Human resource management in recession: Restructuring and alternatives to downsizing in times of crisis

In just over a decade two global crises have created significant instability across the world and plunged many national economies into recession. While studies of HRM during economic downturns are limited, the global impact of COVID-19 on employment adds impetus to the debate. Though downsizing and mass layoffs attract most attention, redundancies are just one potential response to challenging economic conditions, and various other employment adjustments might be viewed as complements or alternatives to workforce reductions. However, little is known about the implementation of HR practices or enactment of HR strategies during recession. Drawing upon 56 in-depth interviews, this article presents three case studies of recessionary restructuring in British manufacturing firms. The cases share a concern with mitigating redundancies and highlight the importance of actor agency as well as institutional and organisational context in shaping restructuring outcomes. The article contributes to HR theory regarding HRM in recession and employment restructuring.

When green recovery fails to consider coal pushback: Exploring global coal rebounds, production, and policy retrenchment post Covid-19

The global green recovery is facing a significant threat due to the escalating consumption of coal and the announcement of new coal development plans by several leading nations. This study presents an overview of post-pandemic coal activities and identifies three types of coal rebound, namely coal use rebound, coal production or power plant expansion, and climate change policy retrenchments, that pose a challenge to global green recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. We delve into the major short-term and long-term factors that underlie the coal rebound by analyzing case studies from eight countries, namely Vietnam, Zimbabwe, China, India, the United States, Germany, Australia, and Indonesia. The findings indicate that in the short-run, energy price volatility induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical crises are the primary factors driving the coal rebound in most countries. We also highlight that the climate-induced coal rebound due to extreme weather could backfire and emerge as a major short-term factor to impede decarbonization efforts. This round of coal rebounds can be attributed to several long-term factors, including the anticipated economic growth in phase-in and established countries, the abundance of coal endowment, the reliance on the coal economy resulting from it, the political influence of coal sectors, the resurgence of geopolitics, and concerns around energy security. It is noteworthy that the return of geopolitics is likely to impact the energy transition for decades to come. The study provides policy recommendations to mitigate coal rebound and enhance the post-pandemic green recovery.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Retrenchment, Vaccinations, and Global Happiness

COVID-19's impacts have spread widely in all directions such as economy, people's lifestyles and well-being. Though existing studies have highlighted such an impact, it remains unclear how the current COVID-19 situation has affected the retrenchment, vaccination and global happiness. In this paper, we present an automated tool enables the public to view various insight. In particular, we integrate and analyze the data from various data sources and show how the COVID19 has impacted Singapore and globally. We employ the regression models to identify the correlation between Human Development Index, Stringency Index, Gross Domestic Product per Capita, Total Deaths from COVID-19, and Total Cases of COVID-19;the rate of vaccination and vaccine hesitancy;and the factors to positively correlate to the global happiness. The insight provided adds values to better fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and future global crisis. © 2023 IEEE.

Rights awareness and COVID-19 tourism job losses: perspectives from Malaysia

This qualitative study applies the labour market segmentation theory to examine tourism job losses through the indirect causes of pay cuts, unpaid leave and the take-up of side hustle–accepted by the employees partly from loyalty, camaraderie and empathy. Where the prolonged hardship from these measures leads to resignations, employers gain from the avoidance of termination benefits mandated by a retrenchment exercise. The losses occasioned to the worker include the non-eligibility for state-funded wage subsidy and foregone termination benefits. Through a legal analysis of COVID-19 job losses, the study posits that tourism workers' lack of rights awareness contributed to the voluntary acceptance of these lawful but detrimental strategies. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Cost-containment long-term care policies for older people across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): a scoping review

In most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, the government has to manage tension between growth in the need for long-term care (LTC) services for older people and significant public budget constraints. Not surprisingly, therefore, cost-containment policies are of increasing relevance. Nevertheless, despite the flourishing interest in the comparative literature in reforms and the sustainability of LTC policies, a scoping review of these measures has so far not been produced. This article aims to contribute to filling this gap. We present a typology of LTC cost-containment policies across the OECD. Cost-containment policies cluster in two areas according to their focus: demand-side policies, which reduce the actual chances of receiving LTC services and/or make them more expensive for users;and supply-side ones, which modify the provision of services. Furthermore, an indirect outcome of the review is that it allows an overview of potential negative implications of these policies. These negative implications can be grouped in two macro spheres relating to a worsening of the care arrangements for beneficiaries and to increased demand for individual/family resources, in both economic and time and effort terms. In the light of the expected profound impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on all social security sectors in the medium and long term, this article provides a valuable tool for both academic and policy-making debate. It allows an analytical comprehension of cost-containment strategies adopted in LTC sectors linking them with the related impacts on beneficiaries and their families.

COVID-19 and Survival Strategies of Small Businesses in Nigeria

Introduction: The study examined the effect of COVID-19 on the survival strategies of small businesses in Nigeria. Materials and method: The applied survey research design with a close ended questionnaire which was administered to the respondents who were the owners of small businesses in Benue State of Nigeria. The variables used were number of deaths, number of confirmed cases and number of recovery cases which were used as measures of COVID-19 while survival strategies were measured with retrenchment strategies, investment strategies and ambidextrous strategies. The population of the study is the entire small businesses in Benue State of Nigeria and the sample size of 297 was derived using Taro Yamane formula. The variables were tested for reliability and result showed that all the variables were reliable. The study used regression with the aid of SPSS version 20. Results: There was a negative and significant effect of COVID-19 on survival strategies of small businesses in Benue State of Nigeria. Conclusion: The study recommended that small businesses in Benue State should continue to apply survival strategies during COVID-19 such as retrenchment strategies in terms reduction in the number of employments, reduction in expenditure (additional cost or overhead cost) and closure of additional branches of business establishment. They should also continue to adopt investment strategies such as investment in innovation, increase in resources and estimating growth measures of the firms.

Explaining the revival strategies of Indian MSMEs to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 outbreak

Purpose Micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) is the kingpin of Indian economy. It contributes to 48% of India's exports and provides employment to 110 million people. As a result, it is critical to evaluate the obstacles, expose them and find a way to overcome the crisis due to the pandemic. The study aims to analyse the impact of financial and non-financial measures for the revival of MSME and its impact on firm sustainability and future opportunity as perceived by MSME owners/heads during the COVID-19 outbreak. Design/methodology/approach This study, based on a cross-sectional survey of 197 export-oriented Indian MSMEs, attempts to investigate covid crisis mitigation strategies/measures in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model was applied to check model fit, and structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed for data analysis. Findings The results of this study show the financial and non-financial revival measures such as firm revival, marketing training, customer relationship management (CRM), financial incentive and firm support, extending worker social security and financial access and price control positively impact MSMEs' business sustainability and future opportunity as perceived by the respondents that lent good support to the hypothesis. Research limitations/implications The study emphasizes management in association with government and financial institutions to design short-term as well as long-term strategies that may enhance their sustainability in the market. MSMEs are being forced to reassess their business strategy and modify their operating model as a result of the uncertain/unpredictable climate. Many levels of strategy aid in revitalizing the company and providing future possibilities to move forward if the government schemes positively impact the perception of entrepreneurs. Further, the study identifies the immediate measures to tide over the crisis over this sector and then furnishes recommendations for closing the identified gaps in the present understanding. Originality/value The impact of COVID-19 on Indian MSMEs and how these MSMEs are dealing with it are highlighted in this paper, which is quite scarce and insufficient to cover the gap. It also provides a comprehensive view of firm sustainability and perceived opportunity among MSMEs.

Ayanda Mbatha: resilience in action during the COVID-19 pandemic (A)

Complexity/Academic level: Undergraduate, postgraduate and corporate education. Case overview: This case describes Ayanda Mbatha’s response, attitudes and beliefs after retrenched from his position as a technician and draughtsman at Rheinmetall Denel Munition during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mbatha responded with resilience to losing his job. Mbatha’s attitudes and beliefs enabled him to creatively search for a new job amidst escalating retrenchments. The case examines the factors important for resilience and demonstrates why resilience is an essential skill for individuals dealing with adversity. The case dilemma involves the choices Mbatha had to make during and after the retrenchment process initiated by his employer. Expected learning outcome: We designed this case to facilitate the understanding of what is resilience and why resilience is an essential skill for individuals facing adversity. Specifically, the case aims to help students to: 1. Describe the construct of resilience in the context of individuals. 2. Identify factors that promote resilience. 3. Explain what resilient individuals do in the face of adversity. 4. Evaluate the importance of resilience during adversity. 5. Evaluate the role of prior adversity in the development of resilience. Supplementary materials: Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code: CSS 6: Human Resource Management. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Evolutionary selection for travel agencies under COVID-19 adversity through the lens of life history theory

This study draws on life history theory to rationalize how tourism enterprises make decisions and evolve during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a case study approach, the current work improvises the house of trade-off paradox as a visual metaphoric framework that integrates three major dyadic trade-off pairs along with four organizational resource configuration aspects. This inquiry further synthesizes the wheel of selection strategy to pinpoint a mechanism in which tourism agencies mutate to adapt to a new normal based on acute environmental shocks. We further provide practical implications for operators with valuable insights germane to post-pandemic recovery.

The K-12 Pandemic Budget and Staffing Crises Have Not Panned Out - Yet: Selected Findings from the Third American School District Panel Survey. Data Note: Insights from the American Educator Panels. Research Report. RR-A956-3

This report presents school district leaders' views about staff turnover, hiring, and districts' financial outlooks at the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Based on the survey responses of 292 district leaders from the American School District Panel (ASDP), the authors found that teacher and principal turnover had not increased substantially beyond pre-pandemic rates in most districts. They also found that a majority of school districts have increased or are trying to increase their number of staff--especially for substitute teachers and mental health staff--for the 2021-2022 school year. District leaders also reported budget concerns. Four in ten district leaders anticipate a fiscal cliff around the time coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) federal aid expires in September 2024, and over half of the districts that anticipate a funding increase from federal stimulus funds are concerned about their ability to spend the money, even though virtually all district leaders said that they have some level of discretion in how to spend those funds. Although districts' reported impacts have not led to much-feared budget and staffing crises for their school districts, these survey findings suggest systemic problems that could outlast the COVID-19 pandemic. [For a related report, "Technical Documentation for the Third American School District Panel Survey. Research Report. RR-A956-6," see ED615291.]