research reporting on WFH and work engagement in HEIs. Research approach/design and method: The study employed a quantitative-based cross-sectional design. The target population of this study included all employees an HEI in South Africa who worked from home during the COVID-19 lockdown. A web-based survey was used to collect the data. In total, 399 respondents participated in the research. Main results: The results of the study revealed that the employees were to a great extent engaged in their work because of the organisational support received from the institution. It was also evident that some employees experienced difficulties with establishing a work routine, a lack of sufficient equipment and resources to function at home, work–home interference, increased workload and working hours, isolation and work–life balance issues. Practical/managerial implications: The results of the study are important to inform business decisions regarding the WFH model as an alternative working arrangement to be considered in HEIs. Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the body of knowledge regarding work engagement and WFH in HEIs in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Developing the concept of leaveism: From presenteeism/absence to an emergent and expanding domain of employment?

The changing nature of employment has led to increased awareness of leaveism, a practice involving employees using allocated time off when unwell, taking work home, and picking up work when on annual leave. However, there are theoretical, methodological, and policy/practice‐related weaknesses, apparent in current understandings. The main article aim is to develop, theoretically, the emergent notion of leaveism, drawing on concepts related to work intensification (WI) and ideal worker norms (IWNs), concepts underpinned by reference to information communication technologies (ICTs), then exploring such ideas via an electronic questionnaire (n = 959), aimed at UK‐based employees performing leaveism. The main argument is leaveism is more than a lacuna between presenteeism and sickness absence;it is an unsustainable employer‐driven social phenomenon sitting at the intersection of WI, IWNs and ICTs. The findings have policy/practice implications for human resource management (HRM) professionals, trade unions and governments. Recommendations for future research including exploring leaveism in an international context, and in a Covid‐19 pandemic‐defined era.

Intentional response distortion during the covid-19 pandemic

COVID-19 has abruptly and unexpectedly transformed nearly every aspect of work, including but not limited to increased unemployment rates and uncertainty regarding future job prospects. Response distortion has always been a concern given that many organizations rely on information that is self-reported by applicants regarding their potential employability (e.g., responses to self-reported personality instruments, resumes, interview responses). Drawing from the Valence-Instrumentality-Expectancy (VIE) theory of motivation, we propose that the uncertainty surrounding jobs may lead to amplified distorted responses on these measures in areas where COVID-19 was most salient. In a sample of 213 working adults [~50% female, age M = 38.48], the present study shows that increases in response distortion on a measure of conscientiousness were more pronounced as a function of (a) local COVID positivity rates and (b) job type, such that frontline workers distorted their responses the most. Findings are discussed in the context of VIE theory, personality measurement, and challenges with maintaining effective selection procedures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Trust disruption and preservation in the Covid-19 work from home context

PurposeThe paper posits that the enforced work from home (WFH) arrangement due to Covid-19 provides a unique setting for the study of trust in changing contexts. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine to what extent Covid-19 WFH changed trust relationships among remote employees, their managers and organisations and how this has taken place.Design/methodology/approachThe study used semi-structured interviews with employees and managers from different organisations across different sectors. Interviews were supported with image prompts as suggested by the storyboarding method, and took place between November 2020 and February 2021. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.FindingsThe findings identified factors that contribute to trust disruption and factors that led to trust preservation within the changing workspace landscape enforced by WFH environment. Employees reported trust in their organisations, feeling as though their organisations proven resilient at the time of the crisis caused by the pandemic. Interestingly, managers reported trust in employees to remain productive but also anxieties due to the possible presence of others in the household.Originality/valueThe study identified factors that affect intra-organisational trust that have not been previously recognised, exposing tensions and challenges that may disrupt trust relations between managers and employees whilst also identifying evidence of trust preservation in the Covid-19 WFH context. The study has implications for workplace learning within the remote, WFH context, which are discussed.

Beyond politics of difference: intersectionality across time and place

As Theunissen and Van Laer ([32]) reveal in this special issue, language and the politics of linguistic difference are key closure mechanism through which native speakers defend job privilege and prevent migrants from entering. " Exploring the Politics of Linguistic Difference: the Construction of Language Requirements for Migrants in Jobs Traditionally Conducted by Local Native Speakers." Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, nationalist and rightist movements were on the rise in many parts of the world. " Guest Editorial: Unpacking Diversity, Grasping Inequality: Rethinking Difference Through Critical Perspectives.". [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Culture & Organization is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Advancing the field of employee assistance programs research and practice: A systematic review of quantitative studies and future research agenda

The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the critical role of organizational support for the workforce. An employee assistance program (EAP) represents an inclusive strategy which organizations adopt to provide supportive and empathic care to help employees overcome undesirable situations. To date, we have limited knowledge of what EAP issues have been researched from the human resource management (HRM) perspective and what theoretical underpinning these studies have used. This article systematically reviews quantitative empirical studies on EAPs. Drawing upon 115 articles from 72 journals across 40 years (1981-2020), we trace the evolutionary trend of the construct of EAP and shed light on the internal link of EAP with HRM. After summarizing research themes, methods, theories, and approaches to the evaluation of EAPs, we identify pitfalls in the current research and contribute to extending the field by proposing several research agendas for future investigation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

A business retrieval model using scenario planning and analytics for life during and after the pandemic crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has fundamentally changed the way we live and work forever. The business sector is forecasting and formulating different scenarios associated with the impact of the pandemic on its employees, customers, and suppliers. Various business retrieval models are under construction to cope with life after the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis. However, the proposed plans and scenarios are static and cannot address the dynamic pandemic changes worldwide. They also have not considered the peripheral in-between scenarios to propel the shifting paradigm of businesses from the existing condition to the new one. Furthermore, the scenario drivers in the current studies are generally centered on the economic aspects of the pandemic with little attention to the social facets. This study aims to fill this gap by proposing scenario planning and analytics to study the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on large-scale information technology-led Companies. The primary and peripheral scenarios are constructed based on a balanced set of business continuity and employee health drivers. Practical action plans are formulated for each scenario to devise plausible responses. Finally, a damage management framework is developed to cope with the mental disorders of the employees amid the disease.Copyright © 2021 The Author(s)

Challenges and Approaches to High-Level Isolation Unit Staffing and Just-in-Time Training: A Meeting Report.

In November 2022, the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center hosted a virtual session with global high-level isolation unit (HLIU) representatives to discuss HLIU staffing challenges and approaches. Takeaways are relevant to healthcare institutions seeking solutions to recruit and retain their healthcare workforce amid unprecedented global staffing shortages.

Does telework work? Gauging challenges of telecommuting to adapt to a "new normal"

The paper aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of organisation management while telecommuting. With exploratory factor analysis (EFA), we define the specific set of telework organising efficiency characteristics. We determined the number of factors with Kaiser Eigenvalues rule as well as Cattel's scree criterion. We conducted the study in Lithuania, the country with a low percentage of teleworkers until organisations have been urged to properly implement their performance to remote means after the COVID-19 quarantine was announced. This paper reveals that the fundamental challenges of teleworking are the feedback issues related to working accomplishment, especially to the task and process overload, and individual self-organisation ability. Moreover, the flexibility of work organisation represents a unique characteristic of telework, and managers should cooperate more effectively with teleworkers to keep them motivated. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)