Will Investments in Human Resources During the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis Pay Off After the Crisis?

Oh, I.-S., & Han, J. (Forthcoming). Will investments in human resources during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis pay off after the crisis?. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice

Fox School of Business Research Paper Forthcoming

7 Pages Posted: 3 Feb 2021

See all articles by In‐Sue Oh

In‐Sue Oh

Temple University - Department of Human Resource Management

Joo Hun Han

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Date Written: February 2, 2021

Abstract

Rudolph et al. (2020), in their focal article, discussed two areas of strategic human resources (HR) policies/practices in which the COVID-19 pandemic crisis calls for action and attention from both HR managers and researchers. The first area is downsizing, which is unavoidable in many firms due to the immediate negative impact of the COVID-19 crisis on firm financial performance. The other area is online training, which deserves more attention due to the immediate need for educating employees for skills that are necessary to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. Whereas Rodolph et al. drew on evidence from research when they suggested that “HR managers should strive for a transparent and fair way of communication about downsizing measures” (p. XX), they did not provide evidence-based advice regarding the use of online training. Instead, given the lack of relevant research evidence, Rodolph et al. advanced an interesting research question – “empirical HR research will have to test if [investing in online training during the crisis] indeed pays off in increasing employee skills and productivity in the mid and long run” (p. XX). We believe that recent strategic HR research can provide some useful insights into this question, as discussed below.

Keywords: COVID-19, Strategic HRM

Suggested Citation

Oh, In-Sue and Han, Joo Hun, Will Investments in Human Resources During the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis Pay Off After the Crisis? (February 2, 2021). Oh, I.-S., & Han, J. (Forthcoming). Will investments in human resources during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis pay off after the crisis?. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, Fox School of Business Research Paper Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3778344 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3778344

In-Sue Oh (Contact Author)

Temple University - Department of Human Resource Management ( email )

1801 Liacouras Walk
Alter Hall 343
Philadelphia, PA 19122
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.fox.temple.edu/mcm_people/in-sue-oh/

Joo Hun Han

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey ( email )

311 North 5th Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08854
United States

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